Austin Goes to War Against BBQ

Apparently I moved out of Austin just in time. I don’t know what its problem is, but screw that town. pic.twitter.com/TbBBuRWlVs

— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) July 27, 2015

Unbelievable, yet probably inevitable given Austin’s political climate:

“If this resolution passes, we would be forced to close or move. It would destroy Austin barbecue.” says Aaron Franklin, owner of Franklin’s BBQ in Austin.

Austin, Texas has long been a destination for Americans of all stripes in their quest to find the best barbecue in the nation.

However, if the Austin City Council gets their way, food tourism may soon be a thing of the past.

Austin City Council members passed a preliminary plan in April to put restrictions on smoke from barbeque restaurants. Some Austin residents complain of the barbecue smoke saying they can’t enjoy their homes they purchased before some of these restaurants moved in.

The city council’s current proposal will require smoke diffusers and will also limit the amount of time that restaurants can smoke. These restrictions will require at least $100,000 in extra investments for most barbecue restaurants as they will be forced to buy extra smokers along with severely expensive diffusers, and in some cases will have to lease or purchase more property.

If this goes into effect, there won’t be a surviving mom & pop BBQ joint left inside the Austin city limits. There’s just no way they’d be able to afford the expense — especially given the effective limits on how much BBQ they can produce. Some operations might be able to relocate out past the city line, but then they’d lose most of the foot traffic they rely on to stay in business and win new customers.

Yo, Texas — still want to keep Austin weird?