Shawn Jones Closes Texas BBQ Joint as Beef Prices Jump 14.8%
Updated
Updated · Newsweek · May 27
Shawn Jones Closes Texas BBQ Joint as Beef Prices Jump 14.8%
3 articles · Updated · Newsweek · May 27
Summary
Kirby’s BBQ in New Caney, Texas, shut after pitmaster Shawn Jones said “absolutely insane” beef costs crushed margins and weakened customer traffic.
$36-a-pound brisket — the restaurant’s top seller — pushed a full meal toward $100, making it harder for Jones to keep the business viable.
86.2 million cattle and calves were on U.S. farms on Jan. 1, the smallest start-of-year herd since 1951, tightening supply as grilling season lifts demand.
April beef and veal prices were up 14.8% from a year earlier, including 14.5% for ground beef and 16.1% for steaks, and the USDA expects another 12.1% rise this year.
Texas barbecue operators are increasingly warning of closures as drought, fuel and financing costs, shrinking ranch land and slow herd rebuilding keep relief years away.