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Franklin Barbecue has been closed for what seems like far too long (a little over two months), but pitmaster Aaron Franklin is hoping to reopen his restaurant very soon. Franklin Barbecue should resume service this month, if all goes well, as he told Austin 360, just in time for Thanksgiving.
Update, November 16: Looks like Franklin isn’t reopening this week. Instead, it’s opening on Tuesday, November 21.
Franklin Barbecue won’t be back in full force then, though. Initially, the barbecue joint will cook up 75 briskets a day (instead of its usual 120), and limited service elsewhere, including to-go orders. Franklin is hoping to get back to full service in December.
The restaurant caught on fire in late August after an errant ember flew away from the firepit. No one was hurt, but the building suffered smoke, structural, and content damages.
Franklin has been keeping himself busy in the meantime. He’s working on physically rebuilding the restaurant’s smokehouse, as he shared on Instagram. He is partnering with chef Tyson Cole on his new restaurant, Loro, which will focus on smoked meats. That’s set to open in 2018. Then there’s his food and music festival, Hot Luck, which just announced its 2018 dates.
This article has been updated to reflect Franklin Barbecue’s new estimated reopening date.
