We had the good fortune of connecting with Andy Cheshire and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andy, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
I don’t think people fully understand the time and care that goes into preparing really good food. In BBQ, there are often times that we sell out of some or most of our proteins, and folks get really irritated by that. They don’t appreciate that most of our meats are prepped the day before, and cooked for anywhere from 4-14 hours. We can’t just throw on a brisket for a quick 12 hours when we’re sold out. In our catering world, we do events for hundreds of people at a time, and we receive comments about how it’s surprising that the food costs more than the venue rental. It’s completely backwards. We spend weeks preparing for a 6-hr event, and food for 250 people requires well over 100 hours to prep, cook, transport, and serve; all while maintaining proper food safety, timeliness, and quality. Every step requires a thoughtful process to ensure our product is as close to the level we serve in the restaurant as possible. We care about every bite that our guests and clients eat because we care about them. We often choose to do things the hard way or in a more costly manner to give everyone we encounter the very best experience possible. I’m not sure that most outside folks are really aware.

What should our readers know about your business?
We have a 3-armed business. We have our brick-and-mortar restaurant in Sachse, weddings and events catering, and our mobile BBQ trailer, “The Chuck Wagon” that we use for outdoor events/festivals. While there’s a lot of great bbq in Texas, we’re really proud that all of our food can stand with our best products. Our poultry is juicy, our pulled pork isn’t that far off from our ribs, and while brisket is king, there isn’t anything on our menu that I would consider “weak.” So much of that comes back to the fact that we genuinely care about every single thing we cook. There are no “fillers” or items that we have just because it’s “standard for bbq.” In our restaurant, we use a full-service model, which isn’t common for bbq; the norm being counter/buffet-style service. We chose to do full-service, not because it was unusual, but because we carry the rich tradition of Southern Hospitality deep in our bones. We want our folks to come in and enjoy their time as if they were at our home, which is why we don’t refer to anyone as a “customer.” We have “guests,” and in the Southern tradition, we’re going to take care of everything for you, and you’ll get food for now and food to take home with you. On the front of every menu, we have a really clear message: “There’s always a seat for you at our table.”

Probably the element of our business that I’m most proud of is our commitment to serving people in our local community. We partner with several non-profit organizations in the area to provide food to families in need, homeless teens, and first responders. From our opening in June 2019 to December 2021, we’ve given away over 23,000 free meals. Most of those meals have been through our “Feed the Need” project that we began early during the pandemic in 2020. We put out between 100-700 meals per week depending on our non-profit partners’ needs, and when we had a hard time operating the restaurant while still producing meals, we decided to close the store-front two days per week to make sure we can get those meals out. If we have to choose between making money at the restaurant and feeding hungry people in need, then that’s a no-brainer: we’re always going to choose our mission to Build Relationships & Serve People. The transition hasn’t been easy. The pandemic’s taken its toll on so many in the food industry, and we’re no exception. However, I’d rather give our last slice of brisket away before I turned someone away that just needed a warm smile and a hot plate.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our local community has been a gift. Folks from our Chambers of Commerce have helped get us into events. Families have made it their mission to keep our doors open during the pandemic. Almost everyone who walks in our restaurant does so because a friend of theirs told them they had to try us. Local businesses and hundreds of guests have donated to our BBQ bucks program to help pay for meals for guests/families going through difficult times. They have been the best of neighbors, and we are constantly overjoyed that our hearts and backyards are right here in town.

Website: communitybbqgrill.com

Instagram: @communitybbqgrill

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communitybbqgrill

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