Houston’s Barbecue Inn is expected to serve its final plates this Saturday, ending an 80-year run for one of the city’s most recognizable family restaurants. The Crosstimbers institution fed generations of Houstonians, and its closing gives regulars only a few more chances to order the fried chicken, seafood and old-school comfort food that made it a local favorite.
The closing was first reported by Chron, which said an owner told KHOU 11 that Saturday would be the restaurant’s last day of service. The report also noted that Barbecue Inn had not yet publicly confirmed the closure as of Thursday.
Barbecue Inn traces its roots to 1946, when Louis and Nell Skrehot converted a small house into a restaurant and built its original storefront and barbecue pit, according to the restaurant’s official history. Four generations of the Skrehot family have worked at the business, turning it into more than a restaurant: It became a kind of edible family heirloom for Houston diners.
A Houston Classic Known For More Than Barbecue
Despite the name, the restaurant’s reputation eventually stretched well beyond brisket and ribs. As Chron previously reported, Barbecue Inn became especially known for its fried chicken, while its menu also featured chicken-fried steak, seafood, sandwiches and other Southern staples.
The news arrives during a difficult stretch for Texas barbecue and independent restaurants more broadly. A Washington Post report described rising meat prices and operating pressures threatening longtime barbecue businesses across the state, though the specific reasons for Barbecue Inn’s closure have not been fully confirmed.
If the schedule holds, Saturday will be the final service for a restaurant that began when Harry Truman was president and somehow kept the same basic promise through four generations: sit down, order something comforting and leave feeling like you’ve been there before.
