Today we’d like to introduce you to Warren Thomas.
Hi Warren, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Hey everyone… My name is Warren Thomas, owner of PitBoss Red’s BBQ here in Saginaw, Tx. I’ve lived in the Hurst/Euless/Bedford area for most of my life after my mother and I had to move here to escape a bad situation. I was 2 and my mom, just 17 herself, moved to live with my Grand Father here in DFW. Later on, as I was growing up, it was a constant struggle to make friends. We moved from school district to school district trying to find the cheapest places to live. I remember one year, I switched schools 3 times. As soon I began to open up socially, it seemed like we started filling boxes back up. The struggle was real. As I said, eventually Hurst became our home. Still living in one-bedroom apartments. Our couch was my bed. I didn’t mind one bit because I really didn’t know any different. My mom tried so hard to hide that times were tough but things started coming to light. She could probably tell you better than I can but I don’t believe that I ever really asked for much…because I knew. I remember only having 5 shirts for school, 2 play shirts for the weekend, and a Church shirt… Can you imagine seeing the same people every Sunday wearing the same thing? I can laugh at it now but to be blunt, it sucked… The kids at school weren’t any help. Like I said, 5 shirts. I remember a kid saying “It must be Tuesday because Welfare Warren is wearing his ‘Grounded for Life’ shirt”… Kids, right? Smh… Anyway, Hurst Junior High is where I met the love of my life. We started dating when we were 16 in 10th grade while attending L.D. BELL High School and became Husband and Wife when we turned 20. We are 44 now and soon will be celebrating 25 years of marriage… She has been my rock. Always beside me and sometimes behind me to give me that push I need on occasion. That’s where BBQ comes in. I bought my very first pit at a local grocery store that was on an after-season clearance. Cooking for family and friends, I fell in love with it. I purchased my first “Big Boy Pit” 5 years ago and started pulling it to competitions all over North Texas and parts of Louisiana with just a pop-up tent… Won a few, lost a few more but the passion never ceased. People were saying that I should start selling BBQ… I never before thought it was good enough to charge anyone. But I guess that is how most people feel when you’re your own worst critic. But with my wife’s backing, and I know this sounds cliche, but I literally started selling out of my driveway. I would get on a social media site and tell everyone in my neighborhood that I was cooking and before too long, my pit was full of orders within minutes of it posting. After 3 years saving every red cent in profits that I made, I sold my pull behind pit and purchased what you see in my photos this past January. After deep cleaning, a few modifications, and permits, we were up and running in April. She and I still have our regular “9-5’s” but you will see us out there every Saturday serving up some “Pretty Dang Good BBQ” at the SwitchYard in Saginaw. We have been truly blessed
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Ooohhh the struggles. Tarrant County has very strict rules that must be followed to get your permits. Rightfully so. But to think that you are all set to receive your permits just to be told that all your walls must be redone was devastating… And let me tell you about our very first service. It was a disaster. After all the work we did to get the trailer ready, I forgot to check the warming pans. I knew they worked. That wasn’t the issue. I felt them get hot many times throughout the remodeling. What I failed to check was if they held water… I found out the hard way that they didn’t. Already stressed for obvious reasons, I came back into the cabin after starting my pit up to find the whole inside area was full of steam and our brand-new wood floor was flooded. This was 1 hour before our Grand Opening. However, we found a way to fight through it and learned a lot about ourselves that day
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We specialize in real Texas Pit BBQ. Slow-smoked meats including our Briskets that take over 16 hours to perfect. When you come see us, you will first smell the goodness from our pit and then you’ll see one of the most unique looking BBQ Food Trailers around. Our log cabin just screams “Good Eatin” and you’ll be greeted by my bride with a warm smile. We have a few menu items like the Tuxedo and the Chuck Norris that have people coming back every week bringing their friends. Only being open on Saturdays limits us but we make good with the time we have. And I must say the communities support is amazing with us selling out almost everything we’re open.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The best place that I have found to find someone to help get started are the competitions. Now not so much the $5000+ comps but the local “Charity” or “Trophy” ones. Barbecue is an art. I can tell you step by step how I do it but it won’t taste the same. It’s weird like that. Just go to these competitions and bend someone’s ear. We love spreading our knowledge and helping newcomers. Get as much information you can and start your journey.
Contact Info:
- Email: Pitbossreds@gmail.com
- Instagram: @pitbossreds
- Facebook: Facebook.com/pitbossreds
