Today we’d like to introduce you to Dayne and Ashley Weaver.
Dayne and Ashley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Ashley: “It started as a weekend hobby for Dayne. He would make a brisket or a rack of ribs and then invite my parents or the neighbors to come to try it out. The more that people tried it, the more they encouraged Dayne to start selling it. I was on board with that, because buying that much meat every single weekend wasn’t profitable for us as a family- not only can that amount and grade of meat get pretty pricey, but between Dayne, our three young kiddos, and myself, a lot of the meat was being discarded. You can only eat so much brisket (trust me, I got creative… Brisket spaghetti, brisket scrambled eggs, brisket grilled cheese…) before you have to tap out. Anyway, we decided to try out a sale from our tiny front yard and see if we could bring people to us to buy Dayne’s barbecue. We called it “Dayne’s Underground Barbecue.” I made the sides, and he did all the meat. We had a line down our street and sold out in an hour. Once we saw how well that was received, we started reaching out to local breweries to see if we could host pop-ups there. The rest is a blur- I filed for an LLC, a friend of Dayne’s (Zach Oldham) created our awesome logo, and we just kept cooking. With every pop-up, we gained more momentum and more excitement. I think that’s my sign that we are in the right place. I still love what I do. That’s gotta count for something.”
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Dayne- “It’s not been smooth and it still isn’t. But, we’re very fortunate to be creating the quality of food that people want to talk about. The media has helped us gain and keep that momentum. I think when people see all the effort we put in and the passion we have for our food, they’re drawn to it and that’s how we’ve gained a good following. We never compromise the quality and we try to put out the best we can every single week.”
Ashley- “The financial side has been the biggest struggle. I’m a full-time student, and I convinced Dayne to quit his 8-5 job so he could focus on barbecue and work for Uber during the in-between times that we aren’t cooking. The other difficulty is balancing barbecue life with family life. Our kids are my world, and sometimes we’re put in these positions where we have to decide whether to host a sale so we can pay our bills, or whether we can take the kids to the park and throw around the football. Family is the top priority though, so I am getting the hang of creating a schedule where we can include both and not have to sacrifice our time with them. It gets hard sometimes… Like, REALLY hard. But we are very blessed with a faithful God and an incredible group of people that won’t let us fall. I believe in Dayne and I support this journey that we’ve decided on together. I am extremely hopeful for the future of Dayne’s Craft Barbecue.”
Please tell us about your business.
Dayne- “We do Central Texas inspired craft barbecue, and that means dismissing a lot of techniques that were developed by barbecue restaurants in the past to profit, but not necessarily put out the best product. It all starts with the meat. We source the highest quality meats we can find. We’re constantly trying out new products to see if there’s anything better than what we’re already using, even if that means spending the extra dollar. We make our sausage in-house and have several different flavors and recipes, and we have plans to develop many more. We use an all-wood offset smoker built by Dennis Roach out of Saginaw. This requires a lot more effort and attention. Every 20 to 30 minutes we’re out there adding wood and adjusting logs or meat, so there’s a higher level of detail in all aspects of our cooking process from what typical commercial barbecue would be.
Ashley- “I do all the sides. Some of them are a little unconventional (we have mixed berry cup we offer when they’re in season, and my potato salad has ZERO mustard in it), but when I’m coming up with the recipes I try and think of how well it will pair with the meat Dayne and Thomas are cooking. (Thomas is our incredible pitmaster apprentice, we couldn’t do this without him.) I have a few staples on the menu: Creamy Mac and Cheese, Loaded Red Potato Salad and Flamin’ Hot Street Corn has been on the menu since day one. But, I have the freedom to play with new sides and see how the public likes it. My favorite taste tester is one of our most loyal customers, Andy. He is always very honest and unbiased when I ask for his opinion on new things, and I value that kind of feedback. Our most recent additions are the Crisp Apple Slaw and the Frito Pie Beans. So far it’s looking like these might turn into staples menu items as well.
Dayne- “I think that I’m most proud of the fact that we are constantly putting in the extra effort in everything we do. We aren’t getting sidetracked, and there have been a lot of distractions along the way. We have stayed true to the vision and grown our business the old-fashioned grassroots way, and I’m pretty proud of that.”
Ashley- “I think that what Dayne said ties into what sets us apart from others. We’ve been diligent about doing our advertising and marketing, and it feels really good to see how that has come to fruition. I think surrounding ourselves with like-minded people has been essential to our journey. There are so many small businesses with persistent entrepreneurs leading the way that are working their butts off to create something for themselves. In a city where there is a fast food joint on every corner, you have to have something different to offer. I think the environment plays a big role in that. Knowing that someone is proud to serve you their product and eager for your feedback has a much different effect than the “thank you come again” you receive at the drive-thru.”
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Dayne- “We are always looking for opportunities to expand our business. Right now we are Saturdays only from noon until we sell out at Lola’s Trailer Park & Saloon in Fort Worth, but we want to be able to be open more. We aren’t rushing anything, we’ve learned so much over that last couple of years and we’re still learning. But, when the right opportunity comes along and we feel good about it, we’re going to be ready to kick it into action. We’re looking for a brick and mortar with that “backyard barbecue” kind of feel. That could even mean an empty lot with a couple of trees for shaded seating and a food truck. We keep it simple so that our customers aren’t overwhelmed with options.”
Pricing:
- “Fort Worth The Wait Platter” – feeds 5-7 people. Great for feeding a group, or to bring home for the family. Comes with just about our entire menu, -$55
- “You Can’t Have Any Pudding If You Don’t Eat Your Meat” – feeds 12-15 people. Our ultimate platter (double the meats and sides). -$120
Contact Info:
- Address: 2735 W 5th Street
Fort Worth, TX 76107 - Website: www.daynescraftbarbecue.com
- Phone: 6824720181
- Email: daynescraftbarbecue@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Randy White
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