Our Story — England's BBQ, from Texas to London
Built by hand. Tested by fire. Twice. This is how England's BBQ earned its place on the world stage.
This brand wasn't built in a boardroom. It was built in a welding shop, a gutted building, a packed dining room — and rebuilt twice after the world tried to stop it.
Every chapter made it stronger. Every setback proved the concept. England's BBQ is coming to London because it has already survived everything else.
Building the Pit. Building the Dream.
It started with steel, a welder, and a vision. The BBQ pit was fabricated by hand — not bought, not borrowed. Every weld was deliberate. Every cut was intentional. At the same time, a historic building in Henderson, Texas was being stripped back to bare concrete and rebuilt from the ground up. This was the foundation of everything.
A Historic Building Gets New Life.
The old building on Marshall Street had bones worth saving. The remodel took years — gutting the interior, laying new floors, building out the kitchen, creating a dining room that felt like Texas. Every decision was made by hand, on a budget, with a clear picture of what it would become.
The Smoker Takes Shape.
While the building was being rebuilt, the equipment was being built alongside it. The black smoker — fabricated from scratch — was the centrepiece of the whole operation. This wasn't off-the-shelf. It was engineered for the long, slow cooks that turn good meat into something unforgettable.
The Doors Open. Henderson Shows Up.
BBQ Depot launched in 2022 — and the community came. Lines out the door. Packed dining rooms. Catering orders stacking up. The food spoke for itself: slow-smoked brisket, hand-crafted sausage, sides made fresh every morning. A real Texas BBQ institution was born at 100 N Marshall Street.
COVID. Health. Forced Closure.
The pandemic hit hard. A personal health crisis compounded the pressure. BBQ Depot was forced to close its doors — not from failure, but from circumstance beyond anyone's control. The kind of adversity that breaks most people. For this pitmaster, it became fuel.
Reborn. Rebranded. Unstoppable.
Holy Smokes!! BBQ opened in 2025 — same pitmaster, same craft, same fire. The community welcomed it back with open arms. Five-star reviews. Packed tables. A brand that had survived the worst and come back stronger. The story wasn't over. It was just getting started.
A Catastrophic Fire. The Building Is Lost.
In 2025, a catastrophic fire tore through the pit room. The kitchen, everything inside — covered in thick black soot. Every surface had to be repainted, cleaned, scrubbed. The pit room was boarded up on orders from city officials. We could no longer cook the way we'd always cooked. The brand survived. The pitmaster survived. But without the pit, we couldn't put out the product we'd always been known for. We converted to a trailer and did our best for a few more months — but in the end, the hard decision had to be made. The restaurant closed.
Burned Down. Not Out.
We were forced to close the restaurant — but we kept the trailer going, catering and working small venues. Eventually, I turned it over to a long-time friend who wanted to get into the barbecue business. He's planning to reopen the food trailer once state permits come through in July, with Holy Smokes!! BBQ expected back in Henderson and Carthage by September or October. As for the brick and mortar downtown Henderson — we've moved on. Because the next chapter wasn't in Henderson. It's in London.
The Smoke Crosses the Atlantic.
England's BBQ is the UK chapter of this story. A brand forged in adversity, proven in competition, loved by a community — now bringing authentic American pitmaster BBQ to London. Not a franchise concept. Not a trend. A life's work, ready for its biggest stage.
"We didn't buy our way into BBQ. We built our way in. Twice."
— England's BBQ, Henderson TX → London
London Is Next.
England's BBQ is coming to London. If you're an investor, operator, or venue partner — the story is just getting to the good part.