The Great BBQ Apocalypse: A Rant About the End of the Line for the Best BBQ in Town
Things We LostSunday, March 1, 2026 5 min read

The Great BBQ Apocalypse: A Rant About the End of the Line for the Best BBQ in Town

The line for Franklin Barbecue used to be a badge of honor, not a hostage situation. Now it's a metaphor for the soul-sucking, time-wasting, and wallet-draining experience that is modern Austin.

The Grouch

Ah, the sweet, sweet taste of BBQ. It's a flavor that's been a staple of this city for decades, a culinary delight that's been perfected by the likes of Franklin, La Barbecue, and Stubb's. But, dear reader, those days are behind us. The BBQ apocalypse has arrived, and it's not just the end of the world as we know it – it's the end of the line for the best BBQ in town.

You see, it used to be that the line for Franklin Barbecue was a badge of honor. It was a sign that you were in the know, that you were willing to wait for the best BBQ in town. And, let's be real, it was a fun experience. You'd stand in line with your fellow Austinites, swapping stories and jokes, and before you knew it, you'd be chowing down on some of the most tender, most flavorful brisket this side of the Mississippi.

But those days are behind us. The line for Franklin Barbecue is now a hostage situation. It's a metaphor for the soul-sucking, time-wasting, and wallet-draining experience that is modern Austin. You'll wait for hours, sometimes even days, for a table at one of the city's top BBQ joints. And when you finally get in, you'll be greeted with a bill that's more than you paid for your first car.

It's not just Franklin, either. La Barbecue, Stubb's, and even the humblest of food trucks are now charging top dollar for their wares. The prices are staggering, the portions are small, and the quality is often questionable. It's like the city's BBQ scene has been taken over by a group of soulless, profit-hungry overlords who care more about their bottom line than the art of BBQ itself.

And don't even get me started on the gentrification of the BBQ scene. It's like the city's BBQ joints are being slowly replaced by soulless, corporate-owned restaurants that serve up bland, mass-produced BBQ to the masses. The character, the charm, the soul – it's all being sucked out of the scene, replaced by a soulless, cookie-cutter experience that's more concerned with making a profit than pleasing the palate.

But, you know, it's not just the BBQ scene that's being gentrified. It's the entire city. The once-quaint neighborhoods are now being overrun with tech bros and their soulless, cookie-cutter condos. The music venues are being replaced by soulless, corporate-owned bars that serve up overpriced drinks to the masses. And the food – oh, the food – is now a soulless, mass-produced experience that's more concerned with making a profit than pleasing the palate.

It's like the city's being taken over by a group of soulless, profit-hungry overlords who care more about their bottom line than the art of living itself. And, you know, it's not just the BBQ scene that's being affected. It's the entire city, the entire culture, the entire way of life.

So, dear reader, the next time you're in line for Franklin Barbecue, just remember: it's not just a line – it's a metaphor for the soul-sucking, time-wasting, and wallet-draining experience that is modern Austin. And, you know, it's not just the BBQ scene that's being gentrified. It's the entire city, the entire culture, the entire way of life.

The Grouch

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