I love My Job...and Franklin BBQ

My office is a pretty fun place to work. We always try to find yummy/local places to bring into the office, like Gourdoughs on Congress and Sweetish Hill Bakery. This weekend is the boss's birthday, so when she mentioned reading the recent article in Bon Appétit Magazine, raking Austin's Franklin BBQ #1 IN AMERICA, we knew we all had to try it for her special lunch!!! So at 9:30 this morning a coworker and I embarked on what would be a very surprising trip to pick up the celebratory meal.

We left the capitol and headed to the Eastside where Franklin is located. We drove up and parked right in front although several people had already gathered on the small deck next to the front door. We joined the group only to realize we were #12 in line AN HOUR AND A HALF BEFORE THEY OPENED. No big deal we though thought, we found two cute retro, metal lawn chairs in the shade and parked it.

A few minutes later, after about a dozen more people were in line, an employee came out to inform us that we were not properly wrapping the line around the front of the building, and instructed us to snake the line in a different direction. This landed us in the sun. The hot, blistering, 100 degree heat. Fabulous. Just under an hour left to wait and there were 38 people in line.

As we stood there we learned that the first person in line got there at 8:45AM. Now, I have eaten Franklin BBQ before, and coming into this experience, I agreed it was worth the hype, but this outrage was beginning to make me wonder.

With 35 minutes to go and 50+ people in line, Lauren started asking people around us if they needed to use some of her sunscreen and had downed 3 glasses of water. The heat was starting to take its toll on us.

At approximately 10:40 a cute little waitress started walking the line asking for the total pounds of meat each customer would be ordering. When it got close to the number of pounds they prepare each day, bigger orders at the end of the line, are turned away.

The last 10 minutes were brutal. We were absolutely melting, and despite some mood music they turned on, it was miserable. But FINALLLY, at 11AM on the dot, the magical BBQ doors opened while over 100 people waited in line.

On the inside it was as though we stepped into some sort of BBQ paradise. The smells were so thick and delicious that all our line partners were instantly happy again.
When it was our turn at the counter Franklin himself was slicing the brisket and talked us through ordering for 15 people. It was seriously a gift from God when he sliced us each a "sample" piece to take down right there at the counter. And divine it really was.

I must stop here and say that I was born and raised about 10 minutes away from the world famous Salt Lick BBQ. Not only that, but my parents know the owner, some of the waitresses and all the security very well. If people tell me about a "good place for BBQ," I usually laugh at their ignorance. Salt Lick is King, always has been, always will be in my book.

Well until that juicy, melt in your mouth piece of "sample" brisket hit my lips today. At that moment, the wait was worth it and the Salt Lick king fell.

We loaded up the 10lbs of meat and 5 quarts of sides, and all the pickles and onions the server could cram into a container, and headed back to the the office-- sunburned, but happy.

We unloaded the BBQ goods on the office conference table and took to the feast. It was incredible. Everyone, including the birthday girl boss, agreed it was, in fact the best BBQ EVER.

(ps. I know that is  a terrible picture, but its the only one of the spread)

The rest of the afternoon was pretty quite. And I am not sure if it was the food coma or the damage the sun did to our energy tanks, but Lauren and I both left the office a little early today.

Bottom line: It's so great to work in a place where you can enjoy a big, happy meal as a group. And it's even better when that meal is the BEST BBQ IN AMERICA--even if it was a hot hour and a half waiting for it.  If you have a morning to spare, go wait in line at Franklin BBQ.

(and for the real play by play go to my Twitter feed, I LiveTweeted the whole trip! @SaraMarieK)
Happy Thursday everyone!!

xoxo Sara Marie