It took brothers Brent and Juan Reaves months to reopen Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que in Dallas after a devastating fire in 2017. The grand reopening was held last February. Thankfully, their dad, Smokey John Reaves, got to see it before he passed away six months later. “Instability is becoming our new norm,” Brent tells me, a bit dejected after a major slowdown in business this past week. It’s been a rough eighteen months for this classic Dallas barbecue joint, but the biggest challenge is still ahead of the brothers. Smokey John’s is currently running at about 50 percent of its normal revenue. The usual service patterns have been upended: a brisk lunch business has been Smokey John’s strength for decades, and folks just aren’t showing up.…View Original PostThe post Barbecue Strategy: Smokey John’s Has Overcome Adversity Before appeared first on Texas Monthly.