Bradford's Ricky Brooks will tell you it's all about "location, location, location."
And when the province moved into stage one of reopening, the new location for his Big Texas BBQ food truck is at 20620 Highway 11, on the border of King and Bradford.
Brooks said he has had to get creative and find ways other than festivals and other events to operate his business during the COVID-19 pandemic — including moving to different locations a few times.
"We needed more space," he said of the new spot. "They say it's all about location, location, location, and it's a great location for us."
The area is large enough for him to have more food trucks, rows of picnic tables, and a large stage for local entertainment.
He says business has been good so far since reopening, with many drive-by customers coming to stop in for a bite to eat.
"We're looking forward to allowing a lot more people to come in and enjoy our barbecue in a ribfest style setting," he said.
Throughout fall and winter, he was offering limited menu options, but his specialty items are back with patios reopening, including Beef Brisket and Pork Ribs, Twisted Potato, the Footlong Hotdog, grilled cheese sandwiches, milkshakes and funnel cakes.
"A lot of the fun festival stuff we would do in the summer is back," he said.
One of his most popular dishes is the Beef Dino Ribs with a flavour "just to die for," he said.
The meat is cooked fresh and never frozen, and he often sells out before closing.
"It's a good problem to have," he said. "We put all of our meat in early in the morning, a certain amount to get us through the day and then close up once we sell our meat."
There will be featured entertainment all summer long. The 50-foot stage will allow local artists to showcase their talent.
"It's just going to make for a better experience," he said, noting not just musicians but local dance groups will also be performing. "It will give their students the opportunity to do what they love doing, performing arts."
He will also be featuring a drive-in movie night for 40 to 50 cars.
Brooks has always had a passion for barbecuing. It all started in 2013 when he hosted a street barbecue for more than 100 neighbours.
From there, he went on to organize the Bradford Ribfests, which used to take place on the then-undeveloped land in front of Zehrs.
At the time, he wasn't barbecuing but bringing vendors and entertainment together. In 2018, he got his own food and dessert truck and travelled across Ontario to attend various food festivals.
To check out the menu, visit here.
