Why Black People Will Never Wait in Line for Franklin's BBQ

It's 8 am Sunday morning in Austin, TX and outside my window I see people milling about with lawn chairs, fanny packs, and ice chests. It's a bit too early for the weekend jogger (even they're still hung over from the night before) and it's definitely not people running to get to Sunday School on time; even the church with the neon sign can't get Austinites to do that. So it can only be one thing, people getting in line to experience the latest phenomenon in this city and that's Aaron Franklin's BBQ.

Before I continue, I just want to say that I am Black and I have eaten at Franklin's BBQ three times. They without a doubt have the best brisket in the state and that's not really open for debate. Their ribs just happen to be pretty darn tasty too! But the longest I have ever waited in line for my food was two hours and that was by mistake. It was my first time eating there and I had no idea that the wait would be that long. Just so you know, the typical wait these days is just over three hours. The other two times I went, I only had to stand in line for 45 minutes but that's because I live right next to it and I know when to go. I'm keeping this secret to myself.

But every time I walk or drive by, I've always noticed that there are never really any Black people waiting in that line. And the ones that you do see standing there are either foreigners or the random displaced Negro (yes I just used that word) from Wyoming or North Dakota; probably the descendants of those that escaped via The Underground Railroad back in the day.

I knew why I would never stand in that long of a line again and that's because I live in Texas; there are unbelievable BBQ joints on nearly every corner here! And trust me when I say that there is not that big of a drop off between Franklin's and the #2 BBQ joint in this state. Also, if I want to go get what Texas Monthly considers to be numbers 2 through 5 on their list for best BBQ here, I can drive 30 minutes one way, sit down and eat, drive back, and still beat those that are waiting in line for Franklin's.

But was that just me? Were other Black people simply just too scared to be around that many hungry White people? Were they scared that it was too pricey? So I decided to ask around and I found out that they all pretty much shared my thoughts. Except instead of driving 30 minutes one way for BBQ, they'd just go to their neighbor's house or spark up the grill themselves. See, cooking good BBQ is a source of pride here. And most families have been handed down a recipe for generations, so your brisket or ribs has to be the best thing this world has ever seen to get a Black person to wait more than 20 minutes for it.

I mean heck, even our own President said it "Screw it! I don't care what these people think! I am not waiting in this line!" So he just bribed his way up front. I wish he had the same attitude when it came to legislation but moving on.

I was going to write something about how the last time Black people stood in the sun for that long they were picking cotton, and how no one wants to revisit that experience. But on the off chance my mom reads this, I decided to not include that. Plus that's a horrible joke and most people reading this probably don't get my sense of humor. And yes, I know I just wrote it but this is just the light version of it.

What I'm trying to say is, if Mr. Franklin wants more Black people eating his BBQ he should probably donate a few pounds of his tasty brisket to church functions or something because that's the only way they will experience it.