More closings!

Schmidt Family Barbecue in Bee Cave is closing October 4th.

I’ve been there a few times, both for dine-in and takeout. I’ve always thought it was just a kind of average barbecue place. My mother still complains about the time she went in, got two slices of brisket, and was charged $18. I think this was before “thanks, Joe Biden”.

Schmidt is also the only barbecue place in the Lakeway/Bee Cave area: the next nearest one, to the best of my knowledge, is either the Rudy’s on 620 or the one on 360 (I’d have to check Apple Maps to see which one is actually closer). For that reason, I think this is kind of a shame, but I also feel confident that someone’s going to open another barbecue place in that spot.

We also have a Maple Street Biscuit Company in Bee Cave. I did not know Maple Street was owned by Cracker Barrel.

And guess what?

Reporting its fourth-quarter financial results earlier this month, Cracker Barrel revealed the planned closure of 14 Maple Street Biscuit Company locations. That amounts to roughly 21% of its company-owned stores for the fast-casual brand, which Cracker Barrel acquired in 2019 for $36 million.

…

Maple Street Biscuit Company, founded in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2012, largely escaped getting swept up in the negative publicity. The brand has locations mostly in the Southeast, Midwest, and Texas.

Probably because nobody knew they were owned by Cracker Barrel.

Fast Company pieced together their own list of closed locations, as the company has not released one. It looks like the one in Bee Cave is spared, for now. But most of the closures are in Texas.