#48: Travis Heim - The Journey to the 'Best Ribs in Texas'

Travis Heim is the founder and pitmaster of Heim Barbeque, one of the most successful barbeque restaurants in Fort Worth! Heim was also recently voted as having the "Best Ribs in Texas" by Food Network. In this episode, Chris and Travis discuss how Travis discovered his passion for cooking, starting out selling brisket from the trunk of his '99 Civic, the 'Impossible Meat' trend in his industry, opening up a Dallas location and more. Enjoy!  For more information on Chris Powers and Fort Capital, visit www.fortcapitallp.com. Follow Chris on Twitter! @fortworthchris  02:05 — Travis’ Background and The Story of Heim BBQ 03:02 — How did you realize you were great at cooking BBQ? 05:44 — What were your previous jobs before you started Heim? 13:13 — Chris’ First Brisket from Travis in a Dive Bar 14:48 — Travis’ Wife Joins the Team 15:25 — How long did it take to create a full menu beyond brisket? (Ft. The invention of Bacon Burnt Ends) 16:22 — What was the first day of business like? (Selling BBQ out of the back of a ’99 Civic) 20:40 — When did you meet your business partner, Will Churchill? 24:00 — Heim has been incredible at Marketing, especially on social media. Did someone teach you this or how did it come about? (You can follow Travis on Twitter @HeimBBQ) 27:50 — What does a day look like running the food truck? 31:11 — How has your day-to-day changed in the last 5 years? 34:53 — How do you keep your IP a secret, especially with employees leaving? 38:39 — When you opened the truck, were you sourcing the meat you have now? What's the process of selecting the meat you serve? 45:26 — How far in advance do orders need to be placed? 47:22 — What do you think about the ‘Impossible Meat' phenomenon? 48:56 — What trends are you seeing from delivery apps vs. coming into the store? 51:26 — If someone was starting a restaurant, what are some words of wisdom you would have for them? 54:25 — What's the biggest brisket mistake you can make and the easiest way to improve your brisket? 56:36 — Do you have a mentor that has helped you along the way or someone that you haven’t met that you’d love to meet? 59:55 — Do you have a favorite interview question?  The Fort with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts