Bryan - College Station Edition | April 2026

Dining

BY ANNA LOTZ

From pit to plate: C&J Barbeque continues 45-year legacy C&J Barbeque began within a gas station on Har- vey Road in College Station in October 1981, Director Reagan Manning said. Her parents, Chip and Jo Manning, purchased the gas station and convenience store with the goal of having more space for their catering food truck business, Reagan said. But drawing on her late father’s lifelong love for barbecue, Reagan said Chip added a barbecue pit at the gas station and began smoking two briskets a day, serving up hot links, sliced beef and chopped beef sandwiches. Now, 45 years later, C&J Barbeque’s three loca- tions across Bryan and College Station have grown to serve over 2,000 pounds of meat daily, she said. How we got here In 1997, Chip and Jo converted the convenience store to a barbecue restaurant and took out the gas pumps, Reagan said. In 2002, the couple expanded to Bryan, and in 2006, C&J Barbeque’s Southwest Parkway location opened in College Station. The Bryan location relocated from Texas Avenue and was rebuilt in August 2022 on Briargate Drive, now serving as the company’s largest location. “The vibe’s a little dierent at each [store], the menu is pretty much the same,” she said. “The original store is what you think of when you think of a small-town Texas barbecue restaurant. ... It just kind of has that small-town barbecue feel.” Now, as Jo is retired from the business, Reagan and her brother, Justin, oversee restaurant operations. “The business has been here for over 40 years, but it’s the same family,” Reagan said. “We have such a good relationship with the community. We’re only a business because of them.” On the menu C&J Barbeque, which is open daily, has grown from its single barbecue pit to seven pits capable of holding up to about 200 briskets, Reagan said. The Bryan location alone has served up a one- day record of 115 briskets during a game day at Texas A&M University. Besides its popular brisket, the barbecue menu includes other favorites, such as pork belly burnt ends and jalapeno cheese sausages, she said, as well as traditional barbecue staples, including turkey, pulled pork and chicken. It also oers lunch and

C&J Barbeque serves more than 2,000 pounds of meat per day.

PHOTOS COURTESY C&J BARBEQUE

C&J Barbeque’s menu includes side dishes, such as ranch potatoes, pinto beans and fried okra.

The Manning family has operated C&J Barbeque since 1981.

dinner specials, as well as a children’s menu and sides, including the popular ranch potatoes. To keep the menu fresh, C&J Barbeque rotates a side of the month, featuring dishes such as enchi- lada mac and cheese in April or a cold broccoli salad in summer, Reagan said. “Our business model is ... for people to eat with us a couple times a week, not once every other month as a novelty because lunch is going to be $60,” she said. “That’s not realistic for most people.”

158

HOLLEMAN DR.

SOUTHWEST PKWY.

NUNN JONES RD.

A 4304 Harvey Road, College Station B 2112 W. Briargate Drive, Bryan C 105 Southwest Parkway, College Station www.cjbbq.com

BRYAN COLLEGE STATION EDITION