Fort Worth's acclaimed Heim Barbecue closes location to open another
Heim Barbecue
One of Fort Worth's most celebrated barbecue restaurants is on the move: Heim Barbecue, a small chain that prides itself on traditional Texas style barbecue, is closing its location in Burleson, at 139 W. Ellison St. #101 in the Old Town development.
According to operating partner Will Churchill, the last day will be December 29.
The Burleson location first opened in 2023 and lasted a year. Churchill says it's closing because it wasn't performing as well as they expected and wasn't the right price range for customers in the area.
"We had really good clients, but our average ticket price — because of the premium products that we use — is a little high for that market," he says. "That falls on us a little bit, but it can't be substantiated in that market."
However, there's a reprieve for BBQ fans in the area, as the chain will open a new location in Weatherford by 2025.
Churchill is not yet divulging the address for Weatherford, but is upbeat on the area. In-the-know locals are speculating that it’ll take the spot of the former Montana’s Restaurant, which closed in November.
"The Weatherford market is growing substantially from an influx of people with a number of restaurants with opening success that makes it a great fit for us," he says.
The menu will be the same but this space will be bigger, with a larger bar and a retail section with frozen meat for sale.
Heim started out as a Fort Worth food truck and became a barbecue hotspot with its brisket and bacon burnt ends. They opened their first brick-and-mortar location in 2016.
Owners Travis and Emma Heim turned over operations of the restaurant in February 2024 to Churchill and his family, so they could focus on their family. Churchill says he's been involved from the start. They have three other locations still up and running, with two in Fort Worth: at the flagship on Magnolia Avenue and in the River District; and one in Dallas on Mockingbird that opened in 2020, near Love Field Airport.
