Saturday, a new burger is hitting the menu at Dairy Burger in Corpus Christi thanks to a unique partnership.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — What started as a small family idea has grown into a fast-moving South Texas business.
About a year and a half ago, Larry Garcia better known as “Scary Larry” began making pickles. Today, his brand, Scary Larry Pickles, is quickly growing. He’s landed his first corporate account, and is launching new collaborations across the Coastal Bend.
We caught up with Garcia at his pop-up tent between Sam’s Club and Ashley’s Furniture in Corpus Christi, where customers lined up for what he calls the “pickle tour.”
“I didn’t choose pickles, man. I would have never guessed at making pickles. It was a bit for my kids if y’all heard the story before, it was a bit from the kids to make pickles one night. And then I lost my job selling a jar of pickles, so I started in my front yard. And we got 1 ft too far deep and We’re still making pickles,” said Garcia.
Garcia says the business quickly outgrew his garage.
“We’re out of the garage and we got our own, commercial kitchen and we got our first finally got our first corporate account and we’re like in stores already and then my tents, we do our tents.”
He estimates he sold 50,000 jars in his first year alone.
The tent setup has become a key part of his business model allowing customers to sample everything before buying. His lineup includes original dill bites, spicy pickles, a sweet-and-spicy variety that placed second at Pickle Fest in New Braunfels, chili lime pickles that won first place at Corpus Christi Pickle Fest, cherry Kool-Aid pickles, habanero pickled pineapple, and his top-selling salsa.
“Well, yes, we have 7 products that we have sent to the process authority and that are registered with the FDA and everything, so all of these products, that’s one reason why we did all this so we can get into corporate accounts like Specs.”
But Garcia says growth hasn’t come without challenges. His brick-and-mortar store on the city’s southside didn’t perform as hoped, prompting him to rethink his strategy.
Instead of scaling back, he decided to double down on partnerships.
“You have to get this grind. Listen. They wonder why I’m in a tent because I’m the face of this, and I’m the one who can speak and I gotta get this out and — I’m a grinder — I’ll find the ways to make it happen, man.”
That mindset led to a new collaboration with Dairy Burger in Corpus Christi.
Owner Oscar Benavides says the partnership happened by chance.
“Yeah, I was at Sam’s Club and I was grabbing some things and, and I had seen him on social media. I saw his pop-up tent. I said let me give it a try. I pulled up and he gave me the pickle tour. And best pickles I’ve ever had. I told him, hey well you know I’m the owner of the Dairy Burger Corpus Christi location here down Airline and I wanted who can I talk to about grabbing these pickles and putting them in some burgers, you know, maybe like a little collaboration and turned out I was talking to Larry, the owner, so it was owner to owner and he moves fast.”
Together, the two created the “Scary Larry Burger” topped with Garcia’s specially sliced pickles and a custom dill sauce.
“We’re both small businesses, right? And I bet you found him at a tent right now, right? So, what I like about Larry and any of the small business, not just him, it’s not just me, it’s anybody here in Corpus Christi, we’re just out there trying to make a dollar, trying to grind, right?” said Benavides.
Garcia says collaboration is now central to his mission.
“I was able in 2-3 weeks reach out to 4 different companies, OK. They can use my name and I can use theirs and we help each other out and you know this is what my new mission is and if we can get other businesses and small businesses to reach out to each other and see how you can help each other out man because you know the the more we unite the the stronger we’re gonna be man.”
In addition to Dairy Burger, Garcia has partnered with liquor stores across the Coastal Bend, the Orange Grove Co-op, and Retro downtown for a special pizza and cocktail spots featuring Scary Larry-inspired menu items.
From a front-yard startup to a brand now stocked across South Texas, Garcia says he’s proof that small businesses can grow especially when they support each other.