Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, had a “protein-packed” day after visiting Dallas-Fort Worth barbecue joint The Original Roy Hutchins.
RFK was already in Grapevine, attending the four-day Conservative Political Action Conference event at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center. The Original Roy Hutchins Barbeque is about 10 miles away, in Trophy Club.
The voice of the Make America Healthy Again movement posted photos on X, standing in front of a smoker loaded with Texas Twinkies, the restaurant’s bacon-wrapped jalapeños stuffed with brisket and cream cheese.
RFK then got behind the counter and sliced brisket, wearing a black apron over his blue pin-striped suit.
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“After a big day at @CPAC,” his social media post said, “I went looking for REAL FOOD. Stopped by the Original Roy Hutchins in Trophy Club, TX for protein-packed BBQ.”
Earlier this year, Kennedy stopped at another Texas barbecue joint, Terry Black’s Barbecue in Austin, amid his Eat Real Food rally in February. He called that visit the “first stop on my national BBQ tour.”
It isn’t clear which other barbecue restaurants might be on RFK’s list.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, visited The Original Roy Hutchins Barbeque in Trophy Club on March 28, 2026. He sliced brisket and praised the “protein-packed” menu at the Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant after attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine.
Courtesy of The Original Roy Hut
Texas barbecue joints do make for good photos by famous folks. Tom Cruise stopped at Dallas’ Pecan Lodge in 2025 when he was on tour promoting Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Also in 2025, Sen. Ted Cruz visited Hutchins BBQ in Dallas-Fort Worth — not the same restaurant as the Trophy Club spot RFK visited, though it’s owned by brothers with the same last name.
The Original Roy Hutchins Barbeque is named after patriarch Roy Hutchins, who has been in the barbecue business since the 1970s. His eldest son Wesley Hutchins (center) and grandson Zack Hutchins opened The Original Roy Hutchins Barbeque in Trophy Club.
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
Speaking about Kennedy’s visit to The Original Roy Hutchins Barbeque in Trophy Club, Director of Operations Zack Hutchins said, “As a business, we don’t have a political opinion [and] it is an honor to serve everyone that comes in. Our mission will always remain the same: create a true Texas barbecue experience for anyone and everyone.”
The team just opened a second restaurant in Arlington in mid-March 2026.
The Original Roy Hutchins Barbeque is at 3000 TX-114, Trophy Club.