Fort Worth-born restaurant Heim Barbecue is making three big changes in 2026, according to articles from the Fort Worth Report and Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Its partners are closing the original Heim on W. Magnolia Avenue in Fort Worth, franchising the Dallas restaurant and testing a lower-priced food truck business in Tarrant County.
Here’s more information on each step:
Original Heim Barbecue to close
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Heim’s first brick-and-mortar is expected to close on Feb. 1, 2026.
Owner Will Churchill told the Report sales were slipping at Heim on Magnolia, and the team would have to invest “a lot of money” into the restaurant space. He told the Star-Telegram the city is facing a “saturation” of barbecue joints.
Indeed, Fort Worth has become a hub for great barbecue, which has increased competition and forced revenue to be split among more restaurants.
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With the closure of the original Heim, Churchill told reporters the restaurant on White Settlement Road will remain open, leaving Heim with one location in Fort Worth.
Heim in Weatherford will stay open, too, and Churchill told the Star-Telegram it’s “exceeding all expectations.”
Churchill took over operations of Heim Barbecue in 2024, after its founders Travis and Emma Heim chose to step back from the business.
New owner in Dallas
Heim in Dallas, near Love Field Airport, is being sold to a new owner.
A “longtime employee-turned-franchisee” will take over that restaurant, the FW Report reported.
Lower-priced barbecue
In a final step, Churchill and his team will convert a Heim food truck into a lower-priced barbecue business called Heim Pig Stand. Here, a three-piece lunch or dinner might cost $12 to $15 and include a barbecue sandwich, a side and banana pudding for dessert, according to reports.
It’s clear Churchill has been analyzing consumer sentiment over inflated food costs. Consumers will find “one low price” at the Pig Stand, Churchill told FW Report, an effort to retain a cost-conscious consumer.
Heim Pig Stand is expected to rove around Dallas-Fort Worth starting in spring 2026. A first stop might be near JD’s Hamburgers in Westland, where the Landman TV show has set up camp.
Eventually, Churchill wants to open Pig Stand restaurants, he told the FW Report. They’d be small in size, at 600 to 900 square feet: another way to keep costs lower.
Heim Barbecue’s original restaurant at 1109 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth, is expected to close Feb. 1, 2026.
Restaurants at 5333 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, 1910 S. Main St., Weatherford, and 3130 W. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, are expected to remain open.