“It’s been quite the week,” said Mark Black, who co-owns Terry Black’s Barbecue with his siblings Mike Black and Christina Black.

How do they keep getting all this attention, we asked? “Some of it is right place, right time,” Black said.

The Texas-based company appears to be in the right places, as it has restaurants in Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, Lockhart and Nashville.

When it comes to World Cup attention for Dallas-Fort Worth businesses, Terry Black’s has been one of North Texas’ winners. The all-day barbecue restaurant is known for its massive smokers on display outside the Deep Ellum restaurant, which make for a great photo op before customers order peppery brisket, jalapeño cheese sausage and pork ribs inside. Sometimes there’s a line; that’s often part of the Texas barbecue experience.

David Beckham stopped for a photo in the pit room before most customers noticed him, Terry Black’s General Manager Nate Werner said. The family dined in a semi-private area at the Deep Ellum restaurant.

The athlete told Werner he picked the restaurant because his friends in the U.K. like it. 

“My big challenge,” Werner said, “is to be sure it’s always amazing, always unforgettable, every time.” 

On Instagram, Beckham posted “WOW” with a photo of the barbecue spot’s dining room. Wearing a cowboy hat, Beckham took photos with Terry Black’s employees. On a red plastic tray, it appears Beckham ordered a beef rib, sausage, turkey, smoked brisket, cornbread and more.

We’d been waiting for Beckham to get his barbecue fix in Dallas. In 2023, the athlete and his wife, a fashion designer and former Spice Girls singer, made a surprise visit to Blu’s Barbeque in Far North Dallas. “You are David. David Beckham,” the shocked manager remembers saying to the man himself.

At Terry Black’s, the Beckhams called ahead.

It isn’t a big surprise that celebrities want to eat one of the most popular cuisines in Texas. Tom Cruise dined at Pecan Lodge, a barbecue restaurant that’s down the street from Terry Black’s, before the premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning last year.

“Barbecue is an experience people want to have when they come to Texas,” Mark Black said.

Terry Black’s Barbecue is at 3025 Main St., Dallas. Looking for other restaurant recommendations in Dallas-Fort Worth for World Cup travelers? Read this list.