Pico\u2019s BBQ, one of the Peninsula\u2019s few Texas-style barbecue options, has closed, following an announcement by owner Russell Savage.<\/p>\n
The eatery operated as Saturdays-only food truck based in Redwood City for about a year and, before that, as a weekly pop-up bringing dishes like ribs, brisket, sausage and sides to hungry customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter an action-packed 2 and a half years, I\u2019ve decided to close this chapter. THIS SATURDAY WILL BE MY LAST SERVICE,\u201d wrote Savage on Instagram. \u201cTo all of my customers who\u2019ve traveled near and far: you\u2019ve made my heart full every Saturday. Pico\u2019s would\u2019ve been nothing without each one of you and it was my biggest pleasure to serve you. I poured my heart into this and I\u2019m grateful you got to experience it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reasons for the closure are many, he said in a recent interview. But none were related to a lack of customers.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d been burning the candle at both ends and risked burnout, and faced numerous obstacles to expanding his business.<\/p>\n
He was running out of space in his food truck. He was passed over for a Small Business Administration loan because the restaurant was open only one day per week, and even after finding a potential brick-and-mortar spot to expand to, he learned it would be unlikely he\u2019d get permission to operate a smoker.<\/p>\n
Nearly a week after his final service Jan. 3, he says, \u201cI\u2019m happy with the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
The thing he\u2019s most proud of, he says, is the diversity he was able to draw in the lines that waited for his barbecue \u2014 customers who came from different economic, political and racial backgrounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really attracted a unique cross-section of California,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n