![\"Butters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790034733_495_.png\")
<\/p>\n
KRIS 6<\/p>\n
He later explained the decision had been building for months. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a decision that we just made overnight to take the brisket off the menu. It was something that I\u2019ve been thinking about for a good while now, at least a few months,\u201d Soto said. \u201cAs the prices have continued to increase, it\u2019s something that hasn\u2019t stopped. I\u2019ve seen that going on since we started in 2017, but recently these past couple of years, or more specifically this past year has been a very, very rough one. It\u2019s kind of gone up at an exponential rate to where it\u2019s kind of forced my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final straw came when his supplier called with yet another increase. \u201cLast week I got a call from my food rep saying that brisket has once again jumped up, but it jumped up in a way that I would have to increase the price somewhere near $50 a pound, and that\u2019s just not something that I\u2019m comfortable doing.\u201d Sales were already sliding as prices climbed. \u201cThe price increase has also brought\u2026 a kink in our sales\u2026 a kink in our foot traffic\u2026 So you combine those two things, it\u2019s not a very good recipe for success.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Butters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790034735_559_.png\")
<\/p>\n
KRIS 6<\/p>\n
What Butter\u2019s is doing next is the part that stands out. Instead of just raising prices or quietly shrinking portions like many places, Soto is removing brisket from the daily lineup entirely and rebuilding the menu around it. Brisket will still be available, but only by pre-order (two-pound minimum). The everyday star is now beef cheek, which he says can hold its own. \u201cWhen cooked like a brisket, it\u2019s almost\u2026 it almost has the same flavor profile of fatty brisket like your marbled brisket. If you did a blind taste test between a beef cheek cooked smoked like a brisket versus your normal fatty brisket, there\u2019s hardly any difference.\u201d Chicken halves, pork belly burnt ends, and a full new set of sides are also coming. \u201cEverybody\u2019s been freaking out like it\u2019s the end of the world or something, but in reality it\u2019s just\u2026 one protein and I don\u2019t think any business can be defined just by one meat in particular,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re replacing the brisket with beef cheek\u2026 The price points will be different. You\u2019ll be able to get the average Joe in there now for a price point that he\u2019d be comfortable with spending.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"El](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790034738_227_.png\")
<\/p>\n
KRIS 6<\/p>\n
Other small operators are feeling the same squeeze. Alex Arredondo of El Vago put it bluntly: \u201cFood prices just keep climbing. Brisket alone just jumped another $1.40 PER POUND, putting it at almost $6 a pound for us to buy, and that\u2019s BEFORE we trim it, season it, smoke it, lose weight during cooking, and put it on your plate. And it\u2019s not just brisket. Meat, produce, bread, cheese, cooking oil, seasonings, drinks, containers\u2026 EVERYTHING keeps going up. So when you see a mom-and-pop restaurant raise its prices, understand something: WE\u2019RE NOT RAISING PRICES BECAUSE WE WANT TO. WE\u2019RE RAISING THEM BECAUSE OUR COSTS KEEP RISING.\u201d<\/p>\n
Customers still want the classic cut. \u201cPeople want brisket. I try to do pork, pulled pork, whatever. People don\u2019t want pork. They want brisket\u2026 but it\u2019s just real high right now,\u201d Arredondo said. For places without deep pockets, the stakes are high. \u201cIt determines whether we\u2019re gonna be open next month or not, because\u2026 we don\u2019t have that extra 100, hundreds of thousands of dollars like the chains do for backup\u2026 What we make is what we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
The root of the problem sits further up the supply chain. The U.S. cattle herd is the smallest it\u2019s been in about 75 years. Drought, high feed and interest costs, fewer Mexican feeder cattle because of screwworm concerns, and recent plant cutbacks have all tightened supply. Packers have idled capacity to match the smaller cattle numbers.<\/p>\n
![\"Moody's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790034740_949_.png\")
<\/p>\n
KRIS 6<\/p>\n
T.W. Moench Jr. at Moody’s Meat Market described the situation on the ground. \u201cThey\u2019re on a half kill. So only half the shift is working\u2026 That\u2019s part of it. I know Nebraska closed a plant\u2026 and one in Illinois closed the plant\u2026 Tyson plants.\u201d Rising diesel, freight minimums, and the fact that only two briskets come from each carcass add more pressure. On the screwworm impact he was clear: \u201cIt has hurt you\u2026 you did see a big number jump, you know, prices jump because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Relief isn\u2019t expected anytime soon. Most people watching the cattle cycle say meaningful recovery\u2014and lower wholesale prices\u2014probably won\u2019t show up until the late 2020s at the earliest.<\/p>\n
For now, Soto\u2019s ask is straightforward. \u201cWe\u2019re not looking for sympathy. We\u2019re not looking for a handout. We just want\u2026 your guys\u2019 support. Come out and\u2026 support us like you\u2019ve been doing these past 10 years.\u201d The new menu rolls out this week. The quality, he promises, stays the same. The brisket just won\u2019t be on the board every day anymore.<\/p>\n
![\"Butters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790034742_349_.png\")
<\/p>\n
KRIS 6<\/p>\n
For the latest local news updates, click here<\/a>, or download the KRIS 6 News App.<\/a><\/p>\n