KERRVILLE — Harold “Buzzie” Hughes spent three decades cooking 18-hour shifts over live oak coals, building a barbecue restaurant that Texas Monthly once declared tied for the best brisket in the state. On August 3, 2025, he locked the doors at 213 Schreiner Street for the last time.
The brick-and-mortar location of Buzzie’s BBQ closed that Sunday after 32 years serving the Hill Country. Hughes sold the property to another local restaurateur, signing the final papers on July 1, 2025.
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Why the Restaurant Closed
Hughes listed the building two years ago. At 67 years old, after standing on his feet since 5 a.m. most days since 1993, he was ready to step back.
“I’m kind of ready to slow down a little bit,” Hughes told MySA in August 2025.
His wife Brenda, who co-owns the business and serves on the Kerrville City Council, was more direct about the physical toll. Her husband had worked 18-hour days for three decades straight. They raised four children while running the restaurant. Now they have 14 grandchildren, all living in Kerrville.
“It’s bittersweet for him, because this has been his entire life since he was 10 or 11 years old,” Brenda Hughes said.
The Barbecue Legacy
Hughes learned to cook at age eight, grilling hot dogs along the Guadalupe River. By the time he was working for Monsanto in Austin, his weekend barbecues regularly drew 200 people. In 1993, Brenda gave him an ultimatum: open a restaurant or start charging admission.
He quit his job and converted the old Comfort Grocery and Feed Store into his first location. Five months after opening, customers were driving from San Antonio for his brisket. In 1997, Hughes expanded to Kerrville, buying a former laundromat and converting it into a full restaurant.
The Kerrville location survived a major setback when fire destroyed the building in June 2007. Hughes rebuilt in five months. The original Comfort location closed shortly after.
The restaurant earned serious recognition:
- Tied for first place, Best Brisket in Texas (Texas Monthly, 2010)
- Season 4 BBQ Pitmasters Texas Champion
- 28 consecutive years voted Best BBQ in Kerrville
- Featured on Travel Channel
Hughes cooked with live oak aged at least two years. He never used thermometers. After 13 hours over the coals, he’d poke the brisket and check by touch, sight, and smell. The custom smoker could hold a literal ton of meat, with hundred-gallon water tanks on each side creating steam.
What Happens Next
Buzzie’s BBQ isn’t disappearing completely. The Hughes family kept their food trailer and catering license.
“We’re keeping our food truck, and we’re operating out of that,” Brenda Hughes told MySA. “We’ll keep our business licensed, and we’ll continue to do big events like the Kerrville Fourth on the River.”
Starting in September 2025, the food truck began appearing at Kerr County Market Days and Swap Meet at the Hill Country Youth Event Center, held the first Saturday of each month.
The family originally planned to relocate restaurant operations to property they owned on Memorial Boulevard. They changed course and sold that property to Kerrville Pets Alive! instead, opting for the scaled-back food truck model.
Buzzie Hughes said he plans to fish more. He’ll still cook, just not six days a week.
Impact on the Community
The restaurant served more than smoked meats. The meeting room hosted political events, election watch parties, and community gatherings for decades. During the July 2024 floods in West Kerr County, Hughes prepared food for disaster relief volunteers instead of attending the planned Fourth of July event.
Buzzie’s closure is part of a larger shift in Texas barbecue. Several longtime restaurants closed their physical locations in 2025, including Brix Barbecue in North Texas and Bodacious Bar-B-Q in Arlington after 34 years.
For Kerrville residents who grew up eating at Buzzie’s BBQ, the food truck appearances offer continued access to the same smoked brisket, ribs, and sausage that earned statewide attention. Hughes will still be standing over those live oak coals. He’ll just be doing it at festivals and special events instead of behind a restaurant counter six days a week.
The new owners of the Schreiner Street property have not announced their plans for the building.
