WOODWAY, TX — On November 26, 2023, Helberg BBQ suffered from a fire that burned its business to the ground. One year later, with hope, faith, and help from the community, owner Phillip Helberg speaks on how he, his family, and his staff have risen from the ashes and have put their business on track, looking forward to what the future will hold for this beloved Texas barbeque joint.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It’s a scene from one year ago that’s all too familiar.
“It was November 26th, 2023, the Sunday after Thanksgiving,” Phillip Helberg, owner of Helberg BBQ, said.
Where beloved barbeque joint, Helberg Barbeque, burned to the ground.
It’s a scar owner Phillip Helberg still has.
“We definitely have some trauma around it. Kind of took me a while to realize it, just because of the way it happened, it happened so fast,” Helberg said.
Losing everything except hope and faith in humanity.
“There were so many emotions followed by quick decisions that had to be made, but then an overwhelming sense of there was this tragedy and then all of the help that came afterward,” Helberg said.
“The sense of gratitude, peace, and everything from above,” Helberg said.
Now, Helberg is back on their feet, making it work in their temporary home.
“We really did our best to go just beyond the bare minimum to serve— we constructed a seating area over there, a bunch of fans to cool us off during the summer, we tried to make it comfortable here as much as possible,” Helberg said.
Doing what they can for the community that’s helped them so much.
“It’s hard to believe. And really, the resiliency of our crew because they’ve been through a lot, we’ve been through a lot together,” Helberg said.
