Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast Episode 1242

Guest: Leonard Botello, Pit Master and Owner of Truth BBQ

Host: Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: January 5, 2026

Episode Overview

Eric Cacciatore welcomes Leonard Botello, acclaimed pitmaster and owner of Truth BBQ, for a deep, honest, and wide-ranging conversation about building one of Texas’s top barbecue destinations. In this candid episode, Leonard discusses the importance of simplicity, the obsession with craft, the value of failure, and how the real work of leadership is about paying it forward. For aspiring restaurateurs, Leonard unpacks his journey from burning briskets in his backyard to consistently appearing on Texas Monthly’s influential Top 10 Barbecue list—and what it’s taught him about business, life, and becoming "unstoppable."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction and Core Philosophy

• Success Mantra:
  "Less is more." – Leonard Botello [03:58]

  • Simplicity applies to food, business, menus, and life.
  • Focus on a small, expertly executed menu builds discipline and legacy.
  • “As long as you take a lot of time and passion into those little things and critique them day after day, they become something that you never thought they were going to become.” – Leonard [04:49]

• The Value of Specialization:

  • Cites mentors: “Do your one thing.” – referencing Kathleen Woods and Ed Doherty [05:24-06:28]
  • Legacy restaurants are known for a single, iconic item.
  • Small, consistently excellent menu items train staff better, reduce costs, and boost marketing.

Building Truth BBQ

• Concept & Locations:

  • Inspired by classic, “unchanging” barbecue joints—a mix of grit, art, and reverence for tradition [07:23].
  • Original Brenham, TX Location:
    • Tiny: 2 tables, 8 seats, “diamond in the rough, hole in the wall” feel [08:28-09:24].
  • Houston Location (est. 2019):
    • 150 seats, bigger kitchen, expanded menu, same country BBQ ethos [09:24-09:36].

• Financials:

  • Profit Margins: Typically around 10–11% (protein-heavy, rising costs) [09:57-10:08].
  • Prime Costs: Target is under 64%, labor at 20–22%, food cost (esp. brisket) hovers 35–40% with careful weekly yield tests [10:20-11:15].
  • “Brisket is my gift, and it is my absolute curse.” – Leonard [10:31]

Personal Journey & Mindset

• Family Legacy and Reluctance:

  • Grew up in a restaurant family (Tex-Mex/American mix) but sought a "real job" (studied Biology at Texas A&M, considered pharmaceuticals) [11:40-12:19].

• Drawn Back to Hospitality:

  • The industry’s “pull”—“Just when you thought you were out, it just pulls you right back in.” [11:59]

• Mental Health & Therapy:

  • Candid on stress: “I have crippling social anxiety… I loved being left alone from 1am until 7am.” [13:31]
  • Therapy helps him navigate expectations, OCD tendencies, and the pressure to impose his own standards on others [13:15-15:19].

• Thriving on (Managed) Chaos:

  • “You don’t like chaos, but you actually thrive off the chaos… I thrive off of it, and I think it’s toxic.” [15:42-16:18]
  • Finds satisfaction in restoring order—even in the dish pit: “It started with chaos… and it’s so satisfying.” [16:24-17:14]

The Craft Barbecue Awakening

• Craft Barbecue Movement:

  • Inspired by the likes of Aaron Franklin, John Lewis, Wayne Mueller, Billy Durney, and Pat Martin (2012 “peak” in Austin) [17:53-18:18].
  • Epiphany: True craft BBQ was worlds apart from family BBQ memories [18:42-19:00].
  • Began backyard experimentation, borrowing his uncle’s pit, burning briskets, learning by doing [19:51-20:45].

• Intent and Ambition:

  • Not about accolades, but improvement: “If I don’t get into the Texas Monthly Top 10 in two years, I’ll just close the doors.” [21:28-21:37]
  • Relentless learning and improvement—dedication to craft above all.

Breaking In: The First Restaurant

• Acquisition Story:

  • Found a rural BBQ joint for sale via a roadside sign; negotiated owner-financing (bank wouldn’t fund a 24-year-old) [25:34-26:10].
  • Purchase price: ~$200–$300k, paid off in four years [26:32-26:41].

• Growth Doesn’t Solve Everything:

  • “The grass is not always greener on the other side… The next big thing brings more stress, more responsibility… you forget about all the things that made you and developed you.” [28:14-29:15]
  • Reflects on nostalgia for the early, “scrappy” days and cautions against chasing only expansion.

Recognition and Evolution

• Arrival in Top 10:

  • Texas Monthly Top 10 in 2017 (goal achieved) [31:45-31:55].
  • Business “turned upside down”—lines out the door, but no time to savor milestones; always chasing the next thing [31:57-32:34].

• Perpetual Self-Improvement:

  • “I realized I wasn’t chasing accolades. They became checkboxes along the way because I was chasing the mechanics and the fundamental of how something worked.” [34:53]
  • Remembers the failures and lessons learned more clearly than any praise.

Scaling and Success – Hard Lessons

• Expansion to Houston:

  • Environmental/technical challenges forced complete re-learning [35:23-37:18].
  • “Everything I knew had gone out the window.”
  • Started relying on senses (heat, smell, sound) instead of just instruments: “That’s what I wish I knew five years ago... notice all the steps in between that can get you 1% better every day.” [37:39-38:49]

• Mentors and the Value of Sharing:

  • Influencers (Pat Martin, Billy Durney) emphasized:
    • Don’t sacrifice quality or consistency for accolades or money [48:50-49:14].
    • Teach, share, and pay it forward; “If Jimi Hendrix shows you how to play guitar for five years, you’ll still never sound like him.” – Wayne Mueller [51:06]
    • The “open source” BBQ community makes everyone better.

• Community and Team Building:

  • Growth is now about providing opportunities for staff, not just expanding locations [52:11-52:35].
  • “You help me, I’ll help you… this place takes an absolute team, if not an army.” [52:43]

• Second Chances and Community Outreach:

  • Hires through local charities (e.g., The Beacon, supporting formerly incarcerated or unhoused individuals), works with No Kid Hungry, donates time and skills for pediatric cancer [53:44-56:28].

Business Systems & Delegation

• Structure:

  • ~75–80 employees, with 7–10 in management (GM, AGMs, Marketing/Training, Finance, etc.) [57:18-57:43].
  • 90% of staff are hourly.

• Technology & Operations:

  • Uses Toast POS, Restaurant365, Paycom for comprehensive back-end management [61:13-61:55].
  • Notes BBQ’s unique operational complexity—inventory and food cost systems must account for variable yields, trim, and wood fuel [62:09-63:14].
  • Hard-won insight: “If you’re opening a place, take tens of thousands of dollars away from design and build out, put it into your systems and financials up front. If you have that, the other stuff shows up.” – Leonard & Eric [65:55-66:15]

• Delegation & Outsourcing:

  • Recently hired a Director of Finance for real-time data, reporting, and analysis. “You have to know your lane, stay in it, and surround yourself with people who are better than you at a lot of stuff.” [69:34-70:25]

• On Leadership:

  • “We go further together.”
  • Emphasizes the vulnerability required to let others excel in the business—and credits his wife, Abby, for teaching him that lesson [71:10-72:17].

The Importance of Relationships & Community

• Strategic Relationships:

  • Maintains key chef partnerships and supports local businesses (e.g., Mill Scale for custom grills) [73:38-75:44].
  • Credits community support in Houston for Truth BBQ’s success.

• Vision:

  • Not focused on endless expansion; driven by the search for the “perfect cook,” especially of brisket, by honoring every step of the process from farm to table [76:22-77:03].
  • Supports smaller, boutique farms for higher quality and ethical sourcing [77:06-77:55].

Industry Challenges & Legacy

• Educating the Consumer:

  • Stresses the need for greater consumer awareness about sourcing, processing, and price/value of meat [80:21-80:55].
  • Encourages “conscious capitalism”—decisions driven by knowledge, not just price [80:46].

• Respecting the Product:

  • After visiting processing plants, committed to “using every aspect of the animal” to respect the life and labor behind each meal [81:37-82:50].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Less is more.” – Leonard Botello [03:58]
• “Brisket is my gift, and it is my absolute curse.” – Leonard [10:31]
• “You don’t like the chaos, but you actually thrive off the chaos… and I think it’s toxic.” – Leonard [15:42]
• “If Jimi Hendrix shows you how to play the guitar for five years, you’re still never going to sound like him.” – Wayne Mueller (quoted by Leonard) [51:31]
• “The grass is not always greener on the other side, brother…
  I like my yellow patch of grass on the other side just as much, if not more.” – Leonard [28:14]
• “Obsession”—when asked what makes him unstoppable. [84:40]
• “It’s not about the accolades... I realized I wasn’t chasing those things. They became checkboxes along the way because I was chasing the mechanics and the fundamental of how something worked.” – Leonard [34:53]

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Opening Philosophy & “Less is more” – [03:53-06:59]
• Truth BBQ Origin & Locations – [07:23-09:24]
• Financials Breakdown – [09:39-11:15]
• Family Legacy & Draw of Hospitality – [11:26-12:19]
• Craft BBQ Awakening & Early Years – [17:53-19:51]
• Securing First Restaurant via Owner Financing – [25:34-26:41]
• Growth Advice: Is Bigger Always Better? – [28:13-29:15]
• Achieving Top 10 Status (Texas Monthly) – [31:45-32:34]
• Failures and Perpetual Improvement – [34:53-35:02]
• Scaling to Houston: Learning from Adversity – [35:23-37:39]
• Mentors & The Value of Open-Source Knowledge – [48:41-51:56]
• Community Impact & Second-Chance Employment – [53:44-56:28]
• Building a Management/Financial Structure – [57:18-63:26]
• Systems Before Decor: Advice to New Operators – [65:55-66:36]
• On Delegation, Vulnerability, and Teamwork – [69:34-72:17]
• Products, Sourcing & The “Perfect Cook” – [76:22-77:55]
• Respecting the Animal and Food Waste – [81:37-82:50]
• Three Pieces of Wisdom (“Process/mechanics, passion, discipline”) – [87:55-88:09]

Closing: Wisdom & Inspiration

If he could leave three pieces of wisdom:

1. Process or mechanics
2. Passion
3. Discipline
   – “They all kind of come one after the other… they all trigger each other.” – Leonard [88:09]

On the Future of the Industry:

• Need for “more light shed” on the craft, sacrifice, and process behind great food—to inspire consumer appreciation and industry sustainability [86:33-87:18].
• True transformation comes from paying it forward, sharing, and elevating others in the spirit of community.

How to Connect with Leonard Botello

• Instagram DM: Answers BBQ, restaurant, and mental health questions there [90:07].
• Email: Available via the Truth BBQ website.

Recommended Guests

• Pat Martin (Martin’s Bar-B-Que)
• Billy Durney
• Chris Shepherd (Southern Smoke Foundation, Houston)

Summary for Aspiring Restaurateurs

This episode is a masterclass in the mentality and mechanics behind building a memorable, sustainable restaurant. Leonard urges operators to focus on discipline, systems, and people—not trendy accolades or perpetual expansion. True legacy is built on obsession for your craft, a willingness to share, and a deep respect for those who fuel your business—from farmers and staff to the guest at your table. In his own words: “It’s not about food or money… there’s so much more outside of that, that people look for and need.” [85:19]

Listen to this episode if you want to:

• Learn how to start (and self-finance) a true “destination” restaurant.
• Find peace and purpose in daily discipline.
• Cultivate a meaningful, teachable legacy for your business.

For more resources, tools, and show notes:
Visit restaurantunstoppable.com