In July, Kent Black, general manager of Black's Barbecue in Lockhart, announced he would be opening a spinoff restaurant in San Marcos. Black said the San Marcos location is on track to open in April at 500 Hull Street.

Black said he hopes to break ground on the new location around the first of the year.

Fans of Black's famed Lockhart location will feel right at home in the new restaurant, he said.

"It's going to be a similar style [to the Lockhart location]," Black said. "I was born and raised in that cooking tradition, so we expect to continue in that tradition. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Black and his wife Candy will own and manage the restaurant, which will be called Kent Black's Barbecue. The restaurant includes a 4,500-square-foot inside dining area and a 1,000-square-foot patio.

In July, Black received approval from the city to move forward with a remodel of the building's interior. Black also received a permit to sell alcohol at the restaurant.

The original Black's Barbecue opened in Lockhart in 1932 and has since won numerous accolades. In May, the restaurant was named to Texas Monthly's list of the top 50 barbecue spots in Texas. President Lyndon Baines Johnson selected Black's to represent Texas barbecue at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. The Texas Senate and House of Representatives also recognized the restaurant and in 1999 declared Lockhart the "Barbecue Capital of Texas."

"We're so thankful for our five generations of customers, and we want to continue to cook good barbecue for all our customers," Black said. "We're very thankful."