“His passion for barbecue came from his dad,” Grant said. “When they lived in El Paso his dad used to barbecue outside, and they’d bury the meat underground.”
There are five other business partners who own Tender Smokehouse with Ramirez—Audrea Weimer, Eddie Bell, Torri and Katrina Hunter, and Matt Kemp. Grant said from the outset they planned to open five locations within five years. There are locations in Celina, Frisco and Aubrey. A location in Van Alstyne and another in Whitesboro are slated to open in 2023.
Cassie Drummond is the general manager of the Frisco location that opened in 2019. She said many customers are regulars who enjoy the fact that as soon as they are seen in line, their order is known.
“They come in every Saturday; they’re very early,” Drummond said of a couple she greeted. “He gets a brisket sandwich and a side of mac and cheese for her.”
Grant said when Dante created the menu using his own recipes he kept it simple. There are five meat options: prime brisket, pulled pork, sausage, turkey breast and spareribs. Sides include beans, mac and cheese, potato salad, and pineapple coleslaw.
“You can take any of those meats and put them on a sandwich, potato or salad, or you can have them in a combo,” Drummond said.
The eatery also serves breakfast, which features favorites, such as jalapeno sausage tacos, brisket and biscuits, and buttermilk pancakes—which Drummond described as “big as your head.”
Unlike some barbecue restaurants that advertise offering certain meats until they run out, Grant said that is not how Tender Smokehouse operates.
“If people are driving in from an hour away, we don’t want to run out,” he said. “We wanted to have it until we close at 9 o’clock.”
Because Ramirez grew up in the restaurant industry, he decided to close on Sundays and Mondays.
“Something that hurt his family was that [restaurants he worked at were] open seven days a week nonstop,” Drummond said. “So, when he opened his own restaurant, he wanted to think about that and saved Sundays and Mondays for family time.”
Tender Smokehouse is located at 4226 Preston Road, Frisco. 214-494-2080. www.tendersmokehousebbq.com. Hours: Tue.-Sat 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun.-Mon. closed.
