While working in the corporate world, Jeff Bergus in the fashion industry and his wife Jill Bergus as a television producer, they kept a plan B simmering on the back burner.

“Plan B was we had always talked about opening a barbecue restaurant,” Jeff said.

The couple opened Lockhart Smokehouse in 2011 in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas.

The backstory

Jill’s grandfather, Edgar Schmidt ran and eventually bought Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas in the 1940s. Today, her cousin, Keith Schmidt, runs the barbecue business which was established over 100 years ago. Lockhart has been proclaimed The Barbecue Capital of Texas.


“We went to Keith and got his expertise on where to buy the pits, how to do the meat and he trained some of our guys,” Jill said.

The setup

Seasoned with three years of industry experience, Jeff and Jill opened the Plano location In 2014, followed by a third place in Arlington in 2018.

“We like the walkable neighborhood feeling,” Jill said about why they chose to open in downtown Plano. “We think our counter-service barbecue restaurant fits in nicely because if you don’t have a reservation or you’re just down here shopping, you can pop in.”


On the menu

“It is basically the essentials of Texas barbecue which are brisket, ribs, sausage,” Jeff said. “We call that the Texas Trinity right there.”

They also have rotating specials such as beef short ribs, prime rib and burnt ends.

“One thing that sets us apart is we have the Kreuz Market sausage, which is over a 100 year old family recipe they make at Kreuz Market and ship up here,” Jill said.


There are several side options including jalapeno poppers, which were added to the menu last year. Jill said her favorite side dish is the brisket stuffed deviled eggs while Jeff said he favors the spicy mac and cheese.

Notable quote

Jill said quite often people follow their nose to the eatery’s doorstep.

“We have the best advertisement with our pits because the wonderful post oak smell brings you in,” she said.


Post oak is used to smoke at Lockhart Smokehouse because that is how her family has done it for decades.

“We like the fact that post oak adds a subtle flavor, it's not an overpowering smoke. It's a gentler smoke,” Jill said. “That was our tagline, ‘Central Texas barbecue without I-35.’”