Brent and Juan Reaves are building a legacy at Smokey John’s

As soon as you get out of the car, the smell hits you. It’s the scent of old-fashioned southern cooking you’d get at your grandparents’ house on a random Sunday. Ribs, brisket, turkey, sausage, vegetables and a tasty dessert are what await you when you walk into Smokey John’s BBQ and Home Cooking in Dallas. Led by brothers Brent and Juan Reaves, they look to uphold their father’s legacy right where he opened his first restaurant in 1976.

Their father, John Reaves, was known for his legendary hickory-smoked hams and turkeys, and Brent and Juan seek to keep his story alive with great Southern food and a friendly place for everyone.

With Brent and Juan they talked rolling at Smokey John’s about the restaurant, keeping their father’s legacy and their vision for the restaurant alive.

How does it feel to have a place like this where people can go and enjoy good food?

Juan Reaves: I feel like we are carrying on our father’s tradition. He used to have the place to go and was very good friends with many Dallas Cowboy players from the 70’s and 80’s. He had a lot of celebrities and a lot of black professionals who come to party and he had a little club inside the restaurant. It’s a kind of history and heritage.

Brent Reaves: It’s super cool to be a part of it just so we can pull it off. You don’t really see a lot of generational businesses in black businesses, so what we want to do is be an example for other businesses that decide to take a chance and be the next generation to carry on their family’s legacy.

Why is community and hospitality important to you all?

BR: The common person is our celebrity. They are the ones who will come two or three times a week. They are the reason we have these beautiful lights on. If they don’t show up two or three times a week, then we’re not in business. You might have an athlete that comes in every five years or so, if they’re in town because they’re always traveling, but you’re regular fans, your everyday customer, that’s our celebrity.

JR: We want to satisfy everyone. We try to create an atmosphere like when you go to grandma’s house, you walk in and you have to get a plate and everyone feels loved. It doesn’t matter if you bring a friend from college, home, work, wherever they come, they’re always welcome and I think that’s what we’re trying to create, that atmosphere here for all of our customers, all of our patrons and the people who I support. You can see that because yesterday I spent 30 minutes talking to a couple of ladies who have been coming here since before Brent was born.

Why should this be someone’s first stop when coming to Dallas?

JR: I will say this: I don’t know if it has to be your first stop, but you’re kidding yourself if it’s not one of your stops. We’re not just barbecue. We have country cooking, we have soul food, we have greens, cabbage and yams. You can eat healthy here and still get hurt. You can have some homemade banana pudding or peach cobbler and feel just a little bit of that Texas Southern hospitality.