Your trusted source for community news
The aroma of mesquite smoke has been drawing customers for six decades to Marshall's Bar-B-Q, a family-owned restaurant that has weathered everything from changing tastes to a pandemic while maintaining its commitment to authentic Texas barbecue.
Charles Marshall's path to barbecue entrepreneurship began while the east Texas native was studying at Southern Methodist University and working part time at Beef and Bun on Lover's Lane in Dallas. Meeting his future wife, DeLoris, prompted a life-changing decision that would shape Farmers Branch dining for decades.
"I felt like I needed to drop out of school and work full time," Marshall said. "Barbecuing was basically the only thing I knew, so we started trying to figure out how to open one for ourselves."
Marshall's journey began in downtown Dallas with a one-year lease in a building scheduled for demolition. When that lease expired, he moved to Farmers Branch, opening a small location with just four booths and school-type seats.
"I think briskets we're 15 cents a pound," Marshall said, noting they charged 35 cents for sandwiches. "We felt that $200 a day would be a successful day, and it took us a year to get up to $200 a day. We popped champagne that year."
Today, Marshall's operates two locations – one in Farmers Branch and another in Carrollton – with three generations of the Marshall family involved in daily operations. Charles Marshall, now in his late 80s, maintains consulting involvement in the business, while his children Terri Killian, Toni DiLouie and Tom Marshall handle operations, sales and catering. Matthew Killian, Terri's son, is also involved in the family business.
The restaurant has evolved significantly from its humble beginnings. What started with just brisket, sausage, beans and potato salad has expanded to include nine different meat choices and multiple sides, all made from scratch. Perhaps most notably, Marshall's developed a signature sauce bar featuring different regional barbecue sauces.
"The smoking is the same, but we found it's more in the sauces," Terri, who handles operations, said. "We have a Carolina sauce and Kansas City styles. We have a variety so nobody can say, 'Well, I don't like their sauce,' and not come."
The sauce bar, implemented about 15 years ago, reflects the restaurant's adaptability to changing customer preferences while maintaining core traditions.
Marshall's also has adapted to evolving barbecue trends. Texas barbecue has undergone significant transformation since establishments such as Franklin Barbecue gained prominence.
"About five years ago, my son had an interest in the new world of barbecue," Terri said. "People like moist barbecue, fatty barbecue. The more fat, the more flavor. We've changed our whole cycle in the last year because people's tastes have changed."
The restaurant's catering operation, which began expanding in the 1990s, now generates more revenue than both restaurant locations combined. Marshall's has catered events for major corporations including Amazon, Universal Studios and Dallas Cowboys Stadium, serving up to 2,000 people at construction sites and corporate events.
"We can feed 2,000 people in like 20 minutes," DiLouie, who oversees sales and catering, said. "Every day is very different."
The COVID-19 pandemic tested the restaurant's resilience like never before. With catering canceled for nearly a year, the family adapted by setting up outdoor ordering, installing barriers and even selling groceries alongside barbecue.
"My sister sat outside with the smoker going so people would know we were open," Terri said. "She would take somebody's order as they pulled up. That's the only time I was ever fearful of having to close the doors."
The restaurant's longevity stems partly from its deep community connections. Ronaldo Tyler, a shift leader for 26 years, has watched customers' children grow up and bring their own children to the restaurant.
"I get to see their kids and the kids bringing their kids," Tyler said. "When you come through that door, I want you to feel like you're at home."
Regular customer Bev Fox, who has been visiting for 20 years, echoes that sentiment: "It feels like home. Everyone knows everybody. You know the cooks, you know everybody, and they take care of you."
Marshall's will celebrate its 60th anniversary on June 21 with special pricing, 60-cent sliders and hot dogs, live music and festivities at both locations. The Farmers Branch location will host celebrations from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., while the Carrollton location will follow from 4-8 p.m.
As the restaurant looks toward the future, the Marshall family hopes to expand catering operations and possibly open additional locations.
"When you've been in business for 60 years, you have a reputation," Terri said. "We've been blessed both with our employees and customers. We wouldn't have it any other way."
Marshall's Bar-B-Q is located at 12895 Josey Lane, Suite 219, in Farmers Branch. In Carrollton, Marshall's Bar-B-Q is located at 1855 E. Rosemeade. The restaurants are open seven days a week, with hours varying by day.
