Staff report.
More than three decades since it opened, the Railroad Bar-B-Que in Kyle will close its doors. The last day it will be open is April 20 – Easter Sunday.
The Sherrill family, owners of the business, said in a news release they are also closing the Manchaca location but the restaurant in Dripping Springs will remain open.
“It is with great sadness and much thought and deliberation that we have come to this conclusion,” the statement said. “Four generations of the Sherrill Family have been involved with Railroad Bar-B-Que. Our family and our employees have put in many hours, hard work, blood, sweat and tears into our restaurants.”
The statement indicated that with the relocation of the service road and a change in traffic patterns, the Kyle location saw a significant loss in sales.
The release went on to explain that the family intended to keep the Manchaca location open. However, due to issues with the Travis County Fire Marshal’s office regarding code compliance, as well as the property being sold, the Sherrill’s decided to close it.
“We had planned to keep the Manchaca location open, but for the past several months, the Travis County Fire Marshal has demanded, through threats of fines and closure, that we make the Manchaca building adhere to the fire codes that were adopted in 2005,” the statement said.
“However, the law specifically states that any building established prior to 2005 is exempt from the new fire codes. [The Manchaca location] was built in 1981, which makes us exempt,” the statement continued. “The costs we would be forced to pay to ensure our building meets the Fire Marshal’s demands are more than can possibly be justified.”
According to the statement, the leasor of the Manchaca property did not agree to extend the business’s 32-year-old lease agreement and instead decided to sell the property. That property owner will speak with the Sherill family only through an attorney, the statement said.
“These two issues combined have left us with no other viable options but to close our Manchaca location as well,” the statement read.
The family ended the statement on a positive note.
“So much more than a business, Railroad Bar-B-Que has been a home for us and for our customers (many of whom have become our friends),” it said. “Some of our original customers still come to Railroad Bar-B-Que today, over 32 years later.”
They also alluded to new facilities.
“Be on the lookout for new Railroad Bar-B-Que locations coming to a neighborhood near you.”
