Central Kentucky restaurant known for its barbecue suffers fire. What’s next?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Richmond’s Straight From Texas Bar-B-Que suffered an early-morning structural fire.
- Owner Paul Morin confirms extensive damage; cleanup and rebuild plans are pending.
- Family-run restaurant paused operations after loss; community ties, fundraisers impacted.
A Richmond restaurant known for its barbecue was damaged in an early-morning fire that will leave it in limbo for now.
Straight From Texas Bar-B-Que posted March 19 on its social media that there had been a structural fire in the building.
“Nobody was present during the fire and praise the Lord ... Nobody was hurt,” the restaurant said. “The damage to our shop is extensive and will require a lot of cleanup before we even start to plan a rebuild.”
The restaurant at 306 North St. in Richmond was opened in July 2014 by Paul Morin, a transplant from Texas. It served all kinds of smoked meat, including pork, brisket, chicken, ribs and sausage along with home-style sides and desserts.
Morin said Thursday that he’d just arrived about 5 a.m. and noticed that several lights were out.
“When I opened the door, smoke just rolled out of the building. My first urge was to go check out what was happening but my daddy was a firefighter so I was smart enough not to go in,” Morin said.
He credits swift action by the Richmond Fire Department for getting things under control. The fire might started in the attic, he said.
Morin said he’s still assessing what will be needed to deal with the extensive damage but plans to rebuild.
In a 2021 profile of the business, Morin said all of the meats are smoked for 12-16 hours using a combination of hickory and post oak wood paired with pecan and fruit wood (when available), a signature component of authentic Texas barbecue.
All the meats were smoked outside in a smoker that his late father, Calixto Morin, brought from Texas in 2001.
The family-run business also gave back to the local community through sponsoring and hosting fundraising events for local youth sports teams and employing teenagers to teach work skills.
“Our mission is to have a positive impact on our community through Christ. The restaurant is our mission field and barbecue is the tool that gives us the opportunity to reach others,” Morin said in a 2021 interview. “As long as we do that I’m confident that we’ll continue to grow and prosper.”
After Morin posted the news on Facebook, fans immediately chimed in with suggestions to keep serving food, such as using a food truck in the parking lot while they rebuild.
Others offered messages of support, such as, “Richmond will show up for you even if you can just make some peanut butter sandwiches til things get better. Straight from Texas is very much loved!”
Morin said Thursday he’d also had a visit from County Judge Executive Reagan Taylor and has been receiving offers of support and help from his community partners.
“We have a fantastic community here in Richmond and a lot of small business owners who are pitching in to help,” he said. “We’re going to work closely with the health department. We do have a food truck here on site and might get an emergency permit for it. The smokers are intact and we might do something to raise some money. I know our community is going to support whatever we do.”
Reporter Adrian Paul Bryant contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
