Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Moore Jr.
Scott, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Tejas began in 2011 as a craft “bean to bar” chocolate maker, as the first American craft chocolate maker located in Texas. We were selling chocolate bars at the Tomball Farmers market on Saturdays and began to build a nice following there. Tejas was discovered by Spec’s where we began stocking the flagship Spec’s in Houston’s Midtown area. Soon after Tejas was selling chocolate bars to Central Market, Wholefoods, and Kroger Marketplace. As the business grew we decided out best path forward would be a retail store so we could spend more time in front of chocolate customers educating about the process and quality of Cacao we were using.
We found a location in Old Town Tomball what we thought would be ideal, but the cost of the lease and renovations was more than our little chocolate company could afford. We decided to tap into an underserved market in Tomball by offering Craft Barbecue using premium meats for smoking and serving elevated side dishes to go along. We opened Tejas Chocolate+Barbecue in the fall of 2015 in the building nicknamed The Craftory. Over the next 10 years Tejas would be listed in popular publications like Southern Living Magazine as an elite barbecue restaurant. The unique combination of American Craft Chocolate offered along side of Texas Barbecue became very successful. Tejas has been feature on popular TV programs like Man Fire Food, Food Paradise, Texas Bucket List, and Texas Country reporter. Most recently Tejas has been award for two years in a row Michelin Guide’s Bid Gourmand.
Tejas just celebrated a 10 year anniversary by throwing a big two day party for the local community. While we’ve been fortunate to receive a lot of National and Global recognition serving our community has always been our main objective. We are very proud to be such significant part of Tomball, by providing great food, educating consumers about both Cacao and barbecue, and being deeply involved with our local Schools, Churches, and Non Profit organizations.
My wife Michelle, and brother Greg opened Tejas Chocolate+Barbecue in 2015 with 2 other employees. Today we have a staff of 61 with dozens of staff members with us for more than 5 years.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
If it were easy everyone would be doing it. In the early days the road was filled with 15-16 hour days. We, the owners, had to put in the real sweat equity. The economy in 2016 wasn’t the best and there were many restaurant closings that summer. We barely made it through those days living literally week to week. Our popularity exploded in the Spring of 2017 and we were suddenly selling our of product early in the day. This created a lot of stress for us because our nature is to serve and not disappoint There were people going out of their way to visit us and when they arrived we were sold out. That was hard, but we we able to add production capacity to help keep us stocked up. Operating in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 was a challenge with inventory loss due to power failures, and lost revenue days. It was weeks and weeks before things seem to get back to normal.
Covid was devastating mentally and financially. We were forced by our elected officials to close our dining room. It was so depressing. We missed the first round of federal PPP loans because our bank Wells Fargo was busy taking care of the big guys and neglecting small businesses. We switch banks to FCCU and they were able to secure a PPP loan for us that kept us going without ever having to layoff staff.
Having enough staff became a challenge. It was hard to find people wanting to work, and still is to some degree. We need people to grow and it’s a big effort now to hire the right people which can have an impact on expanding the business.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My real passion lies in creating great food to enjoy. I love getting nerdy about the science of making chocolate and the craft of smoking meats. I taught myself how to make chocolate and later sausage for the barbecue restaurant. I like to take simple foods like sandwiches and make them better. I also like to put together combinations that are unique and not seen before. I’m a stickler for using premium ingredients and thoughtful methods. Eating well is a privilege. I want people to come away feeling satisfied. I feel like we have a great reputation for craft chocolate, house made sausages, and side dishes that are elevated. We have fostered a welcoming fun vibe at our restaurant.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Walking down the stairs leading to the Frio River holding my grandmothers hand.
Pricing:
- Bid Gourmand
- Means great value
- for great quality
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tejaschocolate.com
- Instagram: tejaschocolate, scottmoorejr
- Facebook: tejaschocolate+barbecue
- Twitter: @tejaschocolate, @urbantexan
Image Credits
Scott Moore Jr Iphone 14
