Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Wolf.
Hi Austin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The idea for Porky’s Backyard really started as a family passion project a few years before we officially opened our doors in January 2024. Our family has always been deeply rooted in the Humble and Atascocita area—we’ve lived here our whole lives, and I even attended Atascocita High School.
My dad, Michael, has been an entrepreneur for most of his life. After successfully running an electrical manufacturing business for 20 years, he transitioned into commercial real estate development. At the same time, I was earning my degree in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Houston. By combining our ambition, resources, and knowledge, we realized we had the perfect opportunity to build something unique that would truly serve our hometown.
Because we are both avid car enthusiasts, we didn’t want to build just another standard food park. We designed the entire venue with the Houston car community in mind—installing double car lifts in the main dining hall to display exotic sports cars, bringing in state-of-the-art F1 racing simulators, and decorating the space with authentic racing memorabilia.
Getting here took a lot of hard work, from navigating construction to curating the perfect mix of vendors. Today, Porky’s Backyard is exactly what we dreamed it would be: a thriving, family- and pet-friendly hub featuring 17 incredible food trucks, a full bar with 40 beers on tap, and a place where local car clubs can host meets and rallies. It’s been an incredible journey bringing this vision to life and giving our community a fun place to gather, eat great food, and share our love for cars.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, but nothing ever is. If you find a business to get into as an owner that is actually smooth, easy, and profitable then call me because you’ve found a unicorn. There is no profit without problems.
Every single bit of this place was a struggle because I had never operated a food truck park, a bar, or even been an employee in a restaurant. Every piece of this operation was something new to me that I had to learn on the fly to keep going, but that’s business!
One of the larger struggles we had in the beginning was finding the right food trucks to partner with that would add value to Porky’s as a whole. What we very quickly realized after opening was that by and large most food trucks are solo operator new entrepreneurs working it as a side hustle. The problem that we ran into with that is there was no chance a solo operator was going to be able to keep up with the demand that Porky’s brings. There a only a handful of trucks with us now that were there at the beginning because they quickly realized they needed people and systems.
Some other interesting challenges were learning how to best interact with the community and where Porky’s fits in. It was apparent even from the start that we were not just going to be another bar, but it was vital to us that we also aren’t a nuisance. We really want to be a value add to the area we are in which is why we try very hard to work within our community. Specifically, we’ve had a lot of success in this area through the Humble ISD school district through the Shattered Dreams program, Project Graduation, our dunk tank fundraisers, and plenty more.
Lastly, surmounting the people problem has been the biggest on-going struggle. As much as we love people they can be quite painful to work with. The first day we were scheduled to open we had a massive car show coming and so much anticipation to preform annnddd none of my opening bartenders showed up. All no-call no-show. That led to me and my wife for the first (and last) time jumping behind the bar slinging beers as fast as we could until help arrived. We ended up staying there for a full 24hrs 6am to 6am. That day stays burned into my memory as a reminder that no man is an island and Rome was not built alone. It took more careful vetting, but we eventually found the right team to help get Porky’s to where it is today.
As you know, we’re big fans of Porky’s Backyard. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Porky’s Backyard specializes in making sure everyone has a great time!
We specialize in catering to a variety of pallets with one of the largest (if not the largest) Food Truck Parks in Texas featuring a rotating 17-trucks that are ready to serve our hungry patrons.
We are largely known for being the only ‘Supercar Bar’ around with all sorts of supercar themed decor and drinks, custom hand painted artwork, real supercar parts, and top of the line professional racing simulators. When we opened we were also known for having 4-supercars positioned in the middle of the dining hall across the bar, but we’ve since had to take them out due to a fire marshal’s order. They are set to make their long-anticipated comeback this April 2026 after final inspection of our new suppression system.
We set ourselves apart by being the premier space to enjoy hand made authentic cuisine by offering something for everyone with our AC’d indoor/outdoor space, greenery, playground, dance floor, theme nights, activities and clean bathrooms. You’d be surprised how rare that last amenity can be amongst food truck parks.
We would want your readers to know that we are the best place around for hosting large groups in the Houston area. We are readily available to book individual tables or our entire upstairs for their next party, celebration or event. We have become a hot-spot for team bonding and birthdays because of our no-rush and easy to enjoy environment. We feature servers, but are not like a traditional restaurant so you will feel no pressure to leave or be rushed out. Just book your party, enjoy as long as you like and leave when you’re satisfied.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
My age! I am only 25-years old even though the stress has made me look like i’m 40. Lot’s of people ask me how I’ve gotten here at a young age and the answer buy and large is a painful amount of work and dedication to the tasks at hand. Now obviously there is always some luck involved, but i’ve lost plenty of family time, weekends, money, fun, and opportunities to have built and be operating Porky’s the way it is today.
I feel very fortunate to be in the position I am in, but it took a lot of sweat equity to get here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://porkysbackyard.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/porkys_backyard/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/porkysbackyardpark
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/porkys-backyard-humble-2
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@porkysbackyard
