WOODY B'S BBQ: FROM THE BEGINNING
(as written by the children of Woody B)
The vision of Woody B's BBQ most likely sprung its roots in the mind of our father long before we ever knew, and maybe even in the backyard of 234 West Vanderbilt Drive in Corpus Christi, Texas. His inspiration was clear: his father, the late Woodrow Wilson Berry. A devout family man who awoke in the middle of the night to deliver Borden's milk to doorsteps all throughout Corpus Christi, it was this Woody B's ingenuity that sparked the flame to ignite what would become Woody B's BBQ 50 years later and hundreds of miles away.
Here's the story:
A milkman by trade and a skilled handyman, Woodrow Berry was a "man's man" who always found a way to provide for his family. While money never flowed abundantly in the Berry household, necessity often breeds creativity, and our "Paw Paw" refused to let finances damper his love for doing what he did best — BBQ. So as he willfully made his way through his milk route each morning, he often collected various items that others had thrown to the curb as trash. But another man's trash is truly another man's treasure, and Paw Paw began collecting the materials to build a custom BBQ smoker. The centerpiece of his design took shape when he eyed a discarded black metal cauldron one morning that he quickly tossed into his milk truck. Weeks later, he snagged the stand of a fallen stop sign to form the smoker's legs. After finding a metal trash can lid to attach atop the smoker and a metal grate to hold the meat, the original Woody B had handmade the original Woody B's smoker.

Fast forward a few years — still a milkman, he used to stop everyday at Parr's Drug Store to eat lunch. One day, as the story has it, he tried their brisket sandwich. After finishing the sandwich, he not-so-kindly informed the proprietor that "this was worst brisket I've ever had." A challenge had been laid down — Woody B would provide the brisket the following week, and if the customers liked it, he would continue to supply the store with brisket. And the rest is history, as they say. In addition to supplying the drug store with brisket for years to come, even the customers on his milk route began to order Woody B's brisket for parties, birthdays, and other special occasions. Imagine that — your milkman delivering the best BBQ in town right to your doorstep each morning.
Over the years, Woody B and his loving wife had five children. His youngest, his namesake, and our father, Woodrow Warren Berry, would go on to work 30+ years in the full-service restaurant business, traveling thousands of miles across both the US and Europe while learning what guests truly desire from a restaurant before "retiring" in 2001. A perfectionist by nature when it comes to satisfying others with his food and service, we have watched our father spend hundreds of hours preparing, grilling, and smoking BBQ that others raved about, while often watching him throw food in the trash can because it lacked that "IT" factor that he strived to achieve. It is this level of dedication to his trade that created a BBQ phenomenon simply through word-of-mouth and turned a father's legacy into his son's family business.
Some 50 years after our grandfather hand crafted the first smoker in the Berry family, we are proud to announce that our father has brought the Berry BBQ tradition to Woody B's BBQ in Richardson, TX. The commitment we repeatedly hear him tell customers as he opens Woody B's remains simple and direct: Provide THE best BBQ you will find anywhere in Texas at the THE best price with THE best service.
Enjoy! Matthew, Adam, Joe, and Sarah Berry