Denton's Bet the House BBQ Has Closed

When Bet the House BBQ opened in Denton in 2014, the lines wound out the door immediately, and many a barbecue enthusiast was left meatless as the barbecue joint routinely sold out. Despite the restaurant's popularity in Little D, four and a half years later, Bet the House has thrown...

By Beth Rankin

December 4, 2018

Bet the House co-owner Shawn Eagle slices house-made sausage. Chris Wolfgang

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When Bet the House BBQ opened in Denton in 2014, the lines wound out the door immediately, and many a barbecue enthusiast was left meatless as the barbecue joint routinely sold out. Despite the restaurant's popularity in Little D, four and a half years later, Bet the House has thrown in the towel.

"It is with much sadness and a heavy heart that we will be closing for good this Sunday," Bet the House posted on Facebook last Friday. "Please come see us and get some BBQ. Thank y'all so much for giving us the opportunity to serve our great community."
Bet the House may have been a bit of a haul from Dallas proper, but it was always worth the drive. "... in our humble eyes, it's a staple of north DFW barbecue," Observer barbecue writer Chris Wolfgang wrote in June. "While the standards continue to impress, the owners' willingness to experiment draws us back to Denton."

Co-owners Shawn Eagle and Cody Smithers started catering in 2012 and later launched a Kickstarter campaign to open the restaurant near UNT. "It's just hard to keep up and explain to people why you're closing when everybody loves your food," Smithers told the Denton Record-Chronicle. But, he added, "It's not because I'm making too much money."

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Beth Rankin is an Ohio native and Cicerone-certified beer server who specializes in social media, food and drink, travel and news reporting. Her belief system revolves around the significance of Topo Chico, the refusal to eat crawfish out of season and the importance of local and regional foodways.

Contact: Beth Rankin

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