Dayne’s Craft BBQ
The owners of Dayne’s Craft Barbecue, one of the city’s most popular food trucks, are opening their first brick-and-mortar location, but probably not where you think they are.
While owners Dayne and Ashley Weaver have spent the past year working out of their food truck in the Westland area of Fort Worth - next to a space the couple had originally planned to transform into their restaurant — they’ve since decided to open their debut brick-and-mortar in Aledo, a small town about 20 minutes west of downtown Fort Worth.
Dayne’s will open at 100 S. Front St., in a 2,700-square-foot building last occupied by a Mexican restaurant. With hardwood floors, a covered front porch, and a brick facade, the standalone building has an old general store look to it that makes it perfect for a barbecue spot, Dayne says.
“It’s exactly what we were looking for,” he says. “It has a lot of character and a lot of potential. It’s got these cool old, slightly crooked wooden floors that you just don’t see anymore. In back, there are some nice pecan trees that’ll offer plenty of shade for outside dining.”
Dayne’s is part of the new wave of local barbecue trucks and restaurants that have led many to believe Fort Worth is now the primo barbecue destination in Texas. Dayne started selling barbecue in his backyard, then graduated to a trailer. He and Ashley found success while parked at Lola’s Saloon, not only for their excellent brisket and housemade sausage but also for their creative and absurdly delicious hamburgers, which graced the cover of Fort Worth Magazine in 2021.
Those burgers will be on the menu at the new location, plus all of Dayne’s standards, from moist and lean brisket to handmade sausage to specialty items like pork belly burnt ends and bacon brisket.
Dayne says he may add breakfast hours, as well. “The last place that was in there served breakfast burritos, so we’d like to be able to pick up where they left off and offer some breakfast items,” he says. “We’re going to be there anyway, preparing the food for the day, and we’ll have plenty of baking space, so we may do something like breakfast kolaches.”
Dayne says they’re planning on offering Sunday brunch, too.
The couple settled on the Aledo location after a potential partnership involving the Westland location fell through, Dayne says. Plus, Ashley says, the couple recently moved to Aledo.
“We’ll just be a few minutes from the restaurant,” she says. “The building, the town — all of it just fits our vision a little better.”
Ashley says they’re hoping to be open by November but will continue to be set up every week in Westland, until Aledo opens.
“That’s our plan for now,” she says. “If those plans fall through, like if the owners need this building for something else, we’ll move the trailer out to Aledo and do the same thing out there, just serve out of the trailer, until we’re ready to open the brick-and-mortar.”
