Food Truck in a New Location: What is Happening to Johnny’s BBQ in Midland?

Johnny's BBQ in downtown Midland has been around for almost 70 years, so what is going on right now at that location?

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, Johnny's BBQ in downtown Midland was opened in 1955 by the late Johnny Hackney and he ran the restaurant till 2006 when he sold it to Roy and Tami Gillean who have kept the restaurant open since then selling the same BBQ that made the restaurant a local favorite.

Now the Gilleans have sold the restaurant to Ruben Carrasco, Jr. who has owned the Pachuco food truck for the past few years and wanted to move into a more permanent location.

“We weren’t necessarily looking to go to a brick and mortar since we’ve only been in operation for three years,” Carrasco explained. “We found out [the Gilleans] were looking to retire and knew it was an opportunity we had to try to get.”

Pachuco Mobile Food Co. started out in an old 1960s bread truck and Carrasco has been selling his food from that truck, now he is going to move that business into a brick-and-mortar location.

He plans to create a fresh space while sticking to the memorabilia that has been maintained in Johnny's BBQ, a kind of big-city feel with small-town regulations for all Midlanders of any age to come out and enjoy, along with great food.

“I go to Austin, Houston, all these places, but when I come home, I want a cool place to kick it at, so we plan on adding a street-side patio,” said Carrasco. “We want to be incorporated into the entertainment district of downtown because this whole area is going to be thriving. We're just starting to get that, so we're excited to be a part of it.”

Carrasco is also planning to convert the old food truck into a beer truck and with the construction of a patio, putting in updated appliances, and the whole re-branding, he is looking to open in November 2022.