TV Restaurants

What Happened to Bryan's Smokehouse? (Lufkin, TX)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Bryan's Smokehouse has closed — confirmed via kfox95.com, October 20, 2022.

Primary source
kfox95.com ·
Secondary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

What the source shows: K-Fox 95.5 reported in October 2022 that the building on South Timberland Drive had been demolished and that a Shipley's Donuts now occupies the site.

  • Season / episode Season 6, Episode 6
  • Original air date
  • Address 609 S Timberland Drive, Lufkin, TX 75901

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What happened after Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)?

Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) visited Bryan's Smokehouse, a barbecue restaurant on South Timberland Drive in Lufkin, Texas, for the episode "In the Pits," which aired May 26, 2013. The location had served barbecue since the 1950s under earlier names before Tommy and Lynn Bryan took it over and renamed it Bryan's Smokehouse. As shown in the episode, host Robert Irvine found a kitchen and business strained by heavy debt and staffing problems, though owner Lynn Bryan later told the Lufkin Daily News that portions of that on-air narrative, including the specific debt figure, were scripted for the show rather than strictly accurate. Filming took place over two days in March 2013, during which Irvine's crew reworked the restaurant's kitchen operations, menu and dining room in the show's standard format, and a public relaunch event was held before the episode aired. Lynn Bryan said she and her husband signed a contract requiring them to stay silent about the renovation for two weeks after broadcast, and that Irvine's crew found Lufkin an unusually cool reception, with some former employees protesting outside during filming. In February 2014, the Lufkin Daily News reported that the Bryans sold the restaurant to Seth Gragg and Ryan Pope, two local men who kept the Bryan's Smokehouse name and much of the existing menu, including its pulled-pork "South Carolina" sandwich plate and cheesecake sopapilla dessert. Lynn Bryan said at the time that running the business for sixteen years had left her exhausted and that she planned to move into a new career selling prepaid funeral plans. The restaurant did not continue indefinitely under the new owners. K-Fox 95.5, a Lufkin radio station, reported in October 2022 that the building at that corner had since been completely torn down and that a Shipley's Donuts location had moved onto the site. A Yelp listing for the barbecue restaurant, last updated in April 2026, similarly shows it marked as permanently closed. Lynn Bryan has since become involved with the Angelina County Farmers Market, according to the same K-Fox report.

Featured on Restaurant: Impossible

Season / episode
Season 6, Episode 6
Original air date
Episode title
In the Pits
What was featured
a barbecue restaurant's kitchen, menu and dining room renovated over two days
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Bryan's Smokehouse

Frequently asked questions

Is Bryan's Smokehouse still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Bryan's Smokehouse has closed — confirmed via kfox95.com, October 20, 2022.

What happened to Bryan's Smokehouse after Restaurant: Impossible?

Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) visited Bryan's Smokehouse, a barbecue restaurant on South Timberland Drive in Lufkin, Texas, for the episode "In the Pits," which aired May 26, 2013. As of September 2026, Bryan's Smokehouse has closed — confirmed via kfox95.com, October 20, 2022.

Is Bryan's Smokehouse permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Bryan's Smokehouse has closed — confirmed via kfox95.com, October 20, 2022. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Bryan's Smokehouse located?

609 S Timberland Drive, Lufkin, TX 75901. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Restaurant: Impossible featured Bryan's Smokehouse?

Season 6, Episode 6 of Restaurant: Impossible, first aired May 26, 2013. The episode is titled “In the Pits”.

Did the makeover last at Bryan's Smokehouse?

The episode first aired May 26, 2013. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 13 years later —: As of September 2026, Bryan's Smokehouse has closed — confirmed via kfox95.com, October 20, 2022.

Is Bryan's Smokehouse still using the Restaurant: Impossible menu or branding?

Filming took place over two days in March 2013, during which Irvine's crew reworked the restaurant's kitchen operations, menu and dining room in the show's standard format, and a public relaunch event was held before the episode aired. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
609 S Timberland Drive, Lufkin, TX 75901
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

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Sources

  • kfox95.com — https://kfox95.com/restaurant-impossible-lufkin-texas-bbq/
  • lufkindailynews.com — https://lufkindailynews.com/business/new-owners-acquiring-bryans-smokehouse-barbecue/article_49559a64-9bfa-11e3-9e68-001a4bcf887a.html
  • Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/bryans-smokehouse-bar-b-q-and-catering-lufkin

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