One of Truth BBQ's first employees, at the Brenham location that opened in 2015, was full of promise but consumed by trouble, say pitmaster Leonard Botello IV and Abbie Byrom-Botello. This got in the way of great opportunities. They went to jail for several years. But following that stint, Truth BBQ was right there to pick the employee back up and get them on their feet again. After eight and a half years, they still work for the couple today.

“We have bailed people out of jail, bought cars, thrown baby showers, paid for dental work,” Byrom-Botello says. “We have people on staff [for whom] this is their family.”

Truth BBQ opened a second location in Houston, on the corner of Washington Avenue and Heights Boulevard, in 2019. Since then, it has made a name for itself as one of the best—if not the best—barbecue joints in the city. It made Texas Monthly’s prestigious Top 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas list. On any given weekend morning, you’ll find a long line at the door waiting for opening time.

Some fans of the restaurant might not know that Truth BBQ’s dedication runs deeper than just food—it spreads to its employees and the community. From day one, the Botellos have aimed to make Truth BBQ a safe haven for all who walk through its doors, and the couple is finally ready to share more about their helping hand.

“We’re the safest bet, we’re their employer,” Byrom-Botello says. “We’re where they spend the majority of their lives. We have become very attuned to what each one of our staff is going through—both good things and bad things, from every walk of life. We started to view ourselves as a safety net for them, and we want to be the first ones to help address anything.”

Botello says they use the restaurant to help people who want the opportunity to work. He wants Truth BBQ to always be a place where anyone will be given a chance and most likely a second chance, too. This ethos led them to hiring Jerry Hamilton, a formerly incarcerated restaurant worker who has strived to turn his life around and is now a beloved member of the Truth team.

“Some people have just gotten dealt a crappy hand,” Botello says. “Wrong place at the wrong time, and then that follows them the rest of their life.”

When the couple only had the Brenham location, they would drive whatever food was left at the end of the day to Austin each night. They were turned away from shelters several times when trying to donate cooked food because it wasn’t canned or packaged, so every Saturday and Sunday night, with portions in to-go containers, the two fed homeless individuals in East Austin off I-35.

The couple continued these efforts when they opened the Houston restaurant. Truth BBQ implemented an open-door policy for homeless people who find themselves hungry or needing a place to wash up. Byrom-Botello says the staff is aware of how to identify this. They will give the person two chopped beef sandwiches—both about a half a pound each—macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, and a 32-ounce drink.

Truth’s perfectly smoked brisket and ribs, as well as the creative sides they’ve come to be known for, have been key to the restaurant’s success. Byrom-Botello says she and her husband know that it’s their customers who have helped them get to where they are today, so the least they can do is give back.

“You don’t ignore the people that keep your lights on,” Byrom-Botello says. “With success means that you have a responsibility to take care of the community around you. I’m not saying that everybody should assume that we’re charitable, but that is our job as stewards of the community.”

Recently, the Botellos have taken their helping hand one step further thanks to the Beacon, a homeless services nonprofit organization based in Houston that offers various programs and initiatives to help individuals, such as homemade meals, mailbox privileges, a place to shower and do laundry, and civil legal aid.

The couple first connected with the Beacon last year, when a private dinner with Botello as the chef was one of the auction items at the nonprofit’s fundraiser. The Beacon’s mission hit Byrom-Botello hard: the people who go through the organization just want a chance at a normal life, she says. The couple ended up donating their food and labor fees from the private dinner back to the nonprofit, and asked how Truth BBQ could be of further assistance. This prompted an introduction to Hamilton, who had recently lost his job at Kraftsmen Bakery after its closure. Now best known to them as Mr. Jerry, he works for Truth as a busser.

Hamilton wasn’t given a job right away. The Truth managers interviewed him, and Byrom-Botello made sure to tell them to give him a fair chance. After the interview, her managers came back to her saying they couldn’t wait for him to join the team because of his charming, funny energy.

From the outside looking in, you can just take one look at the smile on Hamilton’s face and feel the happiness he radiates, and his answer for this energy is simply that he was given his second chance.

“It’s like a family here at Truth BBQ,” Hamilton says. “Truth has helped me evolve into a better man. I feel like I 100 percent have more work ethic.”

In 2019, Hamilton was released from prison on parole after serving 27 years. All he wanted was to rewrite his story from a path of alcohol, drug addiction, and aggravated robbery to one full of success and happiness. His parole officer told him to go to the Beacon, where he found the help to do just that. Hamilton was connected to variety of resources that allowed him to overcome the barriers to get back into the workforce, such as obtaining a correct birth certificate and state ID. Now, Hamilton not only has a safe place to work, but also a place to live.

“Mr. Jerry is a beacon of light,” Byrom-Botello says. “I think that if there was a stigma that could be removed from various things that people go through like addiction, homelessness, sobriety, there could be a whole lot more Mr. Jerrys out there. Our mission now has become that we’re really proud to grab a hold of some of those people that other people wouldn’t give a second look to.”

Hamilton says he’d be remiss if he didn’t acknowledge others that also helped him get to where he is today. Through the help of several agencies throughout Houston, such as Aspire to Win, an organization that helps men who have been incarcerated, and church, he’s finally back on his feet.

Hamilton says that every day is better than the one before—and if you ask why, he answers that it’s simply because he woke up to see another day.

“You have two hands, one to help yourself and one to help others,” Hamilton says. “I want my story to do that. It feels spectacular to be able to stand on two feet and to help myself and have the ability to help others.”