Best BBQ
Good Bull BBQ
HOME OF THE 12TH PLATE NEXT TO HOME OF THE 12TH MAN
The walls of Good Bull BBQ feature highlights of both Aggieland and Roy May’s life. To the left of the doors are pictures from former students, a framed football jersey and May’s Yell Leader uniform. To the right is a chalkboard wall featuring symbols of A&M and the military, as well personal drawings, all done by May himself. Leading to the back, Bonfire pots hang and the Last Corps Trip is printed on the wall.
May, Class of 2015 and former Yell Leader, is the general manager and pitmaster of Good Bull BBQ. What is now a brick and mortar location started as a catering service out of a kitchen and then expanded to a barbeque trailer before finding a permanent home on George Bush Drive.
May said he has always wanted to open a barbeque joint in College Station and this opportunity came about through connections he made during his time as a Yell Leader. After meeting with the board of directors for Good Bull, LLC, who had a similar vision, the business began.
The reception from the community has been phenomenal, May said, especially considering the original catering business was run out of a kitchen, with only May’s name and social media for marketing.
“We finally got everything put together where we’ve got the barbeque trailer set up,” May said. “We ran it a little bit last year in December, right before finals pretty much, and then Jan. 4 is when we hard launched the trailer and then all of a sudden it gave somebody a place where they could come and actually have Good Bull.”
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The restaurant features commonly offered barbeque items with May’s own twist. Thereare homemade cupcakes of the day, Maroon Kool-Aid, oil & vinegar slaw, white queso mac and cheese and different combinations of barbeque tacos May put together working on the barbeque trailer everyday.
“The Pig Mac came from me just dumping a bunch of mac and cheese in a tray then dumping some pulled pork on top of it and I took a bite and I was like, ‘Holy crap,’” May said. “The Yell Boy was something I came up with, initially I did it on the truck and it was a $10 dollar sandwich.
The philanthropy side of Good Bull BBQ comes through their partnership with the Brazos Valley Food Bank, with the motto of “Feed yourself. Feed the world. That’s Good Bull.” For every meal sold, they provide the funds for a meal to the food bank. For the upcoming holidays, they will be collecting hams that anyone can donate at the restaurant to then give to the food bank.
“It’s hard to see it when you’re in this town, especially when you’re only in this town for a short period of time and it’s only because you see the university, you see all the expansion, you see all the great things around town, but what people fail to see, there are starving people right here in the Brazos Valley, there are,” May said. “And for all the good that we do across the nation and around the world, I’m a firm believer you should start in your own backyard.”
May hopes for Good Bull BBQ to become a staple in the College Station community, a place that someone has to stop at for lunch or dinner while in Aggieland.
May hopes for Good Bull BBQ to become a staple in the College Station community, a
place that someone has to stop at for lunch or
dinner while in Aggieland.
Having just opened the physical location the Friday before the first home game, May said it
was awesome to be voted the Best of Aggieland for barbeque.
“The whole idea of this was to be able to provide barbeque that people love and if we could do that, then that meant we would be able to exist on a daily basis and be able to give back,” May said. “This was going to be our vessel for philanthropy. If you’ve got a good product, that means you can keep the light bulbs on. That gives me the opportunity to give back and I appreciate everybody’s vote.”
By Gracie Mock
Roy May, Class of 2015, blends A&M and barbeque for a greater purpose