RUSTON, La. — A Ruston barbecue institution announced Thursday via social media that its doors will be closing in June.Brister’s Smokehouse and Barbecue, located at 1420 Cooktown Rd, posted on Facebook this week that the company will be closed for business effectively on Sunday, June 1, 2025.For nearly 11 years, Chris Brister has owned the local smokehouse after purchasing Dowling’s Smokehouse back in 2014 from Jeremy Telford, who currently runs the Chick-Fil-A in Ruston.Brister, who worked for Telford ...
RUSTON, La. — A Ruston barbecue institution announced Thursday via social media that its doors will be closing in June.
Brister’s Smokehouse and Barbecue, located at 1420 Cooktown Rd, posted on Facebook this week that the company will be closed for business effectively on Sunday, June 1, 2025.
For nearly 11 years, Chris Brister has owned the local smokehouse after purchasing Dowling’s Smokehouse back in 2014 from Jeremy Telford, who currently runs the Chick-Fil-A in Ruston.
Brister, who worked for Telford before purchasing the business, expressed his gratitude for the workers and customers who have spent so much time over the years at the smokehouse.
“One of the most meaningful parts of what we’ve done, and probably the hardest part about making the decision to stop serving barbecue in Ruston, has been being part of the lives of our employees, past and present, who have worked for us,” Brister said Thursday. “And then, the amount of relationships that we’ve had with customers, both local and from places like Dallas — it’s been a million different people and walks of life that have meant so much to us in that business.”
Formerly Dowling’s Smokehouse, Brister’s Barbecue began with a building located originally less than a mile south on Cooktown before the building was literally picked up and moved to its current spot.
“When we bought the business, we did not originally own the property,” Brister said. “We owned the building but not the land it sat on. And where it used to be is now (the entryway into) Hobby Lobby. We knew at some point the land was going to sell, so we began from day one to look for a piece of property to either build on or move the building to. And Dairy Queen bought the piece of property across the street with another acre for sale right next to it, and we bought that piece of property. And in early 2015, we began the process of physically picking our building up and attaching it to what is the restaurant today. We went from 35-40 seats to around 100 seats currently.”
The Bristers, thankfully, will still have roots in North Louisiana — Chris will be serving as an assistant vice president and head of commercial lending for WSB, which will open in Ruston in the upcoming weeks, while his wife Tori will run her own travel advisory business, Travelmation.
“We’re just so thankful,” Brister said in conclusion. “We’re thankful the Lord put us in the position to own the restaurant. And the business has been amazing for me and my family. We’re thankful for our employees and the great customers that we’ve had throughout the last 11 years.”