Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Capello.
Hi Mike, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hello, my name is Henry Michael Capello, but I go by Mike and here’s a quick summary of my journey that lead me to owning Chisholm Trail Bar B.-Q.
I was born and raised in Lockhart Texas and came from a very poor part of town. Up until the age of 10 I was raised in tank town, which if you were from here, you’d know that that was where most of the minorities lived back in the 70s and early 80s. My parents were from very humble backgrounds and did everything that they could to raise me and my sister. They wanted to give us the best chance at a good life as they possibly could. At the age of 10 we relocated from tank town to a home right down the street from the only high school in Lockhart, which was a big move. My greatest memory from that was how the person who lived across the street tried to buy the property once they heard my parents were Hispanic. I learned at a very early age what racism was all about. He actually happened to be the mayor of Lockhart at the time. I graduated in 1985 from Lockhart high school but all through my high school years I would work at a barbecue restaurant in Luling Texas called City Market Barbecue. My father Henry helped open this barbecue restaurant in the early 60s and since then my uncles and cousins have all worked in the barbecue business at City Market in Luling Texas. This is where I would learn a lot of of my Pit Master and early business skills without knowing how it would play a big role in my life later on. After I graduated and decided I wanted to do something for myself I set off into a career in music. I was blessed enough to join a company based out of St. Petersburg, Florida called Young American Showcase. I tried out as a singer and made the band in 1988. I traveled the country with this band for two years and went across America hitting 38 states. This company was based on Christian values, and we would go to high schools all across America promoting a focus against drugs and alcohol. In addition to a nighttime concert, which would give me the opportunity to spread the word about my relationship with Jesus Christ. So for two years, I was able to bear witness an effort to touch as many young people as I possibly could. In 1990 I decided not to rejoin the company/ band and started looking for the next phase of my life.
Because of my teenage years working in the barbecue business and having somewhat of a good experience at customer service, I decided to seek out an opportunity with Sonic, America’s drive-in. It turned out to be an excellent move for myself as I rapidly advanced within that company. After adjoining Sonic for six months, I was given an opportunity to take over the Lockhart Sonic Drive In. This was in 1991 and although extremely challenging because of a poorly run restaurant, I immediately made an impact that other people took notice of. Long story short I took the Lockhart Sonic Drive-in from a business that was almost going to shut down to a business that was thriving and over performing. Because of the success in Lockhart the ownership of that store decided to give me an opportunity to grow and build a second unit for myself, so in two years I was able to open a new Sonic Drive In in Luling Texas, which is still there and running today. Two years after that I went on to take over a third store in Austin, Texas. Needless to say, I showed that I had the ability to not only transition under performing stores and turn them around, but open new restaurants and sustain their growth and profits. Through the years I grew within the Sonic family and was blessed to hold a 25 year career which encompassed a lot of growth, including becoming a regional vice president over the entire golf coast region and then ultimately becoming a franchisee in the Houston Texas area holding a ownership of 43 Sonic drive-ins.
In 2015 I got a phone call from a friend in Lockhart Texas who wanted me to know that there was a rumor going around about a local barbecue joint that I had known and grown up with in Lockhart.
Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que is a staple within the Lockhart community and is considered one of the original barbecue restaurants that is still operating today. I was told it was 30 days away from shutting its doors because of a rampant amount of theft and mismanagement. The founder of Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que, Floyd Wilhelm was sick and the children that had helped him run the place had moved on. My buddy decided that someone needed to come in and take it off their hands and giving my background as a teenager with barbecue, he thought of me. So, In 2015 I traveled home to Lockhart from Houston Texas and was able to make a deal with the family and I purchased Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que on August 1, 2015. Since then I have own and operated Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que with my family, which remains a staple in the barbecue capital of Texas. As you might’ve imagined, and as we had hoped for… The business proved to be stable enough for me to finally retire from the Sonic business and dive completely into the barbecue business. Me, my wife and my four daughters all worked in Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que to turn it around and keep this restaurant from closing down. As I took over this restaurant, all of the memories of me working in barbecue as a teenager came to life and it was very simple for me to get in there and take over as a Pit Master, take over making the sausage, and waiting on customers. Since 2015 my four daughters have all gotten married and today three of my son-in-law‘s help run the business. Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Q was opened in 1978 by Floyd Wilhelm and was was founded on the main principal that affordability was key. This restaurant became known as where the locals eat… Floyd and his family ran this restaurant until the day that they couldn’t. Floyd ended up sick and had to trust people to continue with his legacy only to find themselves in a situation where they had to sell. One thing that was important for me in buying this restaurant was to keep with the tradition of being affordable and to continue with the quality and service that Floyd and his family had begun. As a promise to the family when I purchased this location, we kept as many employees as we possibly could, which I still have 10 original employees today , as well as not change any of the recipes with any of the food items. We serve eight meats and 18 sides and I’m proud to say that since 2015 our business has had positive sales and profit growth each and every month for the last 10 years. We are proud to own Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Q and as the CEO and owner I am happy and excited about what the future holds. We have continued to grow our business by adding the shipping and catering services now managed by my daughter Brianna and have created a following on social media that is very loyal. Barbecue in Lockhart, Texas has definitely changed over the last few years. Others have come into town to join in a fast growing smokey small town in Texas and for the most part everybody does well. With that being said in 2025, I am confident when saying we at Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Q continue to offer the best value with the best product and we’ll always do our best to remain a staple in the barbecue capital of Texas. Nothing more remains as important as we are where the locals eat.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Well, as some people might know, operating a restaurant is very difficult job to do. For me, it has always been a passion of mine so dealing with the struggles of owning an operating a restaurant , and this one in particular , hasn’t seemed like things were that tough even when they were.
Some of the struggles that we have dealt with over the years have been the constant turnover that comes along with running a restaurant. In addition to that the prices ever changing due to inflation and some external factors that are out of our control. But all in all, we know the consistency is one of the secrets to our success, and we understand that continued sacrifice always helps us weather the storm. My entire family has paid a price to make Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Q a continued staple in the barbecue capital of Texas. The last thing that I’ll mention concerning this topic is, there have been struggles along the way, but our attitudes towards having a challenge is to get out in front of it, to stay positive, and identify a solution that allows us to continue the direction in which we want to go. As long as we embrace these challenges, day-to-day and not allow them to build up, we recognize that that will be the answer for us to continue in a positive way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Lockhart Chisholm Trail Bar B Q
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
For me and the measurements of risk taking, I think that everybody in business has to say yes to this question… I don’t believe that you can get ahead in life or in business without taking risks. Personally after being involved in the Sonic Drive In franchise and serving in several different capacities within that brand for 25 years I took the biggest risk of my life in leaving that comfortable position as a franchisee with around 1000 employees and six supervisors that ran those 43 stores. I left all of that to buy and to manage Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que in Lockhart Texas. It takes a lot to put yourself in a position where you become uncomfortable after all of those years. Quite honestly, for the first two years, it might’ve been the most stressful time in my life. Not only did I have to move from Houston, Texas back to Lockhart, Texas by myself with my family remaining in Houston, but I had to go back to work. Prior to this risk I was behind a desk and had a well balanced life. I had to put on the boots, put on the apron and literally work from open to close to ensure that my investment was going to succeed. Not only that, but solidify a certain income level that wouldn’t put me at risk from losing all of the assets and things that I had come to feel normal in my life , as well as my family. The risk had a reward, and by the grace of God, my hard work, sweat and tears, and now the commitment from my son-in-law‘s (who run the business today) we made this work! I know that there are a lot of stories where risk ends up in failure, but in this one instance, I can honestly tell you this risk was the best decision I ever made in my entire life and today my entire family reap the rewards.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Lockhartchisholmtrailbbq.com
- Instagram: chisholmtrailbarbq
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/lockhartchisholmtrailbbq
