Tim Hilbert may not have actually invented Texas BBQ but he was the first to put it in Beijing, and when you are there for an extended trip you don’t care about the difference. For those of you traveling to Beijing for the Olympics or corresponding with friends or family who are there, this is a must-have survival resource.

I first met Tim last January when I was in Beijing with a client and I literally stumbled across his restaurant. I always love to eat the local culture’s food in whatever country I find myself, but I spent about a month in China over a six month period and those long trips left me really wanting something from home.

I was circling the block around my hotel in the cold of January (Beijing’s weather is about like Chicago’s at that time of year) and I was just passing Silk Road, a giant multi-story indoor market that has to be experienced in order to be believed. I noticed a giant Texas longhorn symbol and gravitated to it like it was an oasis in the desert. When I walked in, I was greeted with a huge warm welcome by local Chinese college-age wait staff wearing shirts made out of our Texas flag design. In broken English but with Texas enthusiasm they exclaim, “Howdy pardner, you wanna margarita?”

I was home.

The place is decked out just like any Texas BBQ stop you may ever see. Tim is a Texan who spent 16 years as an ex-pat employee, and when given the notice to go home decided he would bring home to Beijing. He traveled Texas and photographed over two dozen authentic BBQ restaurants. He hired a special chef, selected special suppliers, had butchers cut the meat to fit the recipes, etc. And he cut no corners on the atmosphere. The wood plank walls, memorabilia from every major university in Texas and all the pro sports teams instantly help transport you out of Beijing.

My client and I made the stop a couple of times during our trip. We met up with Tim at an all night sports bar at 5:30 local time on a Monday morning so we could watch the NY Giants play the Dallas Cowboys on satellite TV. There are compromising photos of me drinking beer at 5:30 a.m., but if you are a Cowboy fan and you remember that game you understand why beer was essential regardless of the time. Besides, it was late in the day back in Texas!

So if you find yourself in Beijing and hungry for something a little closer to home, I highly recommend Tim’s Texas BBQ. He has since opened a second location and both are shown on a map on his website, www.timsbbq.com.

Thanks, Tim for staying in Beijing so the rest of us can have a little Texas while we are there!

Chinadaily.com.cn/citylife/2007-08/06/content_6012128.htm

CITYLIFE / Eating Out

Cowtown Chowdown

Updated: 2007-08-06 09:51

sourcename="æœ¬åœ°æ–‡ä»¶" sourcedescription="ç¼–è¾‘æä¾›çš„æœ¬åœ°æ–‡ä»¶" border=0 title="" md5="" v:shapes="_x0035_10565">It seems Americans always like to have more: more fun, more excitement, more food and more atmosphere. So it makes perfect sense that Tim Hilbert of Tim's Texas BBQ fame should open another venue to keep expat Yanks entertained.

Decor wise there are more stirrups, saddles and cowboy hats, plus big screen TVs for sports. The Cuban bartender makes cocktails so good they (along with the live music on weekend nights) are alone worth the trip.

The menu has all the Tex-Mex faves, like quesadillas (RMB35), which come with some of the best pickles in town. The cheeseburger (RMB45) was a good old cheeseburger, and the massive burrito plate (RMB55) held its own against it, just as we'd expected. The place really has something for everyone, including veggie burgers (RMB45) for those of us strong enough to resist the beef.

Location: 27 Super Bar Street, Chaoyang District
Tel: 010-6461-1141

http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/2008_summer_olympics_blog/archives/2008/07/barbecue-meets-beijing.html

Summer Olympics Blog

July 29, 2008 1:34 PM

Barbecue Meets Beijing

They never ask about the A&M helmet on the wall. They never talk about the University of Texas national championship banner, or the horns hanging up near the bar. They never mention the photo of Tom Landry, or the light-up Texaco sign above the stairs.

No, there's only one thing any Beijinger ever asks when they walk into Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q in downtown Beijing.

"George Bush and cowboys, that's how they pair it," said Tim Hilbert, a Seguin, Texas, native and the owner of the self-named restaurant, which opened about 18 months ago.

Still, Hilbert said that he doesn't mind associating himself with that state of such mythical proportions, at least to the Chinese. It's certainly a strange time to be an American abroad, and even a stranger one to be from the current President's home state and operating a restaurant that's a tribute to that state, but Hilbert's said he's not afraid to hide his roots.

Take the wait staff at Tim's. John -- pictured above -- wears a Texas state flag shirt, an oversized belt buckle and cowboy boots each day at work. Other employees greet customers with a Mandarin-tinged "Howdy." They've even been taught to engage the customers in conversation and to provide frequent drink refills - both rarities in Beijing.

For the many Chinese customers, Hilbert -- pictured at left -- thinks of his restaurant as an ambassador, an informal introduction to Texas and the West. He wants to make sure that he's leaving a positive impression, no matter what barbecue first-timers might have heard about Texas before.

Setting up an authentic place wasn't easy. Two years ago, Hilbert was all set to return to Texas. He'd been working as an executive at a global IT firm for a dozen years in Australia, China and Singapore. He'd enjoyed his three years in Beijing, but he wanted to return home to be closer to his three daughters and his friends.

Some 48 hours before his flight, Hilbert had a change of heart. He wasn't ready to leave Asia just yet, and he also didn't want to continue in the corporate world. He made a quick decision: he'd open a restaurant.

"Foods are the things I really miss about home," he said. He craved two in particular: barbecue and Tex-Mex.

But getting everything set up in a foreign country took some time. He decided to open a barbecue restaurant, but he didn't have any background in opening restaurants or cooking barbecue. So he took to the Internet and put an ad on Craigslist, hoping to find an American chef who was looking for some adventure. Tim Teal, a chef from Austin, Texas, caught his eye, and Hilbert had him fly out to Beijing. Together, they started using local ingredients to make barbecue rubs and sauces. They tested several Chinese woods for the giant barbecue oven that Hilbert had air mailed out to Beijing (apple and date wood, which are commonly used to make Beijing's famous Peking duck, were their favorites). They even went to work with their semi-English-speaking chefs, teaching them the secrets of good Texas barbecue.

But Hilbert still had one major problem: finding the right meat. The Chinese wouldn't allow him to ship in American beef, and he wasn't able to get Australian meat imported. So Hilbert and Teal located a Chinese supplier in the nearby province of Hebei.

Getting the perfect cut of meat was another matter. By his own admission, Hilbert only speaks "taxicab Mandarin," which meant that translators -- who'd neither eaten nor seen barbecue before -- had to come along to the factory.

That only caused more trouble. When Hilbert asked to see the supplier's cut of brisket and ribs, "they looked at me like I was from Mars." Apparently, some meats don't translate easily into Chinese.

Three trips to the factory later, the supplier still hadn't gotten the cut of brisket right. So Hilbert turned to a second company -- this one based in Inner Mongolia -- for his beef. They too couldn't get the meat right on their first two tries, so Hilbert requested that the company actually bring part of a cow to his restaurant. There, Teal sliced up the brisket to show them what they wanted.

When the supplier in Hebei came calling a week later, Hilbert told them that he'd already found another company for his meats. But behind his back, Hilbert's Chinese staffers handed the Hebei company an entire cut of the brisket to copy for the Americans. Finally, the supplier was able to slice the brisket correctly, and to this day, Hilbert still uses Hebei cows for all of his meats.

The food at Tim's is -- at least in your correspondent's humble opinion -- pretty impressive. (Full disclosure for the BBQ lovers out there: I'm partial to Kansas City barbecue, especially Arthur Bryant's.) I'm not barbecue savvy enough to fully analyze the effects of the date wood instead of hickory on the meat, but I do know that the brisket was easy to slice through (of note: Tim's is one of the few restaurants in town that has Western utensils; I can't imagine taking chopsticks to brisket). I didn't leave anything but bone on the pork ribs. The sauce tasted just as good as it does in the Midwest. All of those are good signs.

One thing on the menu which I didn't try: Tim's offers a chopped beef sandwich that's steamed inside of a dumpling. The Chinese word for it is baozi, and Hilbert's willing to bet that it's the only one like it in the city. He said that he's been reluctant to fully incorporate other Chinese items into his barbecue, though. He's fond of the local food, particularly the duck, and he said that he does not want to offend residents by tossing their famous bird into his smoker and then topping it with barbecue sauce.

Hilbert said that he's very pleased with business so far. He also owns another restaurant in town, called Tim's Texas Roadhouse, which serves Tex-Mex. He's expecting both places to be packed during these Olympics Games.

He's also thrilled to be catering a major event on Aug. 8, the day of the Opening Ceremonies. That day, the new U.S. Embassy will open in town, and they've requested Tim's barbecue at the ribbon cutting. No, he admits, it probably doesn't hurt that President Bush, in town for the Games, will be attending the grand opening.

What might a real Texas cowboy - well, at least if you ask the Chinese - think of a Beijing barbecue joint? Hilbert's just hoping for a Presidential thumbs up.

"It should be one for the scrapbook," he said.

---

Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q
14 Dongdaqiao Lu (Silk Street No. 2), Chaoyang District, Beijing
朝阳区东大桥路14号贵友大厦正北200米
+86 010 6591 9161

http://www.chinalawblog.com/2007/05/china_business_tips_yee_ha.html

China Business Tips, Yee Ha

Posted by Dan on May 26, 2007 at 11:55 PM

Discussion: Comments (16) : TrackBacks (0) : Linking Blogs : Add to del.icio.us

Just read a story in the Austin (Texas) Statesman, entitled, "Texan fired up for barbecue in China: Former Austinite creates Texas haven in downtown Beijing." The story is on Tim Hilbert, who, at 48 years old, went from a career in the software industry to open Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q restaurant in downtown Beijing last summer. I liked the story because by focusing on how this restaurant became profitable so quickly, it contains a slew of good tips for SMEs seeking to do business in China.

I gleaned the following from the story, with my comments in italics:

"I thought there was room for a Texas barbecue because there was nothing like it here," he [Hilbert] said as he sipped an iced tea at his restaurant "The U.S. market is completely saturated. Over here, there are niches that are readily obvious and where there's a lack of competition." There are definitely such niches in China and foreigners are oftentimes best able to spot and exploit them.
"China's growing foreign population also contributes to profits." China's ex-pats are a wealthy consumer sub-group and fellow ex-pats are oftentimes the best equipped to serve them.
"To teach his Chinese chefs to make beef brisket and pork ribs, he [Hilbert] . . . eventually hired Austin chef Tim Teal to spend three months in Beijing training the staff. Training a Chinese staff in Western business takes time and money.
"One chief concern among foreign companies is that while Chinese laws treat foreign and Chinese companies equally, in practice, Chinese officials often hold foreign companies to higher standards." Most of China's business laws facially treat foreigners and Chinese equally. In practice, however, the Chinese authorities are far more demanding of foreigners (particularly Westerners) when it comes to compliance. If you take away anything from this story, take away that you as a foreigner must abide by Chinese law, even if it seems your Chinese competitors do not.
Fuzzy regulations are also a problem for many foreign business owners. To open his private company last year, Hilbert had to make two trips to Texas to have credit reports certified by a state office and stamped by the Chinese consulate in Houston. The regulations for forming companies in China are actually fairly clear, but the authorities can be inconsistent in how they handle company registration and each city can also be different. It seems strange Mr. Hilbert had to make two trips to Texas to get the proper documents as we have never found this aspect of Chinese company formation terribly difficult.
Another problem is maintaining quality. Hilbert had to "train a local butcher on the cuts of meat he needed" and "local beverage distributors repeatedly have delivered fake bottles of alcohol." Companies doing business in China usually must both train their suppliers and remain ever vigilant of them.
"Once you open up a successful store, it starts getting copied by locals, and their costs are a whole lot less than Westerners, largely because of noncompliance with regulations that Western businesses feel compelled to comply with." Foreign businesses in China must seek to protect their intellectual property (IP) in China, particularly since domestic companies typically have lower cost structures. Your IP is oftentimes that which allows you to charge more.

Yee Ha.

See other posts in: China Business

Comments

Howdy Mr. Harris, and it is yet another great post!

One of our clients is in the Bar-B-Q business, and in our conversations I have mentioned it would be a wonderful idea to let the Lone Star flag display its beauty in the midst of Texas motifs and authentic country music right there in the heart of China. He concurred, but nothing came out of that conversation, partially I think because of the perceived difficulties of doing such a thing in China.

Now that the word is out, Mr. Hilburt needs to worry not only about competition from local Chinese but also his fellow Texans ready to make a move.

Posted by: Brad Luo | May 27, 2007 7:27 AM

Must say I'm a little irritated, as it is now past 1am here in Beijing and there is currently no way to satisfy the craving for Tim's beef brisket (and margaritas) this post has brought on.

Brad, as one of the fellow Texans you refer to, I can safely say that Tim has little to fear from competition. In my opinion he has already filled the niche that existed for this sort of restaurant. It may sound obvious, but one of the best routes to success for foreign enterprises in China is to find a niche market and then to absolutely fill the vacuum before competition moves in. By being first and having a quality product, Tim has left a huge barrier to imitation in his wake.

LGT Tim's listing: http://www.thatsbj.com/directory/venue/Tim%27s-Texas-BBQ-%28formerly-John-Bull-Pub%29/1816

Posted by: Benjamin | May 27, 2007 10:17 AM

I'm there. Enough of the Beijing duck - next time I'm in the city I'm havin' barbeque.

And speaking of unexploited niches, why hasn't anyone opened up a decent Mexican/Tex-Mex place anywhere in China? Here's some free IP for you: real Texan nachos are NOT made with Cool Ranch Doritos.

Posted by: Brandon | May 28, 2007 2:55 AM

Dan, here's another tip that can be gleaned from that story, though it requires some inside knowledge: be careful with whom you partner.

According to the article, Hilbert "co-owns [Tim's Texas BBQ] with another American..."

What the article doesn't mention – which is surprising to me - is that the other American is Frank Siegel. Frank opened the first non-hotel bar in Beijing (Frank’s Place, in 1989) and owned John Bull Pub for about ten years, until it was gutted to make way for Tim's Texas BBQ. You think he might know something about F&B in Beijing?

In fact, Frank's involvement guaranteed that Tim's Texas BBQ started with a well-trained wait staff (the old John Bull Pub staff), that Hilbert had someone with ample F&B experience from whom he could learn, and that there was a base clientele due to fans of Frank's previous places and of Frank himself.

To give one example, John Bull Pub had one of the city's best quiz nights (with Frank being the quiz-master) and that tradition continues at Tim's. To give another, I organized a Whiskey tasting, with buffet, at Tim's based on the strength of my relationship with Frank.

I seriously doubt if Tim's Texas BBQ would be so successful without Frank's involvement.

Cheers, BB

PS @ Brandon: If you want decent Mexican food, go to Tim's on Friday. More than a year ago, Frank encouraged a guy from Mexico City, who's making tortilla shells in Beijing, to set up a cart and make authetic quesadillas, tacos, and more. Good stuff...

You might also try Mexican kitchen - I haven't been, but have heard good things about it.

Posted by: boyce | May 28, 2007 9:40 AM

I liked the old John Bull and I'm a big fan of Tim's. "Authentic" Tex Mex flavor is tough, but continuing on the Texas theme for a moment, Pete's Lone Star Cafe is around the corner from Tim's. I'm not saying it's the best Mexican, but it's decent and it's a not a bad place for lunch. (Then again, I'm from New Hampshire, so what do I know about Tex-Mex?)

Posted by: Jeremiah | May 28, 2007 3:17 PM

Brad Luo --

I think it is the combo that is the killer. True Texan with a bit o' the Chinese experience. Still plenty of other cities in China.

Posted by: China Law Blog | May 28, 2007 4:16 PM

Benjamin --

Don't even talk to me about having a Bar-B-Que Jones. I have not had a lick of meat since my firm represented the supplier of meat to Jack in the Box back in the e.coli days 15 years ago. When people ask if I miss "a good steak," I always tell them that what I really miss is good Bar-B-Que. Let me tell you, there is NO veggie substitute. So what I am saying is do not look to me for sympathy.

Do you really not believe there isn't room for another one across town?

Posted by: China Law Blog | May 28, 2007 4:19 PM

Brandon --

We have a very large client out of Mexico in the food business looking very seriously at China ....

Posted by: China Law Blog | May 28, 2007 4:23 PM

boyce --

I think your tip is absolutely critical and I was actually wondering how someone could go into China without real on the ground assistance. Now I know. I have found (almost without exception) that the businesses that succeed in China (and I am basing this on our own clients) are invariably really knowledgeable in their own industry AND they do a good job in terms of finding the right people to help on the ground.

I thank ya'll kindly (that's Texas speak) for adding this fact.

Posted by: China Law Blog | May 28, 2007 4:25 PM

Jeremiah --

I spend my whole life fighting my 9 year old NOT to go to Mexican restaurants, I'll be damn if I'm going to eat in one in Beijing.

Posted by: China Law Blog | May 28, 2007 4:27 PM

Well, maybe there is room for one across town...because Tim is opening a Road House on Nurenjie near where the new US Embassy will be.

It's a shame to go through life not eating meat. I'd encourage you to find a local farmer and buy direct. You can go and see the pig/cow before purchase to check out the premises and make sure everything is up to par. Have the farmer recommend a local butcher, probably someone who cleans deer during hunting season, and check them out too.

Posted by: benjamin | May 28, 2007 7:06 PM

benjamin --

I actually stopped eating meat as an experiment during the e.coli furor, but I felt so much better without it that I have not had it since. I do not doubt that there are plenty of good butchers out there with very healthy meat. Conversely, there are plenty of tainted veggies and fish out there. So....

Posted by: China Law Blog | May 28, 2007 8:06 PM

Mr. Harris,

I agree w/ ya that there is more than one place to skin the cat, and BJ is just one spot. There is still the vast, meating-loving interior where I hail from. I doubt the timing is ripe yet, though.

"True Texan with a bit o' the Chinese experience"--I'm proud to call me a Texan, but mah folks around me might argue with ye on that. But that don't matter! Because as they say here in Texas--"Not born here, but got here as fast as I could..."

Posted by: Brad Luo | May 29, 2007 9:19 AM

Some nice Texan girl once educated me on this point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y'all

Dan, you're clearly not from Texas. :-)

Posted by: David Yu | May 29, 2007 12:12 PM

Brad Luo --

My brother done gone and went to Texas right after graduating from college, just like darn near everyone from Michigan back then. He tells me the only folks in Texas who talk like they is from Texas is from Michigan.

Posted by: China Law Blog | May 29, 2007 6:23 PM

David Yu --

Amazingly enough, this is the second time I have been corrected on this and it is not only due to my not being from Texas, but also to the fact that I cannot spell to save my life, y'all.

Posted by: China Law Blog | May 29, 2007 6:25 PM

Top of Form

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http://www.seguingazette.com/story.lasso?ewcd=f8c722727d3bdcdc

The Gazette-Enterprise

Local’s Beijing barbecue gets some notice

By Ron Maloney
The Gazette-Enterprise

Published August 24, 2008

BEIJING — With the possible exceptions of Henry Kissinger and Yao Ming, probably no one has done more to further east-west relations than has Seguin native Tim Hilbert.

But Hilbert, owner of Tim’s Texas Bar-B-Q and Tim’s Texas Roadhouse in the capital of the world’s most populous country, has recently fed Kissinger and met Ming — and has been doing a barnstorming business during the Olympics that wind up this weekend.

“I’ve managed to get to eight events, and they have all been spectacular,” said the 1975 Seguin High School grad who two years ago decided to bring barbecue to China, where he had worked for three years for a major international IT firm. “We’re looking forward to the last couple days of the Olympics!”

But the restaurants — the tinned and rough-cut barbecue joint and now a roadhouse featuring Tex-Mex and barbecue along with the kind of dance hall entertainment locals here grew up with — have been very busy during the games with its Chinese clientele and with Westerners in town who sought a taste of home, Texas style.

“On Thursday, gold medalist Aaron Piersol from Austin came into the store, and NBC stopped by and put together a two-minute teaser which aired Friday night,” Hilbert said.

But in terms of stature, if not political gravitas, Hilbert’s biggest customer ever came in later that night.

“Yao Ming is perhaps the most famous person in the world, being instantly recognized by more than one billion Chinese as well as perhaps a billion other sports fans across the globe,” Hilbert said.

Since the Seguin Gazette Enterprise last visited with Hilbert on Dec. 3, 2006, he has moved his original store to larger digs and opened the Texas Roadhouse, which Hilbert promotes in the modest way many Texans will recognize — by plainly and simply stating the facts.

“When we opened, the Texas Roadhouse initially featured some of the best Tex-Mex food on this side of the Pacific,” Hilbert said. “We’ve now introduced barbecue to the menu, which also features live music.”

Think Hilbert’s boasting or maybe stretching things a little bit?

The U.S. State Department agreed with him, and it was Hilbert’s food that was featured when George W. Bush, his father, 41st U.S. President George H.W. Bush and former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger all enjoyed authentic Texas barbecue at the opening of the new U.S. Embassy.

“We were fortunate enough to be selected to cater the food and beverages for the Aug. 8 grand opening ceremony dedicated by George W. Bush,” Hilbert said. “It was fun, exciting and hard work to get set up for a job with such rigid security procedures.”

It wasn’t just the luminaries that got to enjoy Hilbert’s cooking.

“We also served breakfast tacos to the Secret Service detail who were working that event, Hilbert said.”

Who knows what the future holds for Hilbert in China. All signs now are he’s making a go of it in his second career in the far east.

“But I’m also looking forward to my next trip home to Seguin to visit family and friends who have given me the skills and persona which have contributed to my success here in China,” Hilbert said.

At least, unlike many expatriate Texans, Hilbert doesn’t have to wait until he gets home to get good barbecue.

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