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As a small boy, Houma native Brandon Castle grew up with barbecue and Southern cuisine in his DNA.
“My dad was a good cook,” he said. “I was always in the kitchen with him. He’d do his thing, and I’d help however I could. I sort of soaked it all in as best I could.”
It’s only fitting that as an adult, Castle works hard to call himself Houma’s undisputed King of Wings.
A longtime food lover, Castle started B&B Wings in 2012 – a local eatery that the business’s owner said continues to grow, even in the midst of tough economic conditions.
The restaurant has two locations, one downtown at 7505 West Main St., and the other, larger spot is at 6489 W. Park Avenue at the old Dickey’s Barbecue Pit location.
Castle, who is partnered with longtime friends Ernest Nixon and Michael Crawford in the venture, said he’d put up his food against anyone’s. He thinks his spot is among the best that Houma has to offer – both in terms of food quality, but also in service and overall customer care.
“Everything is going good, man,” Castle said. “We’re so proud of where we are, and we think that we’re going to keep it going. We call ourselves the Kings of Wings, and we think that’s a true statement. A lot of love goes into what we do. We’re not happy unless the customer is happy. We take pride in taking care of the people we feed.”
For B&B, the journey has had quite a few ups and downs. Castle said that because of his love for cooking, he always knew he wanted his own restaurant. But he wasn’t sure it’d ever be a reality because of all of the moving parts that go into creating a business.
“I decided one day to take a chance,” Castle said. “I decided to keep chasing my dream. So I got with my cousin. His nickname is Black. He, too, comes from a cooking background, so we got rolling. That’s how it started. That’s where we got the name: B&B. Brandon and Black.”
The original B&B’s was on Houma’s Eastside, and it was operated out of a brutally small location.
“We wanted to move right away,” Castle said. Castle said shortly after he committed to making a move, the location Downtown opened up – a spot that B&B has operated out of for about two years.
Black has since gotten out of the business, but Nixon and Crawford have hopped aboard in his absence.
“Getting downtown was awesome for us,” Castle said. “But we still wanted something bigger – something that would let us welcome more people at once.” That’s where the spot on West Park came in.
Castle said he and his partners had been chasing that spot since Dickey’s went under, but hadn’t had luck getting in touch with the building’s owner until last summer.
Once contact was initiated, a deal was struck, and B&B had its new spot.
That’s the good news. The bad news was that the restaurant looked nothing like the partners envisioned, which took a lot of both time and money.
“It was old-fashioned,” Castle said. “It was meant to be a Western barbecue spot. We knew it would take renovations – big time. But we got in there, did what we needed to do, and made it work.”
So that brings us to the present – a time when B&B is competing with Houma’s chain eateries in a fight to stay afloat.
Castle said the down economy presents challenges because fewer people are eating out today than they were two years ago.
“It isn’t like it used to be,” Castle said. “People are careful with their money.”
But he said the biggest challenge B&B faces is the recent trend in discount deals, like the 4 for $4 deal that Wendy’s offers or Popeye’s $5 box, which, when in season, lets customers get two pieces of chicken, two sides and a biscuit for $5.
“We have to try and compete with that,” Castle said. “They have their $5 box. I have to do something to stay ahead and keep up.”
But the message that Castle said he always stresses is that B&B stands tall because of how truly local the business is.
Castle makes the eatery’s beloved barbecue sauce from scratch every day – spending countless hours in the week to make sure it’s perfect.
The chicken and other supplies are bought locally and are cooked fresh as they’re purchased.
Once inside the restaurant, workers greet you with a smile – often by name if you’re a repeat customer.
It’s the little things that people like most, according to Castle. Customers agree. Two tables asked on Friday afternoon said that B&B’s was their go-to spot.
“You just want to be treated right, you know?” Houma native Jim Welsh said. “They take care of you here. The food is fantastic. It’s an A+.”
“I’ve not had a bad trip,” Houma native Shaundrica Williams added. “It’s delicious.”
Hearing that makes Castle beam with excitement. From humble beginnings B&B has grown, and is now wellknown.
Where it goes from here? Castle thinks the sky is the limit.
“I want to get my sauce put in the store. People like it that much,” he said with a laugh. “We’re just going to keep on treating people right and trust that they’ll recognize it and come back. Every day, it’s a battle. We never thought we’d grow this big, but we’re so proud that we did. Every day, we just keep living that dream.”
‘We call ourselves the Kings of Wings, and we think that’s a true statement. A lot of love goes into what we do. We’re not happy unless the customer is happy.’
B&B Wings owner Brandon Castle wants everyone to know that his products are not ever anything besides made fresh daily. With two locations in Houma, B&B continues to compete with the chains.
