A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the location of this restaurant. It has been corrected. We apologize for the error.
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) -The owners of Fatso’s BBQ announced their restaurant is closing in a social media post on Facebook.
Last Saturday, Fatso’s Barbecue officially closed. Owner William Bowser says being a small business owner in today’s economy has taken a toll on his mental and physical health.
“Especially having barbecue meat, it’s so expensive. So you know it was just hard to save money here, save money there and we were basically just treading water for a long time,” Bowser said.
Bowser says for the last year, he tried to keep prices the same. But around October, with businesses really struggling, he raised them.
“We were basically just making money to buy more food to keep food in the bar, to keep food in the carryout, we weren’t making any money. We haven’t made any money in probably a year,” Bowser said.
Fatso’s began in April of 2021 on East Midlothian Boulevard. In October of 2021, they moved to their location in Austintown at a carryout station behind Chipper’s Sports Bar and Grill. Bowser said it was amazing to watch the business grow.
“For the people who know me, that know how we started, we started on the side of the road next to a tire shop with a loan from my father-in-law with the smoker. And that was it and we built it from there and I think we built a great culture, and I made so many friends along the way and have gotten so much support from the community,” Bowser said.
Bowser says looking back there are things he wished he had done differently.
“Leaving where we were on Midlothian originally might have not been the best move, but then again, when winter comes, what are you going to do then?” Bowser said.
Bowser says he doesn’t want to completely abandon the idea of barbecue, but closing is what’s best for now. At this time, he is unable to talk about the legal actions being taken