When you walk into Goldie’s Texas Style BBQ on Fourth Plain Blvd. in Vancouver, it seems you have been transported to a kinder, gentler – and definitely more Southern – place. The tantalizing odors of pulled pork, brisket, ribs, chili, pecan pie and peach cobbler assail you, leaving you wondering – is it possible to order one of everything?
Owner Charles Bibens has been serving BBQ and the fixin’s to Clark County residents for many years, the last seven of them from his current location. He said that when he and his wife moved here from Houston in 1979, they couldn’t find a restaurant that served the kind of BBQ they were used to – so they often cooked it at home. Visitors were impressed with the quality.
“My wife is a pretty good cook, and people told her ‘you could sell this!’” said Bibens. “So we started thinking and praying about it, and God opened some doors for us.”
At first, the Bibens sold BBQ from a food cart part-time on summer weekends. As business grew, they got a larger trailer and moved to a busier intersection. Several years later, they moved their operations into a Shell gas station. Then their current space became available.
“I was scared at first – we hadn’t had a lot of overhead up to that time,” Bibens said. “It was a step of faith … but it has worked out.”
Since then, the restaurant has expanded to include both sides of the building, and now employs multiple generations of Bibens’ family, including his sister-in-law, nephew and nieces, grandsons and granddaughters – and his wife, who won the Chili Cook-off at Esther Short Park two years running. She also makes a mean gumbo.
Bibens said his success centers around the quality of the food, the atmosphere and the people he has working for him.
“We all like people. We’re outgoing and engage with customers and make them feel at home,” said Bibens. “I like meeting people. When you like it, people know it’s genuine.”
Besides good food and service, Goldie’s also offers a unique ambience. When you walk in, you can’t help but notice the boxing memorabilia; Bibens was an amateur boxer in Houston in his youth. Knowing his passion for boxing, customers often give him items, such as the big pictures of Sugar Ray and Mohammed Ali displayed prominently. The restaurant also regularly shows pay-for-view UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fights, which Bibens said are “pretty popular.”
Another theme in the restaurant is support of first responders. One of Bibens’ sons is an officer with the Vancouver Police Department, and you can often find students from the nearby military training facility and Camp Bonneville having lunch or dinner. The walls sport many first-responder team patches and photos – the most recent addition is a shot of Gresham’s SWAT team with Bibens and their truck in front of the restaurant.
“We love the first responders, pray for them and want to do anything we can to help them,” said Bibens.
Although business has been good, it is not without its challenges. Perhaps the biggest one, Bibens said, is finding meat at a wholesale price. Since he’s just one restaurant – not a chain or a franchise – most suppliers do not offer a price break. As a result, he finds it difficult to compete on a price-basis with, for example, Appleby’s. He said that although he would like to serve local, grass-fed beef, he couldn’t pass the resulting cost on to his customers. But he’s always searching for solutions.
“I ask people what they do,” said Bibens, “and if they have anything to do with food, I try to talk to them about sourcing!”
Advertising, too, is expensive. Although the restaurant has been in its current location for seven years, Bibens said that the periodic moves have caused some customers to think he’s gone out of business.
“We still get people who come in and say ‘I didn’t know you were still around!’” said Bibens.
Those customers must not attend a lot of school events in the area, because if they did, they would see Goldie’s a lot. Bibens said his establishment supports many events at Union High School, as well as at Mountain View and Evergreen. Examples include selling sandwiches at dance competitions and school bazaars, sponsoring and fundraising for the rugby team and supporting Little League Baseball, football, basketball and bands.
In fact, Bibens recently purchased a mobile coffee shop, which he intends to overhaul and use at events. That is just one way in which Bibens hopes to grow his business. Eventually, he said, he’d like to open a franchise, or establish four or five food courts in areas such as Battle Ground, Portland and Salmon Creek.
“We’d cook all the food here, and they’d pick it up or we’d deliver it to them,” said Bibens. “There’s not a lot of overhead with that approach.”
He said that running a radio ad, and the recent opening of the Walmart nearby, has drawn more customers, but that fluctuating prices and continual expenses make it hard to save.
“We’ve got plans, but getting the funds is the problem,” said Bibens.
Whether growth comes slowly or more quickly, Bibens said the most important thing is to stay true to his beliefs while running the best restaurant he can.
“That’s my main thing – honoring God and helping my fellow man,” said Bibens. “I have to do what’s in my heart.”
Goldie’s Texas BBQ
15640 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd. Vancouver www.goldiesbbq.com
