Austin, Texas Mega Do 2 - April 19 - 22, 2012

Do you mean that we 33 on the ice cream tour can’t cut in and join those of us getting there early? Is that part of the ethics? What about if the early arrivers hold a sign noting that 33 folks are coming along at 10:45 or so? The article mentions line holders for folks piling out of Suburbans. (A hopeful gaze up to whatever authority there may be.)

This is the link I could find: http://www.texasmonthly.com/2012-02-01/webextra6.php

I think if 33 folks tried to cut in line and join the 19 who are already there, a riot might break out.

My favorite portion of the article...

In the line, the finite quantities meant the mood sometimes grew tense. Aaron found himself talking people down from thirty pounds of meat. When one guy in line said, "I'm gonna start buying meat and selling in the parking lot," another customer within earshot warned, "Man, we will beat the sh!t out of you if you do something like that." Aaron explained later, "That's the line! It's like Mad Max out there."

Yes, that is the preview page that I posted earlier upthread. I think you have to subscribe online to be able to read the whole article there.

Anyway, for those who are part of the 33 to submit pre-orders to those holding places in line?!

Do so at your own risk, but if you are going to try this, get them to package it to go rather than skipping the line and trying to sit inside with them. Trust me when I say that 33 people arriving in a couple of vans is going to be noticed.

Wonder if we could convince Aaron Franklin to allow us access if arranged far (months) in advance? Especially if we pointed out how far some will have flown for the experience? It is a MegaDo after all, there should be some "exclusive" access...

“2 men enter; one man leaves!”

Could try that; or,

Can’t be any worse a phone call than Blue Bell’s was.

Not that they’d be concerned about not selling out on a Thursday except for us all being there.

I don't think I'm going to worry about trying to deal with this, since I will have plenty of other opportunities for BBQ that w/end!

Perhaps if we all dressed in black, wore fake earpieces, and talked into our shirt cuffs we could get by with it! We could keep you, Pa, in the center, and let everyone wonder who that Big Dog is with all the bodyguards.

Personally, I don't think Aaron is going to care how far anyone has come or even that it is a Mega Do, which he might have a hard time grasping the concept of in the first place.

"So, let me get this straight...you have 52 people flying in from all over the world just to come eat BBQ here? What do I tell the 52 people already in line at 9:30 AM? Sorry, we have some Mega Do folks that are going to be let in ahead of you? I will probably only see your 52 people occasionally. The 52 people that you're asking me to displace come two or three times a week or more."

ETA: I'm fine with running it by him and seeing what the possibilities are, but this isn't a conversation I'm going to have over the phone. I want to see his body language and see the whites of his eyes when he tells us to pound sand.

Tell him I’d be happy to meet him at whatever time in the morning, up until I have to meet you all for the start of the day’s activities, to help him set up for the day, for a place on line later.

Besides, it’s really only 33 people, cause 19 will already be on the line.

Heh, I don't think you guys have an appropriate appreciation for this line and its culture.

Actually, having lived in England for 3 years in the mid-70’s, I have a high appreciation for the rules of queuing. When I came back to NYC after, I was vociferous when short-stopping occurred in front of me, let alone straight line-cutters. Respecting the queue has become more the norm here now, and folks are very wary of infractions, for example, at the queue for the free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park in the summertime.

I’ve found the key is transparent information: if I’m in line and holding spots for friends, or line neighbors who have to leave for a little while, and I tell the people who join after me, I usually go for the next 20 people, that there’ll be x# people joining me later, there are no arguments when it goes down. Goes down easier if I explain that the people are out-of-towners who’ve never been before.

But that’s in NYC, not in Tejas.

Did a drive-by this morning at 10:10 AM to check out "the line". There were only 40 people in it fifty minutes before Franklin BBQ opens, so that is encouraging.

*This post was edited as I had the opening time wrong.

My hope is that we'll be ok because we're going on a Thursday rather than a weekend day.

If this holds true throughout the spring, I'm encouraged by it, but I still plan to have a conversation with Aaron and do a few more drive-bys to assess the situation the closer we get to April.

Well, I had a couple of hours to blow today, so I actually went to Franklin BBQ and stood in line. I arrived at 11:45 and found myself at the head of the line at 1:05. There were approximately 30 people behind me that also got to eat, despite the dreaded Sold Out sign going up at 12:40. They had run out of pulled pork by the time I ordered and there's no telling what the folks behind me had to choose from, but everyone who was in the line appeared to have been fed.

The brisket, as usual, was incredible. Aaron took out a brisket and unwrapped it and said, "This is the last whole brisket of the day." He sliced off the lean portion, turned the fat portion 90 degrees and sliced it in half and asked what part the two guys in front of me liked. They said they wanted a little of both and he held up the fat portion and I thought I was going to swoon. Unbelievably moist with a dark black outside crust and pink to red smoke ring. If we weren't both married, I might have proposed on the spot.

For those with an interest in the outcome, I was not able to come up with a suitable solution for us avoiding the line at Franklin BBQ this coming April 19th; however, I think we've laid the groundwork for a more positive outcome in 2014 for Austin Mega Do 3.

So, I will - again - urge any of the 19 who aren't going on the Amy's Ice Cream factory tour, but signed up to eat with us at Franklin BBQ on Thursday, April 19th to get there as early as possible.

However any of the other 32 of you choses to improve your odds, I don't want to know. As for me, I plan to just get in at the end of the line when I arrive there and leave my fortune to fate. There are worse things than having to eat at the Iron Works, after all.

Is it still possible to join the DO if I can find a way around my schedule?

Perhaps I'd be arriving a day later on the 20th..

Fair enough. Thanks for trying. And for the scoop on 2014!!!

Registration is still open for another week but almost everything is sold out. Head over to http://www.ausmegado.com for the details.

Thanks!

Wow, its so full... Good thing I don't drink beer..

Hello All, Sadly I need to cancel Austin. I have a work conflict that I can't excuse myself from. Please give my spot to some deserving nomad traveler, who is drooling for BBQ. I seem to remember that I may have prepaid for something. (I could be wrong.). If I did, offer it up for a raffle prize or Let someone use it. Enjoy yourselves. Bring lots of Rolaids.

I am out for the Franklins. For now I still have a yob that I can't leave 3 hours early for lunch. If it switches to iron works, then hopefully one of the attendees can poasty a note.