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Barbecue and Bibles are on the menu at Baker’s Ribs in Weatherford.
Co-owners Brian and DeeAnna Krier’s restaurant on South Main Street hands out free Bibles and offers a prayer request box in an effort to share their Christian faith with their customers.
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“We’re just an extension of the church,” Brian Krier says. “We look at ourselves as a ministry.”
Brian Krier is the nephew of Baker’s Ribs founder Joe Duncan, and he worked in his uncle’s restaurant, then called Smokes BBQ, in Lake Worth as a teenager. Since Duncan opened the first Baker’s Ribs in 1988, the restaurant has expanded across Dallas-Fort Worth. In 2000, the Kriers opened their restaurant in Weatherford. By 2008, they were on the verge of bankruptcy because of the recession.
Throughout their struggles, the Kriers continued tithing to their church. They believe that focus on faith paid off when they were strapped with $250,000 in debt and their family members helped them pay it off.
“Being a restaurant owner teaches you commitment, which can also be applied to one’s relationship with God, because it’s important to remain faithful during times of struggle,” DeeAnna Krier says.
After the Kriers became more financially stable, Brian Krier says he had a dream from God to be a “fisher of men” and to utilize his restaurant to spread God’s word. The Kriers bought and placed free Bibles in the restaurant’s foyer and have kept them there since 2008.
“Every time I step into Baker’s Ribs and I see those Bibles, I know that this is a place that cares and is making a difference in our community,” says Debra Camp, the senior pastor at River of Faith Worship Center and long-time Baker’s Ribs customer.
The Kriers realize it’s uncommon to bring their religion into their place of business. But, DeeAnna Krier says Baker’s Ribs can serve as an unconventional church.
Employee Todd Burton says Baker’s Ribs is respectful of other spiritual beliefs. When Muslim customers come in, they use a separate knife and cutting board so their food doesn’t touch pork. The owners say they have employees who are atheist or belong to other faiths.
“[All our employees] are treated the same because Jesus would treat everybody the same,” DeeAnna Krier says. “He doesn’t judge and we don’t judge.”
But Brian Krier says he’s fueled by those who support their choice to bring Christianity into their restaurant.
“I feel full of joy whenever we get positive feedback,” Brian Krier says. “It warms my heart.”
A place for prayer
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In the past, one woman donated a set of Bibles, which they felt contributed to the “circle of giving” of the restaurant. Christian music fills the room, and local prayer groups use Baker’s Ribs in Weatherford as a meet-up spot.
Once, the Kriers received a testimonial where a customer was drawn to pick up a Bible even though she didn’t need one. Later, at a gas station, the customer gave the Baker’s Ribs Bible away to a woman who was crying because her house had burned down, and inside were all her belongings, including her Bible.
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Food and faith have long had a strong correlation in Christianity, tracing back to the symbol of communion and the story of the Last Supper. The Kriers encourage their customers and employees to treat their bodies like temples.
Burton, who has worked at Baker’s Ribs for 3 years, says he “can’t wait to cook for Jesus.”
“When I eat, I invite the Lord in and ask the Lord to bless our food,” he says.
People tend to take notice of how much Burton smiles and seems to enjoy his work.
Burton says DeeAnna Krier is a “spiritual cheerleader” and often prays with customers. The Kriers intended the restaurant to be a safe spiritual space.
“We don’t want to force [Bibles] on [customers],” Brian Krier says. “If they want it, it’s there.”
Finding faith in food
DeeAnna Krier says Baker’s Ribs “became a church” during the coronavirus pandemic.
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“During COVID-19, our staff needed each other more than ever,” she says. “We had to cling to each other and God. So, we prayed together and became a church to each other.”
The company also started donating food to Meals on Wheels every Wednesday during the pandemic. In November, they catered a fundraiser for the Children’s Advocacy Center. And during that event, the couple contracted COVID-19. DeeAnna Krier says she initially questioned why it was happening to them, but says she believed it was part of God’s purpose. They used their time in quarantine to worship more.
“Their love for the community and Christ makes them stand out,” Camp says. “You’re not just another person coming in to get a meal. You come in and you feel loved and their warmth.”