What Is Aaron Franklin’s Net Worth?
Aaron Franklin is a celebrity BBQ chef and restauranteur, as well as a television host and cookbook author who has a net worth of $4 million. He was born December 17, 1977, in Bryan, Texas.
His parents owned a BBQ stand in Bryan, and Franklin would often help at the stand when he was growing up.
He credits this experience as having started his interest in cooking.
While in high school, he realized he wanted to be a chef.
He is a passionate music aficionado, something he credits in part to hanging out around his grandparents’ record shop as a kid.
He played in a variety of rock bands after first moving to Austin in his twenties.
He is a fan of indie rock, including the group Dinosaur Jr, as well as jazz and country music.
Career
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Franklin’s career started in 2009 when he opened his restaurant in Austin, Texas: Franklin Barbecue.
Franklin and his wife Stacy had the idea for the business after hosting successful barbeques at their home.
After opening, the restaurant soon attracted both locals and tourists.
The restaurant is reported to prepare over 650k pounds of meat per year and to be open for 300 days of the year.
It sells out of brisket every day; its current record is to have sold out of brisket by 9:30 a.m.
The lines for the restaurant have gotten so large and festive that often a small tailgate scene erupts in the parking lot.
The restaurant achieved particular fame in 2012 when Anthony Bourdain featured it on his show, Bourdain: No Reservations.
BBQ with Franklin
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In 2015, Franklin launched a successful web series, BBQ with Franklin.
Franklin hosts the show and introduces viewers to the complexities of BBQ.
His series has since appeared on the PBS channel affiliate station, Creative TV.
Sara Robertson, KLRU’s Creative Director and Executive Producer of BBQ with Franklin, said in a statement: “BBQ with Franklin explores the counterculture of BBQ, where old school meets new school.”
He has also been a guest on the HBO show BBQ Pitmasters.
In 2014 President Barak Obama visited Franklin Barbeque and bought food for every patron in line.
Other celebrities, including Jimmy Kimmel and Gordon Ramsay, have also visited his restaurant.
In 2015, Franklin received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest.
He’s also won the Best Barbecue Joint award by Texas Monthly, and Bon Appetit magazine awarded Franklin Barbecue its Best Barbecue Joint in America award.
Despite receiving many offers to franchise his restaurant, Franklin has elected to keep things small in the way of a “ma and pa shop.” He has said that “selling out” would be one of his worst failures.
In 2018, he opened the first Loro restaurant in Austin. It was followed by Loro Dallas in 2021.
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In 2023, Franklin opened a New Orleans–style spot in Austin.
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Wife & Children
Aaron Franklin is married to Stacy Franklin, and the two have one child, Vivian Franklin.
Stacy Franklin manages the business side of Franklin’s Barbeque.
She is from Amarillo, Texas, and left college early to pursue her entrepreneurial ambitions.
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Net Worth
So, how much is Aaron Franklin worth? Franklin has four primary streams of income: his restaurants, his TV show about barbeque, the cookbooks he’s published, and a line of BBQ products, Franklin Barbeque Pits. Therefore, restauranteur Aaron Franklin has an estimated net worth of $4 million.
In 2015, Franklin said he was working ”probably around 70 to 80 hours a week” at his restaurant.
In addition, he also makes occasional appearances on television commercials, such as for Chase Bank or other similar one-off ventures.
He is the co-author of two books: Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto and Franklin Steak.
Combined, the books have sold over a million copies and been featured on the New York Times best-seller list.
Franklin also teaches on MasterClass his “low and slow” method for a one-time purchase of $90. ”I share the secrets I’ve learned along the way when it comes to smoking briskets and more,” Aaron revealed.
Franklin has appeared on The Daily Show, True Beef: From Pasture to Plate, BBQ Pitmasters, The Chef Show, and Live with Kelly and Ryan.
He sells merch on shop.franklinbbq.com.
In March 2024, Aaron partnered with British Airways to produce limited edition bottles of their Original BBQ sauce. “We can’t wait for customers to enjoy our limited edition bottles of Franklin Barbecue’s Original BBQ sauce,” said Calum Laming, British Airways’ CCO.
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I am Bulgarea Candin Stefan, and I founded FamousPeopleToday.com in 2018. I’m using my bachelor’s degree in economics and 9 years of experience in blogging to guide millions of people through the incredibly complex world of celebrity net worths.