Peter L. Scamardo II
Peter L. Scamardo II is a senior Texas reporter whose food coverage centers on the culture, business and everyday experience of barbecue and casual dining. He focuses on Texas barbecue joints, burger spots and fast-food chains, treating them as local institutions rather than just places to eat. His stories for Yahoo and regional outlets blend on-the-road tastings, news about openings and closures, and reporting on how legal fights, charity efforts and media attention shape the restaurant world. He is widely recognized as his outlet’s de facto barbecue reporter, and his work is regularly syndicated to Yahoo’s audience.
My quest for Texas barbecue
A recurring thread in Scamardo’s work is first-person reporting built around the search for standout barbecue. In one piece he chronicles his quest for San Antonio’s best dino rib at Pinkerton’s Barbecue, using the search for a single cut of meat to explore pit technique and the city’s evolving barbecue scene. In another, he describes waiting almost two hours in line for Texas barbecue and concludes that the beef tongue is the must-order item, folding queue culture, menu strategy and texture notes into a concise narrative. He tests limited offerings such as H‑E‑B’s True Texas BBQ dino ribs, asking bluntly whether a once‑a‑week item is “any good” and answering with detailed tasting notes and value judgment. His coverage stretches beyond state lines when the flavors demand it: after trying Texas barbecue with Australian influence, he writes that the experience might push him to visit Australia, using a single meal to connect Texas smoke traditions with international barbecue trends. He also tracks the movements of well-known barbecue names, reporting on an acclaimed New Mexico joint’s plans to return to Texas and explaining what that comeback means for fans and for competition in the Hill Country. Alongside these, he writes about storied spots like Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar‑B‑Q, explaining why he will always love what some call the “worst bar‑b‑q in Texas,” anchoring his verdict in personal history and sensory detail rather than hype.
Burger joints, fast food and chains
Scamardo’s beat extends from smokehouses to burger stands and national chains, with an emphasis on how these places earn loyalty and rankings. He has highlighted Texas’ top pizza joint and explained why it might confuse supermarket shoppers, using that story to show how a Detroit‑style pie found its way into a statewide “best” list. In his coverage of Texas’ No. 1 burger joint in a blink‑and‑you’ll‑miss‑it town, he pairs roadside detail with close attention to the menu and the feel of the dining room, underlining why the spot beats better‑known competitors. He taps into fast‑food culture and etiquette with a piece on Texas men proposing at Chick‑fil‑A, arguing bluntly against treating a chicken chain as a romantic backdrop and using reader‑friendly scenarios to frame the issue. He follows broader fast‑food shifts as well, reporting on White Castle finally breaking ground on its first Texas location after more than a century, laying out what the arrival of the slider chain means for existing burger players and for local diners. On social channels he joins debates about the No. 1 fast‑food burger in Texas and taste‑tests novelty items such as instant noodles marketed with Texas barbecue flavor, approaching mass‑market products with the same curiosity he brings to classic joints.
Business, law and pressure on restaurants
Beyond tasting and rankings, Scamardo reports on the financial and legal forces that shape where people can eat. He has covered a prolonged conflict between rival North Texas barbecue joints that ended in a subdued legal resolution, unpacking years of lawsuits, investment disputes and ownership questions around the Lockhart Smokehouse brand. In a piece on rising costs forcing a Texas restaurant and meat market to close, he traces how inflation and input prices erode margins for small operators, treating the closure as both a personal loss and a case study in industry pressure. His reporting on a massive data breach that put 45,000 healthcare records at risk shows his ability to handle non‑food business stories, explaining what happened and who is affected with the same direct style. He brings that lens to other community institutions, such as a Texas movie theater open for 76 years that is now at risk of shutting down for good, describing how economic headwinds threaten long‑standing venues. Together, these pieces show that he does not treat restaurants and gathering places as isolated stories; he tracks the contracts, costs and crises that decide whether they survive.
Barbecue, pop culture and community
Scamardo often situates food inside broader pop culture and community life, showing how barbecue and casual dining intersect with television, sports and charity. He has reported on Central Texas barbecue receiving star treatment in Food Network episodes, briefly sketching the pitmasters and explaining how national exposure reframes local spots. In his coverage of a Texas‑born barbecue empire raising more than $1,000 for children in need, he highlights how a brand uses its reach for philanthropy, focusing on the mechanics of the fundraiser and what it delivers rather than branding language. He writes about a “Ghostbusters” star visiting two San Antonio barbecue joints, blending celebrity appeal with concrete details on the restaurants that stand to benefit from the attention. His piece on Air Corgi drawing a massive crowd of Spurs fans leans into sports and mascot culture while still observing how events bring people into public spaces and food environments. In regional reporting he has chronicled the abrupt closure and future of a historic dance hall, and in video and social formats he spotlights places like Reese Bros Barbecue and new convenience concepts tied to supermarket chains, reinforcing his role as a guide to where people gather, eat and celebrate. Across these stories he treats barbecue and everyday food as threads that run through entertainment, charity and civic life, not just items on a menu.
4 more food journalists.
Al Culliton
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Alaina Chou
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Amadea Tanner
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Amanda Garrity
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