The Big Fundamental of Flavor: Davila’s BBQ to be available at Spurs games & more this year

The Big Fundamental of Flavor: Davila’s BBQ to be available at Spurs games & more this year Main Photo

29 Sep 2022


Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today

Cindy Aguirre

(Seguin) – NBA fans will now be leaving with a taste of Seguin every time they attend a San Antonio Spurs game at the AT&T Center.

Adrian Davila, of Davila’s BBQ, announced that the family-owned restaurant has been hand selected to be a “part of the culinary experience” at the AT&T Center for the upcoming 2022-2023 Spurs Season and during the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

He says it was the release of his cookbook “Cowboy Barbecue: Fire & Smoke from the Original Texas Vaqueros” and the relationships formed over the last couple of years with the dining services and concession companies under the Spurs Sports & Entertainment umbrella that has helped initiate this new partnership.

He says it was just a few months ago that the Spurs and its dining company, Levy, pitched the idea to the family. After a lot of required vetting, tasting and the stabilization of several moving parts, the deal was finally secured.

“The culinary experience at the AT&T Center/ Spurs Sports & Entertainment are focusing this year on community brands. So, they are having certain recognizable San Antonio brands do a nine game stint in the AT&T Center so people are going to get their turn to a nine game run there. I’m not sure which brands, but (they will be) local recognizable San Antonio brands. We were given the opportunity to do the whole season, all 49 games and all of the rodeo arena and a permanent stand for the season. It’s not a kiosk. It’s not a window. It’s a full-on concession operation,” said Davila.

While the local restaurant is known for its barbecue establishment on West Kingsbury Street, Davila says the menu for the upcoming season has been purposely developed with the hungry fan in mind.

He says the menu will include a South Texas favorite which is the corn in a cup. He says his version will include a smoky flavor with all the favorite toppings. The menu will also include Davila’s popular loaded barbecue Frito pie. He says, of course, the Spurs themselves will be well represented when they open up during the first pre-season home game scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 6.

“The brisket grilled cheese is still debatable. I’ve got to figure it out, but my nephew came up with a sandwich. He’s a big Spurs fan, Jacob. He said why don’t you name a sandwich, The Big Fundamental, like Tim Duncan. I’m like that’s really really cool. I’m putting that one together. It will probably have some of our sausage and brisket and it will be something big and tall like Tim. But getting to do something with Manu (Ginobili), they want an Argentina sauce sandwich for opening night with Manu’s induction so me being able to play around a little bit and that creative side, we will be able to do those things and it will always be centered around our brand, Davila’s BBQ and South Texas food,” said Davila.

Excited about this new venture for the family is Adrian’s father, Edward. Edward says this latest partnership with the NBA is not only a family milestone but one that he shares with all of Seguin.

“Of course, I was totally taken aback with it. I mean who wouldn’t want to be inside a professional sports venue? It’s definitely going to bring a lot of exposure to us and driving in some benefit. The main thing is getting all of that exposure. We are not going to get rich over there, but we will have a lot of exposure and not just for us but for Seguin and hopefully, it will bring people to Seguin, to our restaurant and to come look at our city and actually that is what I really really took in as soon as I heard that,” said Edward.

After being in business in Seguin since 1959, he says it’s wonderful to see that the Davila’s BBQ brand has come full circle and credits his son, Adrian, for bringing that notoriety to the family-owned operation – an operation that began with his father and original Pit Master Raul Davila. He says, this partnership with the San Antonio Spurs is just the beginning of another chapter for his family.

“Actually yesterday, I was driving home while coming from San Antonio (I thought) how I wished that he would have lived long enough to see Adrian do what he has done with TV and stuff. We are not on the highway; we are in a neighborhood and to be all of a sudden thrown into a national spotlight – Adrian has brought a lot of exposure to our business and really helped our business. We meet people who are on the highway that they will get off the highway because they’ve seen us on TV or they’ve heard about us and see us in the Wall Street Journal, the Texas Monthly and several Food Network shows so that really has brought us out to the open,” said Edward.

Meanwhile, things have continued to be quite exciting for Adrian. If he wasn’t busy finalizing the deal with the AT&T Center for this food operation, then he was probably busy filming his latest TV appearance on Hulu’s new show, “Best in Dough.” Adrian last week appeared on the show’s third episode. Adrian says while the pizza-making contest took him out of his element, his success on the show inspired his own personal culinary talents even more.

The TV segment, which is still streaming on Hulu, had Davila dishing out fun and unique slices of pizza. Those signature pizza recipes were named corn in a cup and lamb barbecue.

This latest TV appearance and other news, including the rollout of new food trucks and a new upcoming book, are only the beginning of more exciting announcements from the Davila family. But perhaps the next best surprise is for Seguin itself, a surprise, the family, says the community will have to wait just a little while longer before it becomes official.

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