The story of C&J Barbeque is an interesting one. In 1981 Chip and Jo Manning bought a convenience store down on Harvey Road near Highway 30. Chip's father had once owned a convenience store of his own. Chip sold gas, cigarettes, beer and soda and soon after opening, he put in a barbeque pit. When he first started, Chip was cooking an average of 20 pounds of meat a day. People started coming by for gas and a sandwich. The food started to get more and more popular. By 1997 Chip and Jo decided to get out of the convenience store business and converted the store to a deli style BBQ restaurant. In 2000, they won the Readers Choice Award for best BBQ in the Brazos Valley.