This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

emptyjrsSACRAMENTO-

J.R.’s Texas BBQ has been a Sacramento Valley staple for more than 25 years, but now the future of that restaurant is in question.

A few months ago, the BBQ joint was living high on the hog and the owners told FOX40 they were pulling in about $185,000 a month. In the fall though, they got some very bad news. The Campbell’s Soup Company announced they had plans to close their South Sacramento plant, putting hundreds of people out of work.

That plant is about a half-mile from J.R.’s Texas BBQ and the employees of that plant represented a huge percentage of his customers.

“When they announced the plant closing, my sales when down to $300 a day,” said owner Floyd “J.R.” Rothenberger.

In response, J.R. says he had no other choice but to lower his overhead and the first thing to go was half of his staff, because sales declined from $1.1 million a year to $600,000.

“When you’ve only got $300 a day coming in, you only need one person to serve a customer,” said Rothenberger.

That plant closing was only part of the problem according to J.R. He says the blame comes from a much bigger picture. He says he’s been “nickled and dimed” to death with fees and taxes by the city, county and state.

“Thirty thousand businesses have left Sacramento because no one is supporting the business people. How dumb are you? How dumb do you have to be and still breathe?” Rothenberger continued.

J.R. said the bills are backing up, but he’s still got a few more days to decide what his next move will be.

There are three restaurants in all and all three may close down unless business picks up dramatically in the next week or so. The 3 locations: 180 Otto Circle, Sacramento. 3445 El Camino Ave. and 232 Jibboom St., near I-5 and Richards Boulevard.