Craft butcher shops are re-entering the American scenery, popularized in New York City. Turns out there’s one right here in Waco! And it just so happens to be a dream come true for a father who imagined his children running a business some day.

If you eat meat and love good service, then it’s time to plan a visit to Torres Meat House – a meat market in Waco owned and operated by the Torres family.

We sat down with Elmer Torres to get the story.

What’s something that people might be surprised to learn about Torres Meat House?

Unlike most businesses that start with a passion and then turn into a business, we started the business and then developed the passion. This location has been here for over 40 years. 

My father bought the business, but he really didn’t know what he was going to do with it. Really it was about me and my brother. My father always tells us, “I got this place for y’all.” My brother and I are social people. We love seeing new faces and we love people, so it’s been really great for us to run Torres Meat House. 

How did you get started doing this business, then?

We started about four years ago back in 2014. Our butcher is the one who taught us everything we need to know about meat. He went to TSTC (Texas State Technical College) to become a butcher, and he has a really solid foundation.

Working with our butcher was like going to school. He was able to answer all of our questions about meat and meat preparation.

I think we actually have the best prices in Waco. Especially considering what we offer. 

What makes your service special?

We go out of our way to give good customer service. Several of our customers have told us they have a hard time getting their meat cut exactly the way they want at certain places. Not with us. We’ll cut it however our customers want it. 

We’ll even take meat out to their car if they aren’t able to come in. We always want to leave a good impression with our customers. 

Do you also work with other businesses, or just individual consumers?

There are a lot of restaurants in the area that shop with us on a regular basis. Sandwich shops, taco shops, burger places and more. 

We really focus on being friendly and solving problems for the customer!

What’s around the corner for you?

Now that summer is coming up, we put out a lot of our marinades and summer specials – the beef kabobs and other things. We’re even going to start doing seafood for the summertime. Another way we’re hoping to grow our customer base is by getting a food truck. We’d love to have a food truck to take down to Baylor University!

Do you offer other items besides raw meat?

Oh yeah! We sell jerky, prepared deli meats, smoked ham, and prepared sausages with cheese. And for people who don’t eat pork, we’ll make beef sausage and other beef products. 

Sometimes people come by and we don’t have exactly what they’re looking for. But we always make an effort to go and get it for them.

What do you love about Waco?

Waco is a great city! It’s really growing and I love the local business community. Also, Waco has such good people. We love our customers.

To get in contact with Torres Meat House or learn more about their products and pricing, visit their website. 

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(P.S. Using the free Towny app, you can “fave” Torres Meat House + get notifications every time a new deal is on. You’ll always be in the loop. The meaty loop. Messages are infrequent; we’re talking 2 texts a month or so. Other local businesses are on the app, too! And every time you shop at one, you’re saying yes to building up #wacotown, I locally-spent dollar at a time. Go you! Did we tell you about the FREE perks…!? Hop here, as you like.)