Heritage Smokehouse has fallen so far behind on its bills that co-owner George Marsh wondered last week if he would be able to find anyone still willing to sell him meat.

Since he and his wife, Jenny Marsh, a pastry chef, opened their barbecue restaurant on York Road in 2021, the restaurant and its succulent barbecue, artisanal sausages and decadent cakes and pies have become foodie favorites and frequently named to “best of” lists in the city. Both Marshes have impressive culinary backgrounds; they met while working at the famed Maryland Club in Mount Vernon, and George later worked closely with James Beard Award-winning chef Spike Gjerde at his restaurants Woodberry Kitchen and Parts & Labor.

Yet, George Marsh said, “We’re three years in and we’ve not made any money.”

Things seemed to reach a breaking point last Wednesday. But before closing the business and risking losing his house, Marsh decided to ask for help.

“We Need Your Support” was the subject line of an email sent to customers. On Instagram and Facebook, below a special on ham hocks, he wrote that things were looking bleak. If the business were to survive, Marsh said, they would need to see tables full every night and as much takeout and catering as they could handle.

It wasn’t a post Marsh said he wanted to write. “I don’t think any chef wants to be giving an ultimatum for getting people in the door,” he said.

It was the talk of the local food world — the posts were shared widely on social media and on Reddit. Many criticized the eatery’s high prices. “BBQ shouldn’t be expensive, period,” one user wrote. Some suggested its location in Upper Govans was a problem. Other commenters and fellow business owners praised the eatery’s unique fare and expressed concern for its future.

Heritage’s troubles reflect some of the broader issues facing restaurants — and particularly meat-heavy concepts — at a time when food and other operating costs continue to creep upward. Wholesale beef prices have risen twice as much as retail values, according to the USDA Economic Research Service.

“Briskets are more expensive than they’ve ever been,” Marsh said. And those fatty slabs lose around 50% of their mass in the process of trimming and cooking.

Prices at Heritage have reflected the strains on the business. Since 2021, the all-meat Ron Swanson platter has shot up from $50 to $100, while a full rack of ribs has gone from $26 to $42.

“Inflation has decimated our profit margin,” said Blue Pit Barbecue and Whiskey Bar owner Cara Bruce. 2023 was the worst year ever for the decade-old Hampden restaurant. “Barbecue is a hard business because some people think it should be cheap, but because it’s so meat heavy, the food cost is very high,” she wrote in an email. “In all honesty, this is a scary time.”

“Restaurants are not ripping their customers off,” said Brian Smith, head of sales for Catonsville’s J.W. Treuth & Sons, which sells meat to Heritage Smokehouse and other eateries in the area. “If you go someplace where meat is cheap, that’s probably not someplace you want to eat.” Many restaurants that charge low prices for food can do so because they source inferior ingredients — lean or tougher meats from older animals, he said, or beef from abroad.

Smith said Marsh is “dealing with the challenges that come from buying a product that’s of higher quality,” noting that the restaurateur always “wants the best.” Even the briskets Marsh sources from Treuth are specially trimmed for Heritage. Bespoke meat comes with a cost, Smith said.

At the same time, many would-be diners have cut back on eating out, a development that’s strained restaurants. As one commenter wrote on Reddit: “For my family, it’s cooking at home. There’s been such a squeeze on our wallet from rising prices across all sectors.”

Still, the response to Marsh’s cry for help was instant: Customers filled Heritage almost immediately after Marsh posted. On Saturday evening, there were no empty seats at the bar by 5 p.m. The speakers buzzed with frenetic pop music as Marsh and his team sliced meat in the kitchen, looking up occasionally to the reassuring sight of a packed house.

“It’s saving us,” Marsh said Saturday with a smile. “We have almost no food left.”

And that’s as it should be, he said. Barbecue restaurants need to sell out to stay in business, or else precious beef is going to waste.

Customers last weekend included first-time visitors like Matt and Manuela Curtis. The parents of a 9-month-old and toddler were planning their first date night in more than a year when they came across Marsh’s post, which someone from the neighborhood had shared on Nextdoor.

“I know how hard it is to run a barbecue restaurant,” said Matt Curtis, who spent 15 years working in the hospitality industry. “Sometimes things are just not working in your favor.” (Curtis, who had the käsekrainer, coleslaw and mac and cheese, said the food ”was amazing.”)

The showing from customers blew Marsh away. “Last week was possibly our last week,” he said. “We did probably double our normal sales.”

But Monday, back at the empty restaurant, he was looking soberly at the challenges ahead. The restaurant is still deep in the red. “We’re behind on rent, taxes, bills, everything,” Marsh said.

Outside, he spritzed water on some glistening briskets resting on the giant metal smokers, feeding them wood for fuel. It’s an ancient technique for smoking meat — but how much longer will it last?