A new barbecue restaurant with a fun nod to James Bond has opened in Richardson: Called Secret Agent BBQ, it opened in December at 1980 Nantucket Dr. #103, off Campbell Road near the University of Texas at Dallas in a space that was previously home to Woody's BBQ, which closed in 2023.

Secret Agent BBQ started out as a food truck and will continue to make appearances at truck yards in Fort Worth and The Colony, at corporate occasions, and at city events, says owner Ian Fleming.

Yep, that's really his name. The food truck and restaurant nod to the iconic fictional secret agent James Bond, created by Fleming’s namesake.

“My father actually named me after the author,” Fleming says. “It just came to me — well, [it’s] about time you use a famous name for marketing. And so Secret Agent barbecue was born.”

Secret Agent BBQ serves slow-and-low smoked craft-style meats. The brisket macaroni and cheese is a fan favorite, Fleming says. Proteins include brisket, pulled pork, ribs, smoked chicken, and turkey breast. The sides menu features cheesy potatoes and green beans.

At the Richardson storefront, which is equipped with a 12-foot-long meat smoker, Fleming and his team serve meat by the pound; whereas the food truck is tailored to single-serve meals.

“We pride ourselves on a few things, [and] food quality is the most important — the food that comes out [...] has to be up to standard,” Fleming says.

Fleming, who learned to cook from his mother and has nurtured his cooking skills since childhood, entered the food service scene with catering and business events in 2021.

“What really got to me was the first time somebody ate something that I made, and you could tell that they really enjoyed it. It just kind of hit a spot in them,” Fleming says. “That is the motivator — for somebody to eat something I prepared and go, ‘Oh my goodness, that is amazing.’”

He retired from his corporate project management job and purchased the Black Cherry BBQ trailer, which he rebranded in 2022 as the Secret Agent BBQ.

Fleming, who has lived in Texas most of his life, has traveled from coast-to-coast and had a taste of the different regional barbecue flavors.

“Of course, I think Texas [barbecue] is the best,” he says, but he also appreciates the opportunity to learn from other cooks and pass on knowledge.

“I've gotten some great tips from people that just wanted to help,” Fleming says. “If I can learn something, great. But if I can teach somebody something that they didn't know, even better.

The Richardson brick and mortar is open for to-go lunch and dinner service Thursday through Saturday (or until sold out).