Would you want to own a BBQ joint?

Qbob, Welcome to roadfood. Nice post,I would be interested in stopping at your "Q" emporium and I'm sure many others here as well. Do you mind shareing the location of your joint? Chow Jim

Thanks Jimeats.

Sure, I'll share. My place is located in Riverview, FL which is a small town on the Alafia River, south of Tampa. I am located on Hwy 301, almost exactly 1 mile south of the intersection of 301 and Gibsonton/Boyette Rd. If in the area, stop by. I have a website at www.porkmeisters.com. It has a map.

BTW, we won "BEST BARBECUE IN THE SOUTHSHORE" for 2006. It's a local newspaper write-in contest in the area.

quote:

Originally posted by roadrash

I can think of easier ways to go broke, thanks!

great quote ! too funny (and accurate!!)

i am trying to open a bbq joint in virgina it is predomently seafood there but i believe from when i was there the sandwitch shops are more busy than the seafood place why??? people go to the familar place so why not good old bbq? if you have advice for me please responde to this note thanx have a great day

quote:

Originally posted by bbqbob

Thanks Jimeats.

Sure, I'll share. My place is located in Riverview, FL which is a small town on the Alafia River, south of Tampa. I am located on Hwy 301, almost exactly 1 mile south of the intersection of 301 and Gibsonton/Boyette Rd. If in the area, stop by. I have a website at www.porkmeisters.com. It has a map.

BTW, we won "BEST BARBECUE IN THE SOUTHSHORE" for 2006. It's a local newspaper write-in contest in the area.

Hey Bob, Have we met? This is what I get when trying to access your web site.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access / on this server.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apache/1.3.27 Server at www.porkmeisters.com Port 80

John

John-I got the same thing-but when i tried it on your response, I got right on....?!?!?

quote:

Originally posted by annpeeples

John-I got the same thing-but when i tried it on your response, I got right on....?!?!?

Tried again, same thing. Tried via my post and got in, this is weird. Any Guru's out tnere know how this can be?

That is a nice looking place Bob. Food looks great and it's certainly priced right, maybe a little too low to me but I'm sure you know what the market will bear.

Good Luck,

John

wow. i thought it was just me.

Well folks, I have no answer to the mystery. I can access my site from any number of locations and in a variety of ways and have never had that strange "Forbidden" message. On Saturday we were doing some maintenence to the site and maybe that just happened to be the time you tried to access it. Maybe that had something to do with it. If so, it ought to work fine now. That's a long shot, I know.

BTW to John A - thanks for the kind words.

Bob-

There is a period after the .com in your link. That's what's causing the forbidden message.

I gotta say I think your website and blog are very cool. I like your approach to the business.

Best,
Matt

Looks good 2 me.

Revisiting this topic, see earlier post, I think it would be easy to differentiate a BBQ joint in the Chicago area. Perhaps this is my amateur naivety. The strategy would be to offer an honest southern/Texan experience. Most BBQ in Chicago revolves around ribs covered in sweet sauce. If I can find any brisket, sausage, etc., it is disappointing because management always tries to short cut the cooking process. I would smoke the meats thoroughly as I find in Texas area. Offer a meat and side variety and sweet and savory BBQ sauces.

Mystery solved! Thanks Mattmilw! I had never tried my own reference in my own posting! And thank you Adjudicator too.

Has anyone read the story about Good BBQ= BBQ Joint, Bad BBQ= Stainless Steel Restaurant. That used to be on the BBQ Judges Chambers web site? I think the title was “Good BBQ comes from bad BBQ places” or something like that. His web page is gone now which is sad it was a good site. But that piece he wrote was great, I'd love to have a copy of it.
Jack@DrofBBQ.com

quote:

Originally posted by bbqbob

I currently have my own 'que joint. I've been operating Hog Wild Bar-B-Q in Riverview FL for about 3 years now. I was an engineer working in industrial automation and I got the chance to buy a small BBQ business near my home, so I took the plunge. I'd always dreamed of having my own place. Yes, it's a lot of hard work. And yes, at least for the first few years, you don't make much money. But for me it's a labor of love. I've read many of the postings in this topic and I can vouch for a few. First and most importantly, you must have good food. That goes for the meat as well as the sides. It is a necessary condition for success, but not a sufficient one. You also must run a place that appeals to your market, and understand what that market is. Understand the yearly sales cycle and prepare for it (there will be ups and downs - I think the downs can kill the inexperienced businessman). And here is something that I stand by: keep your menu small and simple and offer your customers limited choices. For instance, I offer only spare ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and sausage. No brisket, no turkey legs. I'm too small with limited pit space and limited warmer space. I have my "original" sauce and a hot BBQ sauce. I offer slaw, beans, potato salad and mac salad, and that's it. We have banana pudding for dessert. All are made fresh daily on the premises. Everything we serve is "top shelf". Keep it simple. Find what you do best and concentrate on that.

Good luck to those of you willing to make the plunge.

BTW, Hog Wild is a small trailer that never moves. It looks like a shack. Our kitchen is clean and our outside dining is tidy. We have flowering bougainvilleas and moss-hung oaks. We play blues and New Orleans jazz over our stereo.

quote:

Originally posted by bbqbob

I currently have my own 'que joint. I've been operating Hog Wild Bar-B-Q in Riverview FL for about 3 years now. I was an engineer working in industrial automation and I got the chance to buy a small BBQ business near my home, so I took the plunge. I'd always dreamed of having my own place. Yes, it's a lot of hard work. And yes, at least for the first few years, you don't make much money. But for me it's a labor of love. I've read many of the postings in this topic and I can vouch for a few. First and most importantly, you must have good food. That goes for the meat as well as the sides. It is a necessary condition for success, but not a sufficient one. You also must run a place that appeals to your market, and understand what that market is. Understand the yearly sales cycle and prepare for it (there will be ups and downs - I think the downs can kill the inexperienced businessman). And here is something that I stand by: keep your menu small and simple and offer your customers limited choices. For instance, I offer only spare ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and sausage. No brisket, no turkey legs. I'm too small with limited pit space and limited warmer space. I have my "original" sauce and a hot BBQ sauce. I offer slaw, beans, potato salad and mac salad, and that's it. We have banana pudding for dessert. All are made fresh daily on the premises. Everything we serve is "top shelf". Keep it simple. Find what you do best and concentrate on that.

Good luck to those of you willing to make the plunge.

BTW, Hog Wild is a small trailer that never moves. It looks like a shack. Our kitchen is clean and our outside dining is tidy. We have flowering bougainvilleas and moss-hung oaks. We play blues and New Orleans jazz over our stereo.

Yes, I want to own a bbq joint. I have been testing my skills, still need lots of work ! I would offer the highest quality meats SAMS CLUB. I will carry the best cobblers,potatoe salad, and baked beans. My wife makes a real spicy chicken pasta. Im so close I bought some property that has a commerical kitchen with a window. Im changing career's I think I could make some money ???? PS Im looking to have a special grill and smoker made. And I want to do TRIPE.

You are right up my alley...like the way you think!!! That's the way I would do my bbq place as well!!!!

Interesting thought.....my brother and I actually have a barbecue team as a hobby, and cook in a couple local small competitions each year...nothing sanctioned by the KCBS yet, however. I also do some occasional catering for family and friends.

If I had a joint, it would be traditional, serving the best meat and homemade sides I could come up with. The importance of good barbecue is first and foremost important, and here in St. Louis, people put too much emphasis on the sauce, which I think is secondary. Regardless, I'd have to have a decent sauce. One alternative to the sauce chase, though, is an approach I've seen in a place in Kansas City---they offer many different sauces, of the diner's choice, and feature one or two each month. It gets them out of worrying about the sauce, and allows them to feature local or regional makers of sauce only.

Bread is also important to me....one local place here in St. Louis serves garlic toast with their barbecue...not to my taste. Plain white bread, please.

I'll echo others' comments on the sides....they have to be top notch...I hate baked beans that are too goopy, or potato salad or slaw that is dripping in mayo, fries that are cold and tired, etc.

Any good joint also has to have a side dish or presentation that they are known for....think the fries at Arthur Bryants, cooked in lard (yum). Hushpuppies or stew at the NC joints like Stameys in Greensboro. The Rib and Fry plate at McClards in Arkansas. The beans at Jacks Stack in KC. The onion rings at Sonny Bryans in Dallas.

Also, offer cold beer and a decent homey dessert like cobbler.

quote:

Originally posted by jdbeck

You are right up my alley...like the way you think!!! That's the way I would do my bbq place as well!!!!

Interesting thought.....my brother and I actually have a barbecue team as a hobby, and cook in a couple local small competitions each year...nothing sanctioned by the KCBS yet, however. I also do some occasional catering for family and friends.

If I had a joint, it would be traditional, serving the best meat and homemade sides I could come up with. The importance of good barbecue is first and foremost important, and here in St. Louis, people put too much emphasis on the sauce, which I think is secondary. Regardless, I'd have to have a decent sauce. One alternative to the sauce chase, though, is an approach I've seen in a place in Kansas City---they offer many different sauces, of the diner's choice, and feature one or two each month. It gets them out of worrying about the sauce, and allows them to feature local or regional makers of sauce only.

Bread is also important to me....one local place here in St. Louis serves garlic toast with their barbecue...not to my taste. Plain white bread, please.

I'll echo others' comments on the sides....they have to be top notch...I hate baked beans that are too goopy, or potato salad or slaw that is dripping in mayo, fries that are cold and tired, etc.

Any good joint also has to have a side dish or presentation that they are known for....think the fries at Arthur Bryants, cooked in lard (yum). Hushpuppies or stew at the NC joints like Stameys in Greensboro. The Rib and Fry plate at McClards in Arkansas. The beans at Jacks Stack in KC. The onion rings at Sonny Bryans in Dallas.

Also, offer cold beer and a decent homey dessert like cobbler.

Sounds good to me. The way I solve the sauce problem is to offer only 2 sauces: my original, and a "hot" BBQ sauce. This is in keeping with my philosophy of limiting a customer's choices. My original is my own brew, and is by far the more popular of the two. The "hot" is just a commercial BBQ sauce (made locally) with a commercial hot pepper sauce added. (We used to offer only the original sauce and when a customer asked for "hot" we'd pass him a shaker bottle of Texas Pete's!)

And I agree, those lard-cooked fries at Bryant's are some of the best things on earth!

Yes and no......Let me explain. I have no desire to own or run a long term BBQ biz, but it is beginning to look like I will be involved in a short term project. At some point I need to get down to KY to sample lamb BBQ, and to learn how to make it. A local sheep group that I am a member of is looking at running a food booth at the Big E next fall. The Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield Mass is working hard at keeping some agricultural flavor in an increasingly urban setting, and they have been recruiting our group to man a food booth. If the leadership of our organization negotiates a deal, I have committed to giving a lot of time. It should be fun, especially because we will only be doing it for a few days. Any advice?