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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


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Old 04-21-2015, 12:41 AM   #2671
Neil
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Are you going to be cooking at the BBQ, Blues, and Brews event in St. Joseph on May 16th?
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Old 04-21-2015, 07:45 PM   #2672
marubozo
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Quote:
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Are you going to be cooking at the BBQ, Blues, and Brews event in St. Joseph on May 16th?
Unfortunately, no. Already have a few big catering jobs that weekend. I will be at the niles brewfest this summer.
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Old 04-30-2015, 11:36 PM   #2673
Memphis Que
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Are you making any money? You had mentioned making a post on this topic awhile back, but I don't recall seeing anything else about it. While I certainly understand not wanting to post the details of your finances on the internet, I think a lot of folks, myself included, would like to know in general terms just how lucrative a BBQ restaurant of your size running at full capacity can be.

You say your margins are razor thin, but has all the blood, sweat, and tears been worth it from a financial standpoint? I realize that there is tremendous value in building something from nothing, being your own boss, contributing to the community, etc., but my question concerns the monetary side of the equation which, at the end of the day, is the most important factor unless you are just running the business for fun.

Many people who have dreamed of opening a BBQ restaurant are living vicariously through you. Because of your kindness and generosity in sharing the story of your experience, many have seen that their dream involves a lot of hard work and headaches. These types of things are a lot easier to take when you are making money than when you are just scraping by.

It appears that you have been as successful as you can be given the physical limits of your restaurant, and for that you should be applauded. You have accomplished what you set out to do, and many people can't say that. However, can you run a financially viable operation if you stay in the same location without somehow increasing your capacity? When margins are thin, you make money by volume, but your volume is limited.
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Old 05-14-2015, 02:32 PM   #2674
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Good question, and something I was eventually going to address. Of course, still waiting on taxes to get done so the details are still a bit up in the air as to actual profit margins and all of that.

But I can say this. I have been able to pull money out of the business and pay myself a little bit over the past year. It took a while to get to that point to be sure, and frankly, the money would have been better reinvested, but I've got bills to pay at home too.

As for the margins and volume issues, it's been getting better. Part of it is streamlining processes. Last year when we had an 80 ticket Saturday it was complete chaos and felt impossible to keep up. Now we can rock out 150 tickets in an afternoon while hardly breaking a sweat. Double the volume, same amount of staff, etc. And there's less waste now, better portion control, and all of that.

So, year two should be a lot better for margins since the first year was all learning and making adjustments. Now, most fixed costs can remain the same and pump up the volume.
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Old 05-14-2015, 03:33 PM   #2675
daninnewjersey
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Really glad you're doing so well. It's awesome to see.....
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Old 05-14-2015, 03:48 PM   #2676
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I love the story still! Glad that process and repeatability are simplifying your business!.
Thanks again for taking the time to include us all.
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Old 05-16-2015, 07:00 AM   #2677
crimsonaudio
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Never thought I'd get up this far from Memphis, but finally got to stop by and have some Q from the Prized Pig - it was spectacular. Everything was simply fantastic, better than anything I've found in Memphis. My buddy from KC felt the same way about his home town.

It also made me realize that the best guys out there are still way out of my league.

Congrats, marubozo - you knocked it out the park!
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Old 05-17-2015, 01:17 PM   #2678
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crimsonaudio View Post
Never thought I'd get up this far from Memphis, but finally got to stop by and have some Q from the Prized Pig - it was spectacular. Everything was simply fantastic, better than anything I've found in Memphis. My buddy from KC felt the same way about his home town.

It also made me realize that the best guys out there are still way out of my league.

Congrats, marubozo - you knocked it out the park!
Thanks. It was great to meet you guys the other day, and always a pleasure to meet other brethren.

Speaking of brethren, I got a chance to meet Triple T BBQ all the way from Minnesota yesterday. What great people. It was great getting to share some stories and talk shop.

Speaking of yesterday, we completely shattered the previous record. Granted, it helped having a 150 person catering order on top of everything else, but all the added work paid off. We had to have Shirley running for about 14 hours on top of everything else, but the amount of meat that went out of here yesterday was amazing.

Now that I've got a year plus of sales and trends I'm planning for 2016. Optimizations and upgrades for one, and making this little shack hit $1M in annual sales. Never in a million years would have thought that was even within the realm of possibility.

That being said, just two more hours to go and my weekend finally begins. I'm tired. Loving every minute of it, but rest is much needed. And hopefully a little vacation here soon too.
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Old 05-17-2015, 01:42 PM   #2679
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Thanks for keeping us posted Jeremy & congratulations on your continued success. This has been a great story.
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Old 05-17-2015, 02:21 PM   #2680
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I'm planning a day trip to see you in the next few weeks. I'm not sure when but it will happen.
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Old 05-18-2015, 12:38 PM   #2681
Riz58
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When will this thread be made a sticky? It is a great story, and serves as good advice and a model for those aspiring to do the same thing.
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Old 05-18-2015, 03:37 PM   #2682
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Congratulations and all the best of luck!!!!
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Old 05-18-2015, 06:15 PM   #2683
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Seriously happy for you and your continued success... even though it was a long, stressful road to get here. Been watch the thread for awhile and am excited to see you are in the black! Any restaurant business is tough, one that includes food that takes so much prep, passion, and time to prepare makes it all the more difficult.
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Old 05-18-2015, 10:15 PM   #2684
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On a recent roadtrip, I took a side trip to the Prized Pig in Niles Mi.
Wow was I impressed! Clean place, friendly staff, and the food was over the top good! I had the meat sampler and was able to take half of it home! It was well worth the additional hour drive that day!

As luck would have it, Jeremy was out back and I was able to briefly meet and praise the man.

Smoke on Brother.

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Old 05-18-2015, 11:09 PM   #2685
marubozo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beef View Post
On a recent roadtrip, I took a side trip to the Prized Pig in Niles Mi.
Wow was I impressed! Clean place, friendly staff, and the food was over the top good! I had the meat sampler and was able to take half of it home! It was well worth the additional hour drive that day!

As luck would have it, Jeremy was out back and I was able to briefly meet and praise the man.

Smoke on Brother.

Thanks, and great to meet you, even if briefly. You caught me after one of my emergency supply runs. I hate those, but you gotta do what you gotta do to keep things running!
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