BBQ Restaurants seem to go "down hill" when they open multiple locations?

Bamabuzzard · Jun 17, 2009

I've noticed that bbq restaurants that become "popular" then try to capitalize off of the popularity by opening multiple locations begin to lose their quality. Especially when they become "chain" restaurants. I understand it is a money thing and they try to make as much money as they can but I wished they'd begin to focus more on quality and keeping as close to the original as possible. It's very disappointing when someone recommends a place to eat that the original is in their hometown and another location of the same restaurant is near you and you try it and it sucks. Then you have a chance to eat at the original and you realize why they recommended it to you.

crd26a · Jun 17, 2009

Oklahoma Joe's in KC didn't. God bless them for opening the 2nd near me

andy_christy · Jun 17, 2009

Kinda like the BBQ from Interstate that I had in the Memphis airport. Not impressed at all. The original has to be better or it would have been gone years ago.

blues_n_cues · Jun 17, 2009

i think thats any business that franchises. no owner's blood,sweat,& tears that started it all there to make sure it's quality. just corporate greed.

Scraps · Jun 17, 2009

You might be able to dupicate the name really quickly but restaurants are all about people. If they do not put forth the same quality effort it will not matter. Eventually everything comes down to the people and the raw materials. What's nice is that if they get the feedback, care and change you can get it to work.

Bamabuzzard · Jun 17, 2009

I agree it's all about the materials and the people. One of the few BBQ joints that has successfully made the transition to multiple locations here in the Shreveport/Bossier City area is The Country Tavern. They opened up another place in Bossier City called Silver Star Smokehouse. But it is quite evident it's run by the same people because the menu is the EXACT same and the food tastes the EXACT same.

StayDown · Jun 17, 2009

Every little detail can be the exact same but if you do not have a pitmaster that has the passion that the owner (or original pitmaster) has, nothing else will matter. Someone at each location has to be passionate about BBQ and needs for that passion to shine through in the food.

Getting some 18 yeart old kid and teaching him how to get a fire going and throwing on meat just won't cut it.

Arlin_MacRae · Jun 17, 2009

I've wondered that, myself. Is it because strict recipe/quality guidelines aren't rigidly enforced, a la Mickey D's, or maybe they start tweaking things to reach more people and cook for the common man? Dunno, but it sure seems to be true.

Bamabuzzard · Jun 17, 2009

StayDown said:
Every little detail can be the exact same but if you do not have a pitmaster that has the passion that the owner (or original pitmaster) has, nothing else will matter. Someone at each location has to be passionate about BBQ and needs for that passion to shine through in the food.

Getting some 18 yeart old kid and teaching him how to get a fire going and throwing on meat just won't cut it.

Excellent point. If you don't love smoking meat it will definitely show at some point. Having good employees is hard to come by these days. For every "good one" you'll have to sift through 100 bad ones. Which by that time your product may have already been effected. I think that is why "family owned" or your "little man owned" places tend to the be best. They take great pride in what they're doing and most got started from a love of bbq'ing. Rather than a "love for money".

gotwood · Jun 17, 2009

the chief can only be at one battlefield at a time

StayDown · Jun 17, 2009

gotwood said:
the chief can only be at one battlefield at a time

which is why the chief needs to find others as passionate as him to lead the troops.

tjl1962 · Jun 17, 2009

Dinosaur BBQ

For anyone living in the NY area or travelling here.

This restaurant started as a biker bar in Syracuse and ended up serving excellent ribs. They now have three locations, and I've been to two; Syracuse and NYC. I cannot tell the difference between the two locations.

I'm damn glad I found this restaurant.
http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/

watertowerbbq · Jun 17, 2009

andy_christy said:
Kinda like the BBQ from Interstate that I had in the Memphis airport. Not impressed at all. The original has to be better or it would have been gone years ago.

I've eaten at that airport restaurant. It wasn't good.

BBQ Restaurants seem to go "down hill" when they open multiple locations?

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