ball park number. racks of ribs per day?

boogiesnap

boogiesnap

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as i have NO idea, about how many racks of ribs does the average roadside, vendor, and restaurant sell per day?

dont need hard numbers, just looking to get a general idea.

thanks guys.

pondering starting a side business. some lunchtime roadside BBQ. but have really no clue at all what to expect or what others might see for volume.
 
Last year when i was roadside i cooked 9 racks a day (case). Sometimes had leftovers, usually sold out.
All depends on your area, traffic and food.
 
did you sell other stuff or just ribs?
i'm thinking of going ribs only to start.
 
There is a guy by me who does vending on Fridays and Saturdays. He does ribs, chicken, and soda only. It may be good to do one other thing besides ribs. Chicken is pretty easy. I'm not sure how many racks he goes through a day, but once he sells out he is done for the day. So maybe just start out with small amounts at first.

Patrick
 
My dad worked with a guy that retired and went back home to Alabama to start up his bbq business he left many years ago. He's been retired and back home for over a year. We stay in touch with him and the last time we spoke with him (a few weeks ago) he said when it comes to vending he keeps it simple. He said he started out with doing multiple type meats but has quickly learned his market. He said he eliminated the ribs and chicken and has simply gone with pulled pork sammiches two sides and a drink and he said he regularly runs out. He said ribs tend to be a more of an item that people order INSIDE a restaurant and isn't something you see many people get for to go orders. But it seems the main thing is to know your market.
 
boogiesnap said:
did you sell other stuff or just ribs?
i'm thinking of going ribs only to start.
Click to expand...

Ya, pork, brisket, chicken, tips and several other meats on different days.
You have to have a sammie to sell in my opinion for a lunch crowd.
 
I have a sweet spot in Connecticut in a Deli parking lot that we go up to a few times a year. I sell more roadside BBQ there than anywhere else. We will do about 250 meals a day and sell around 30-40 racks of ribs a day. We also do pulled pork, shirt steak or brisket, chicken roasted corn, BBQ smoked beans and other sides.

We have a good following of people up there and have been in the news a few times.

If it is a fresh spot I would only chance it with 6-9 racks. This is why I hate vending sometimes, because there is no way to guess what you will sell.
 
boogiesnap said:
as i have NO idea, about how many racks of ribs does the average roadside, vendor, and restaurant sell per day?

dont need hard numbers, just looking to get a general idea.

thanks guys.

pondering starting a side business. some lunchtime roadside BBQ. but have really no clue at all what to expect or what others might see for volume.
Click to expand...


We did 15 racks last saturday vending (there was someone giving out free hotdogs also) and sold out in about 5 hours, yesterday we did 19 racks of ribs and 6 butts at a noon to 4 pm chili fest ($5.00 all the chili you can eat) we ran out out of pulled pork at 2:30 and ran out of ribs at 4
 
We cant sell road side in my county, but , if I go to a market for the first time I never do more than 6 or so. Selling out that first day is good and saying sorry those go fast but still have some ..... (as long as its really good) is a good way to get em back.
 
A friend does it once a week and opens at 11:00 with a lineup and sells out by 12:30. He cooks 30 slabs. Now he spent a year building the business up to that level. Will also sell tips sometimes.

Only you know what you want to risk. Cook a case and see what happens.

And start with the local health dept, insurance and get all the necessary business licenses before starting. There can be some pretty heavy fines for operating without them.
 
Last edited:
We sell as follows, every other Saturday;
16 racks spares, 8 packages tips, 14 butts, 14 brisket, 40 pork steaks, 40 brats, 40 hot dogs, 12 chicken halves, beans, slaw, potato salad. Been at the same spot 5 years.
 
thanks everyone, i suppose i will need to just have at it!
pick a spot, get all permits and licenses, fill the cooker, and "i'll be here tomorrow" if i sell out.
 
jbrink01 said:
We sell as follows, every other Saturday;
16 racks spares, 8 packages tips, 14 butts, 14 brisket, 40 pork steaks, 40 brats, 40 hot dogs, 12 chicken halves, beans, slaw, potato salad. Been at the same spot 5 years.
Click to expand...

Holy smokes...that's half a farm!!!
 
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