City Barbeque

What City Barbeque does

City Barbeque is a privately-held, fast-casual barbecue restaurant chain founded in 1999 by Rick Malir and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio. The company operates 66+ corporate-owned locations across 12 U.S. states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin), offering dine-in, carry-out, and delivery of slow-smoked barbecue meats and scratch-made sides. Its core production technology is a "smoker-to-table" methodology: each location runs three on-site smokers continuously (24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year) using local hickory wood, with competition-quality brisket smoked for up to 18 hours and carved to order. The menu features beef brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, St. Louis-cut ribs, bone-in chicken, and a proprietary Texas-style smoked sausage, complemented by housemade sides and five signature sauces (Original, Brush Fire, LowCo, Sweet City, Swine Wine).

The company generates revenue through multiple channels: in-restaurant dine-in and carry-out sales, online ordering via order.citybbq.com, a proprietary iOS/Android mobile app (built on Punchh), third-party delivery via DoorDash, and a dedicated catering operation offering staffed events, delivery and set-up, and self-service party packs for weddings, corporate events, and parties. A City Rewards loyalty program (1 point per $1 spent, 100 points = $5 reward) and a 20% fundraiser donation program for nonprofits support repeat traffic and community engagement. The customer base is broad and consumer-facing, with primary segments including individual/family consumers, event hosts and planners, business and corporate customers, and nonprofit/community organizations. The company holds no external institutional investors identified in the data beyond a 2016 Freeman Spogli investment, and is led by founder Rick Malir (President, CEO, and Co-Founder).

Name

City Barbeque

Legal name

City Barbeque and Catering

Website

https://citybbq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

City Barbeque is a privately-held fast-casual chain founded in 1999, operating 66+ corporate-owned locations across 12 U.S. states. It sells competition-quality, slow-smoked barbecue via dine-in, carry-out, delivery, mobile app, catering, and a City Rewards loyalty program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-Casual Barbecue Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

BBQ Sauce & Marinades Manufacturing (AFAKADAH)

Keywords

• Smoked barbecue restaurant
• Fast casual dining
• Event catering services
• Barbecue catering
• Pitmaster smoked meats

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dine-In and Carry-Out Sales: Revenue from individual customer purchases at restaurant locations for dine-in meals and carry-out orders. Includes meat by the pound, sandwiches, plates, and sides.
2. Catering Services: Full-service catering for events including staffed buffets, delivery and set-up, and party packs. They have been catering events for more than 25 years, serving weddings, corporate events, graduations, and parties.
3. Online and App Ordering: Direct online ordering through order.citybbq.com and mobile app for pickup and delivery, earning loyalty points for qualifying purchases.
4. DoorDash Third-Party Delivery: Catering delivery via DoorDash for customer convenience.
5. Gift Cards and Merchandise: Sale of gift cards and merchandise including signature sauces, with customers able to check gift card balances online.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

City Barbeque operates a fast-casual restaurant chain serving competition-quality, slow-smoked barbecue meats (brisket, pulled pork, ribs, turkey, sausage, chicken) prepared on on-site hickory smokers running 24/7, with housemade sides and signature sauces. The company sells these through dine-in, carry-out, and delivery at 66+ locations across 12 states, complemented by a mobile app, online ordering, full-service event catering, and a loyalty rewards program.

Product overview

City Barbeque operates as a barbecue restaurant chain and catering company offering competition-quality smoked meats. The core offering includes dine-in, carry-out, and delivery services across multiple locations, with an online ordering system and mobile app. The product portfolio centers on slow-smoked barbecue proteins (beef brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, sausage, chicken, and St. Louis ribs) complemented by housemade sides and five signature sauces. Additional offerings include Party Packs and Samplers for group dining, full-service event and wedding catering, a loyalty rewards program (City Rewards), and a mobile app for ordering. The company integrates with DoorDash for third-party delivery and maintains presence on Google Play and Apple App Store for its mobile applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barbecue Restaurant Services Slow-smoked barbecue restaurant offering dine-in, carry-out, and delivery services featuring competition-quality meats including beef brisket (smoked up to 18 hours), pulled pork, smoked turkey, chicken, and St. Louis-cut ribs, along with housemade sides and signature sauces. Available at 66+ locations across 12 states.
• Event Catering Services Full-service catering for events including weddings, corporate events, graduations, and parties with staffed buffets, action stations, customizable menus, delivery, and setup options.
• Party Packs

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DoorDashminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoorDash is used as a delivery partner for City Barbeque catering orders, providing third-party delivery logistics for customers who prefer not to pick up their orders themselves. This partnership extends delivery coverage but is not an exclusive arrangement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mission BBQ: Fast-growing BBQ chain with strong brand identity and community focus. Closely comparable to City Barbeque in positioning, dine-in/carry-out model, and emphasis on smoked meats.
• Smokey Bones: Casual dining BBQ and bar-focused chain offering smoked meats, full bar, and broader menu. Comparable in category but with stronger bar/alcohol positioning.
• Famous Dave's: National BBQ chain operating both company-owned and franchised restaurants focused on hickory-smoked meats. Most directly comparable to City Barbeque in menu, segment, and category.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Large franchised BBQ chain competing in the same fast-casual BBQ space. Comparable on menu and customer base, but uses a franchise model whereas City Barbeque is company-owned.
• Woody's Bar-B-Q: Regional BBQ chain with dine-in, carry-out, and catering services. Comparable in menu and franchise model, though smaller footprint.
• Sonny's BBQ: Long-standing BBQ chain with company-owned and franchised locations. Directly comparable in menu offerings and group/family dining focus.

Broad incumbents

• Bonefish Grill: Casual dining chain (Darden-owned) with broader menu and broader geographic reach. Tangentially comparable in casual dining catering segment.
• Texas Roadhouse: Large publicly traded casual dining steakhouse chain. Overlaps with City Barbeque in family casual dining segment and group occasion use cases, with much broader scale.
• Cracker Barrel: National casual dining chain with Southern comfort food and breakfast focus. Comparable in family/casual dining and catering but with much broader menu and footprint.
• Arby's / Inspire Brands: Large multi-brand restaurant platform (parent of Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic). Comparable in restaurant scale and catering capabilities as a benchmark for at-scale fast-casual operators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/citybbq
• Xx.com/citybarbeque
• Facebookfacebook.com/citybarbeque
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-barbeque

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City Barbeque