Slows Bar Bq

What Slows Bar Bq does

Slows Bar BQ is a privately held, multi-unit barbecue restaurant company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, founded in September 2005. It operates four Michigan locations — the original Corktown flagship at 2138 Michigan Ave, a Slows ToGo pickup and catering site on Cass Ave in Midtown Detroit, a location in Ann Arbor, and a location in Berkley — offering dine-in service, carryout, full-service event catering, and a bookable food truck. The company employs 101-250 staff and runs a brand built around 'gourmet' smoked meats (brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs, chicken), a craft-beer program, and a proprietary six-sauce lineup (Apple, Sweet, North Carolina, South Carolina Mustard, Spicy, KC) retailed in 18oz jars and shipped nationwide through its Squarespace store.

The business operates with a hybrid consumer + event-services revenue model. Primary streams are dine-in restaurant service across the four units, carryout via the Toast Tab platform, and full-service catering with structured pricing (meats by the pound, sides in quart/half-pan/full-pan, slider packages) plus private dining rooms seating up to 40 guests at Corktown and Berkley. Secondary streams include a bookable mobile food truck for large-group events, retail BBQ sauce e-commerce shipped direct to consumers, and digital/physical gift cards via GiftCards.com. Pricing is unit-based across all streams — starters $6-$59, sandwiches $15-$17, plates $18-$42, catering meats $16-$36/lb, and sauce jars $9-$10 — with pay-as-you-go billing throughout.

The underlying technology is commodity restaurant SaaS rather than proprietary IP: Toast Tab handles POS, online ordering, reservations, and catering lead capture; SpotHopper powers the website, SEO, and email marketing; GiftCards.com and SmartTransactions manage gift cards; and Squarespace hosts the online sauce store. Marketing is concentrated in organic social (Facebook, Instagram), Google Business Profile, and an email newsletter, supplemented by a community donations program. The company is independently owned with no disclosed venture or private-equity backing, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no patent or trademark filings on record; revenue, funding, and ownership details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Slows Bar Bq

Legal name

Slows Bar BQ

Website

https://slowsbarbq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Slows Bar BQ is a privately held Detroit-based barbecue restaurant chain operating four Michigan locations, offering dine-in service, carryout, full-service event catering, a bookable food truck, private dining rooms, and a retail line of six house-made BBQ sauces shipped nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pubs & Gastropubs (THAFAEAB)

Keywords

• Barbecue restaurant
• Smoked meats dining
• Catering services
• Craft beer bar
• Private event venues

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-In Restaurant Service: Traditional sit-down restaurant service at four Michigan locations. Revenue generated from food and beverage sales including appetizers, sandwiches, combos, plates, premium smoked meats, and drinks.
2. Carryout and Online Ordering: Carryout orders placed through Toast Tab platform at Slows ToGo location. Customers order ahead for pickup.
3. Catering Services: Full-service catering for events of all types and sizes. Menu includes BBQ meats by the pound, sliders, sides in various portion sizes (quarts, half pans, full pans), and desserts. Offers both hot ready-to-serve and cold with reheating instructions.
4. Food Truck: Mobile food truck available for booking for large groups and events.
5. Retail Sauce Sales: BBQ sauces sold in 18oz retail jars for $9-$10 each. Ships sauces directly to customers through their online store. Available in six varieties.
6. Private Event Rentals: Private dining rooms at Corktown (up to 40 people) and Berkley locations available for rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, holiday parties, and business meetings. Revenue from food and beverage minimums or per-person charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Slows Bar BQ is a multi-location barbecue restaurant chain founded in 2005 in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, serving gourmet smoked meats, sandwiches, plates, sides, craft beer, and cocktails across four Michigan locations. The company supplements dine-in service with full-service catering, a mobile food truck, private dining rooms for events of up to 40 guests, carryout ordering via Toast Tab, and an e-commerce store shipping house-made BBQ sauces.

Product overview

Slows Bar BQ is a barbecue restaurant chain operating as a platform with multiple locations (Corktown, Slows ToGo, Ann Arbor, Berkley) offering dine-in, carryout, and catering services. The core product is gourmet barbecue including smoked brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and sandwiches, supported by add-on services including catering, food truck rentals, private event rooms, retail BBQ sauces, and gift cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Slows Bar BQ - Corktown Restaurant Full-service barbecue restaurant at 2138 Michigan Ave, Detroit, serving smoked meats, sandwiches, combos, plates, and sides with dine-in service and a private event room accommodating up to 40 people. Open Fri-Sat 11AM-10PM and Sun-Thu 11AM-9PM.
• Slows ToGo Pickup and catering location at 4107 Cass Ave, Detroit, offering carryout orders placed through the Toast Tab platform for pickup. Open Mon-Thu 11AM-8PM, Fri-Sat 11AM-9PM, Sun 11AM-8PM.
• Slows Bar BQ Ann Arbor Restaurant location at 207 E Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI, providing dine-in barbecue service.
• Slows Bar BQ Berkley Restaurant location at 3087 W 12 Mile Rd, Berkley, MI, with a private room available for catering events.
• Catering Services Full-service catering for events of all types and sizes, offering BBQ meats by the pound (baby back ribs $34/slab, brisket $36/lb, pulled pork $20/lb, pulled chicken $20/lb, wings $16/lb), sides by quart/half-pan/full-pan (e.g., mac and cheese quart $16, full pan $105), and slider packages. Available hot ready-to-serve or cold with reheating instructions.
• Mobile Food Truck Mobile food truck service available for booking for large groups and events, offering the full Slows BBQ menu at off-site locations.
• Retail BBQ Sauces Six signature house-made barbecue sauces available in 18oz retail jars for $10 each (dine-in) or $9 (catering orders): Apple Bar BQ Sauce (most popular), Sweet Bar BQ Sauce (original), North Carolina Bar BQ Sauce, South Carolina Mustard Bar BQ Sauce, Spicy Bar BQ Sauce, and KC Bar BQ Sauce. Available for shipping via the online store.
• Slows Bar BQ Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards available for purchase through GiftCards.com, redeemable at Slows Bar BQ locations, with balance checking available via SmartTransactions.
• Private Event Rooms Private dining rooms at the Corktown location (accommodating up to 40 guests) and Berkley location available for rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, holiday parties, and business meetings, with revenue from food and beverage minimums or per-person charges.

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured as one of the top 3 best sandwiches in America - The Yardbird

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mission BBQ: Multi-unit American BBQ concept offering dine-in, catering, and to-go smoked meats across multiple states. Closely comparable to Slows on menu (brisket, ribs, pulled pork), craft beer program, and event/catering focus.
• Famous Dave's: National BBQ chain with dine-in restaurants, catering, retail sauces, and licensed products. Directly comparable to Slows on smoked-meat menu, BBQ sauce retail line, catering operations, and family/group event positioning.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Large franchised BBQ chain offering dine-in, catering, and a robust retail and e-commerce product business. Comparable to Slows on smoked meats, in-restaurant dining, and growing direct-to-consumer packaged goods.
• Sonny's BBQ: Florida-based BBQ chain with full-service restaurants, catering, and a "Q Sauce" retail line. Directly comparable to Slows on traditional Southern BBQ menu, catering operations, and branded retail sauce product offering.
• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: Northeast regional BBQ restaurant group with multiple full-service locations, catering, mail-order sauces, and a destination dining reputation. Comparable to Slows on gourmet BBQ spin, craft beer emphasis, multi-unit regional chain, and mail-order retail product line.
• Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ: West-coast based BBQ chain with full-service restaurants, craft cocktails, private event rooms, and catering. Comparable to Slows on smoked-meat menu, full bar program, and dedicated private event space within restaurants.
• Mighty Quinn's Barbeque: Fast-casual BBQ concept with dine-in and catering. Comparable to Slows on traditional Texas-style smoked meats menu and growing event-driven catering business.

Broad incumbents

• Smokey Bones: Polished casual restaurant chain with a strong BBQ/ribs menu, full bar, and catering capabilities across multiple states. Overlaps with Slows on smoked meats, craft beer, and group dining but operates as a broader polished-casual brand.

Regional players

• Buddy's Pizza: Iconic Detroit-style pizza chain headquartered in metro Detroit with multiple Michigan locations, dine-in, and catering. Comparable regional restaurant operator in the same Michigan geography with multi-unit dine-in plus catering playbook.
• Zingerman's: Ann Arbor-based specialty food and hospitality group with restaurants, catering, mail-order products, and events. Comparable on Michigan footprint, gourmet positioning, event catering, and nationally distributed specialty food mail-order business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SlowsBarBQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/slowsbarbq
• Xx.com/SlowsBarBQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slows-bar-bq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Slows Bar Bq