Corky’s BBQ

What Corky’s BBQ does

Corky's BBQ is a Memphis-based restaurant operator and packaged food brand founded in 1984 by Don Pelts. The company runs 8 dine-in locations across Tennessee and Arkansas, supplemented by drive-thru, catering, group reservations, and party/banquet room rentals. Its core product is Memphis-style slow-smoked barbecue — ribs, pork, brisket, chicken, sausages, and proprietary sauce (Original, Apple, Honey, Smokin' Hot, Bourbon, Smokey & Sweet) and dry-rub formulations — produced through a USDA-inspected cooking facility operated since 1993.

Beyond restaurants, Corky's runs a multi-channel distribution operation. It pioneered nationwide BBQ shipping via FedEx in 1987, sells regularly through QVC televised retail, distributes packaged product into Southeast grocery, operates a subscription box program, and runs fundraising and merchandise lines. El Terrifico, a Mexican-food sub-brand, operates inside Memphis locations as a category extension. Co-owner Joe Kleine, a former NBA player and Olympic gold medalist, holds an equity stake alongside the founding family.

Revenue is generated through in-restaurant sales, mail-order shipping of heat-and-serve meats and sides, televised retail, wholesale grocery, catering commissions, event venue rentals, and subscription/merchandise. The company is privately held with no disclosed PE/VC backing, no funding rounds, and no M&A history; financial figures are not publicly reported.

Name

Corky’s BBQ

Legal name

Corky's BBQ

Website

https://corkysbbq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Corky's BBQ is a Memphis-based restaurant operator and packaged food brand founded in 1984, running 8 dine-in locations across Tennessee and Arkansas alongside nationwide FedEx shipping, QVC retail, catering, and Southeast grocery distribution of slow-smoked Memphis-style barbecue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

BBQ Restaurant Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing (311941), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Meat Packing Plants (2011)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

BBQ Sauce & Marinades Manufacturing (AFAKADAH)

Keywords

• Memphis barbecue
• Smoked ribs
• BBQ catering
• BBQ sauces
• Restaurant chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Dine-in and drive-thru sales at 8 restaurant locations across Tennessee and Arkansas
2. Nationwide Shipping: Direct-to-consumer shipping of BBQ products (ribs, pork, brisket, chicken, sauces, sides, desserts, merchandise) via FedEx with subscription options available
3. Catering Services: Self-service party packs and full-service catering for events from 10 to 5000 people, including private party room rentals
4. Grocery Retail: Products sold in grocery stores across the Southeast including ribs, pulled pork, and bottled sauces from USDA cooking facility
5. QVC Television Shopping: Exclusive BBQ products sold through QVC television shopping channel, setting records in BBQ sales nationwide
6. Fundraising Programs: Fundraiser packages for organizations with $10-15 profit per item sold
7. Merchandise: Branded merchandise including t-shirts, aprons, grill gloves, sauce pots, and meat shredders sold online

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Corky's BBQ is a Memphis-based restaurant chain founded in 1984 that operates dine-in and drive-thru restaurants, nationwide mail-order BBQ shipping, full-service and self-service catering, grocery store retail distribution, QVC television shopping, and subscription boxes. The company sells slow-smoked Memphis-style meats (ribs, pulled pork, brisket, chicken), proprietary sauces and dry rubs, Southern sides, desserts, and branded merchandise under its own brand.

Product overview

Corky's BBQ is a Memphis-based BBQ restaurant chain and food products company founded in 1984 by Don Pelts. The company operates a multi-channel business model consisting of: (1) Restaurant dining at 8 locations across Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi; (2) Catering and event services including self-service party packs and full-service catering for groups from 50 to 5000; (3) Nationwide shipping of BBQ products via FedEx including meat packages (ribs, pulled pork, brisket, chicken, sausage), sauces (Original, Apple, Honey, Smokin' Hot), sides (mac and cheese, baked beans, cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole), and desserts (pecan pie, fudge pie, cakes); (4) Subscription box service delivering restaurant-quality BBQ monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly; (5) Retail grocery products distributed across the Southeast; (6) QVC television shopping channel exclusive products; and (7) Fundraising programs for organizations. The product portfolio centers around slow-smoked Memphis-style BBQ with signature sauces and dry rub seasonings, complemented by Southern side dishes and desserts. The company also sells branded merchandise including apparel and BBQ tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• El Terrifico: Authentic Mexican food brand featuring tamales and white cheese dip.

Products and services

• Restaurant Dining
• Catering Services

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DoorDashminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoorDash partnership for online ordering and delivery from Corky's Little Rock location, providing third-party delivery service to customers who prefer not to pickup directly.
• QVCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQVC television shopping partnership for nationwide BBQ product sales. Corky's has been appearing regularly on QVC setting records in BBQ sales nationwide. Products include exclusive packages not available through other channels.
• Southeast Grocery RetailerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with grocery stores across the Southeast for retail distribution of Corky's BBQ products including ribs, pulled pork, and sauces from USDA cooking facility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rendezvous BBQ: Iconic Memphis-based BBQ restaurant established in 1948 with nationwide mail-order shipping. Most direct Memphis-style BBQ competitor and comparable shipping pioneer.
• Billy Sims BBQ: Former NFL player-founded BBQ chain with dine-in, catering, and packaged products. Closely comparable in athlete-co-founder marketing and franchise-driven BBQ model.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Nation's largest BBQ franchise with dine-in, catering, and packaged retail products. Comparable in scale ambition, franchise footprint, catering emphasis, and CPG distribution.
• Mission BBQ: Fast-growing national BBQ chain with strong brand identity, dine-in, catering, and merchandise. Closely comparable in multi-channel restaurant-plus-merch model and community-driven marketing.
• Sonny's BBQ: Large franchise BBQ chain with dine-in, catering, and packaged products. Highly comparable as a multi-location BBQ concept offering ribs, pulled pork, and catering for groups.
• Joe's Kansas City BBQ: Award-winning BBQ operation with strong national mail-order and limited dine-in footprint. Comparable as a cult regional BBQ brand scaling via nationwide shipping.
• Famous Dave's: National BBQ restaurant chain and packaged sauce/meat CPG brand. Closely comparable multi-channel model (dine-in, catering, grocery, online) and direct menu overlap in ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and sauces.
• Gates Bar-B-Q: Historic Kansas City BBQ institution with dine-in, catering, mail-order, and signature bottled sauce. Comparable regional BBQ heritage brand with national shipping and sauce CPG.

Broad incumbents

• Sweet Baby Ray's: National BBQ sauce and CPG brand with broad grocery distribution and foodservice licensing. Comparable as a branded BBQ sauce line competing on the same grocery shelves as Corky's sauces.

Emerging players

• Kinder's BBQ: Fast-growing premium BBQ sauce, rub, and prepared meats CPG brand with restaurant roots. Comparable emerging CPG-meets-restaurant playbook targeting similar national grocery customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/corkysmemphis
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEKKaFjQG_zieIBMT7-DgVg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CorkysPoplar
• Instagraminstagram.com/corkysmemphis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Corky’s BBQ