Parts & Labor

What Parts & Labor does

Parts & Labor BBQ is a privately held, owner-operated BBQ catering company founded in 2020 by Chef Owner Jeffrey Miller, currently operating from the Incubator Kitchen Collective in Newport, Kentucky. The business serves weddings, corporate events, private parties, and team-building engagements across the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metropolitan area (I-275 beltway) with occasional events in Columbus, OH. Its core product is end-to-end catering built around a Texas-style live-fire smoking technique ("BBQ as a method, not a menu") that layers smoke across meats, vegetables, and fruits with global flavor profiles.

The company generates revenue through multiple catering streams: per-person buffet packages ($19-$29 with 24-guest minimums), a la carte smoked meats and sides (half-pan and per-pound pricing), box lunches and sandwich platters (9-order minimum), customized quote-based event menus for weddings and galas, and retail house sauces and pickles by the pint. A 10% handling fee on facilitated event supply orders provides ancillary income. Customer acquisition operates through a diversified channel mix including direct enquiry-driven sales (phone, email, website form), self-serve online ordering via the ezCater marketplace, wedding marketplace listings on WeddingWire and The Knot (including a 2023 WeddingWire Couples' Choice Award), and a partner-enabled team-building cooking experience offering delivered jointly with SparkUp.

Distribution is geographically constrained, with a standard 20-mile delivery radius from the Newport, KY catering kitchen, though the company has demonstrated operational capacity for events of 300+ guests. The business is sub-10-person, founder-led, and bootstrapped with only a $27,000 funding round disclosed in April 2024 (plus a $0 round from Main Street Ventures in March 2023). No AI/ML capabilities, public APIs, or proprietary technology platforms are present; operations rely on a BentoBox-powered website, ezCater integration, and form-based booking workflows.

Name

Parts & Labor

Legal name

Parts & Labor BBQ

Website

https://partsandlaborcincinnati.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Parts & Labor BBQ is a Newport, Kentucky-based BBQ catering company founded in 2020 by Chef Owner Jeffrey Miller, serving weddings, corporate events, and private parties in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area using a proprietary live-fire smoking method.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Catering buffet packages: Per-person priced buffet packages (e.g., 1 Meat + 2 Sides at $19/person, 2 Meats + 2 Sides at $23/person, 3+3 at $29/person) with a minimum order of 24 guests, including Parker House rolls, house BBQ sauces, and house pickles. Plates, utensils, delivery, and onsite servers priced separately.
2. Customized event menus and a la carte catering: Quote-based, customized menus for weddings, corporate events, and galas; a la carte meats, sides, small bites, sliders, sliders, kabobs, and sandwich platters sold at fixed per-order prices; minimum $125 for delivery, $25 delivery fee within 20-mile radius.
3. Box lunches and sandwich platters: Minimum 9 sandwich orders (per-piece pricing such as $14-$17 per sandwich), includes potato chips and Brussels sprouts slaw, suited for lunch meetings and corporate events.
4. Sauces, pickles, and retail sides: House sauces and pickles sold by the pint ($10/pint sauces, $12/pint pickles) alongside half-pan sides and per-pound items such as tofu burnt ends, providing secondary retail and add-on revenue.
5. Event supply facilitation: Facilitation of event supply orders (silverware, food warmers, etc.) through local event supply partners, with a 10% handling fee added on top.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Parts & Labor provides end-to-end BBQ catering services for weddings, corporate events, and private parties, built on a live-fire hardwood smoke-layering cooking method that fuses Texas-style smoking with global flavors. Offerings include per-person buffet packages (1 Meat + 2 Sides at $19, 2 Meats + 2 Sides at $23, 3+3 at $29), a la carte smoked meats and sides, box lunches and sandwich platters, small bites appetizers, and bottled house sauces and pickles, with delivery within a 20-mile radius of its Newport, KY kitchen and custom menus for events of up to 300+ guests.

Product overview

Parts & Labor is a single, unified BBQ catering brand — not a multi-product software platform — anchored by Chef Owner Jeffrey Miller out of the Incubator Kitchen Collective in Newport, KY, with a Texas-style live-fire smoking method ("BBQ is a method — not a menu"). Its portfolio is organized as one core offering (the BBQ Catering Service and its Buffet Packages) with several a-la-carte modules customers can mix in: Box Lunches / Sandwiches, A la carte Meats, A la carte Sides, Small Bites (appetizers), and bottled House Sauces & Pickles. Layered on top of the core catering business is a partner-enabled Team Building Cooking Experiences offering delivered with SparkUp, plus an Online Ordering channel that routes catering delivery and pickup orders through the ezCater marketplace. The Reheating Instructions, FAQ, and Contact pages serve as supporting service modules around the catering product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BBQ Catering Service (Buffet Packages) End-to-end BBQ catering offering led by Chef Owner Jeffrey Miller, built around Texas-style live-fire smoking techniques fused with global flavors. Catering hours are Wednesday–Sunday, 11:30a–6p, with orders due by 12 noon two days before the event. Includes a $125 delivery order minimum and a $25 delivery fee within a 20-mile radius of the Newport, KY kitchen.
• Buffet Package — 1 Meat + 2 Sides Per-person buffet package at $19 with a 24-person minimum. Includes Parker House Rolls, two house BBQ sauces, and house pickles. Plates, utensils, delivery, and onsite servers priced separately.
• Buffet Package — 2 Meats + 2 Sides Per-person buffet package at $23 with a 24-person minimum. Includes Parker House Rolls, two house BBQ sauces, and house pickles.
• Buffet Package — The 3+3 Premium per-person buffet at $29 (24-person minimum) including 4 lbs smoked brisket, 4 lbs pulled chicken or smoked chicken wings, 4 lbs pork ribs or pork belly burnt ends, three sides, Filipino cornbread, three house BBQ sauces, and house pickles.
• Box Lunches and Sandwich Platters Pre-built lunchboxes and sandwich platters with a 9-sandwich minimum, including chips and Brussels sprouts slaw. Sandwich lineup includes Deli-Sliced Smoked Pork Tenderloin on a honey-butter croissant, Beef & Cheddar, Grilled Chicken Club Wrap, Smoked Chicken Salad, and the "Smokey Joe," suited for office lunches and small meetings.
• A la carte Smoked Meats Individual smoked meat offerings priced by half-pan or rack, including Smoked Brisket, Boneless Beef Short Rib, Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, Mild Sausage, Pork Belly Burnt Ends, St. Louis Style Pork Ribs, Smoked Chicken Wings, Pork Belly Bites, Pork Ribs (rack, 12 bones), Whole Smoked Chicken, and Tofu Burnt Ends. $75 minimum on a la carte meats order.
• A la carte Sides Stand-alone side dishes offered by half-pan or per-piece, including Smokey Mac & Cheese, BBQ Baked Beans, Hot-Honey Roasted Carrots, Sesame Cucumber Salad, Brisket Chili, Filipino Cornbread, Baked Beans, Roasted Corn Salad, Brussels Sprouts Slaw, Miso-Butter Mashed Potatoes, and Grilled Seasonal Veggies. Multiple sides are tagged gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan.
• Small Bites (Appetizers) Appetizer and shareable offerings including Grilled & Chilled Shrimp, Classic Deviled Eggs, Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs, Sweet & Tangy Chicken Wings, Pulled Chicken BLT Sliders, Caprese Skewers, Bourbon Cherry Meatballs, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Grilled and Chilled Vegetable Board, BBQ Charcuterie Board, Hawaiian BBQ Pork Belly Kabobs, Trio of Dips, and Tex-Mex Nachos.
• House Sauces and Pickles Bottled retail accompaniments available by the pint. Sauces include Original, Tex-Mex, Bourbon-Cherry, Hawaiian, Korean Sweet & Tangy, Honey Mustard, Hot Honey Mustard, and Creamy Vinegar ($10/16oz pint). Pickles include Turmeric and Cider Zucchini, Red Onions in Red Wine Vin, and Sweet Pickled Cucumbers ($12/pint).
• Team Building Cooking Experiences (Parts & Labor x SparkUp) Commercial-kitchen-based corporate team-building workshops delivered jointly with SparkUp (Founder & CEO Mindy Bailey), designed to foster collaboration, improve communication, boost creativity, strengthen problem-solving, and build stronger relationships for corporate, healthcare/education, sales and marketing, executive leadership, customer service, non-profit, and startup teams. Inquiries route to [email protected] / getsparkup.com.
• Online Ordering (Catering Delivery & Pickup) Direct order channel for catering delivery and pickup routed through the ezCater marketplace, with weekday hours 11a–8p and weekend hours 11a–10p (additional times on request). Phone support available at 513-371-4464.

Quantifiable outcome

• Catered a 300-person event for New Life Furniture with strong customer feedback
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SparkUpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-delivers team building cooking experiences from a commercial kitchen. SparkUp is the experience designer and facilitator (Founder & CEO Mindy Bailey), while Parts & Labor provides the kitchen venue and chef expertise (Chef Owner Jeffrey Miller). Together they offer experiential workshops targeting corporate teams, healthcare and education professionals, sales and marketing teams, customer service departments, executive leadership teams, and non-profits/startups.
• ezCatercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline catering marketplace that hosts Parts & Labor's catering delivery and pickup ordering page. Customers can place orders directly via ezCater linked from the Parts & Labor website, expanding reach beyond the direct enquiry channel.
• The Knot (XO Group / WeddingWire Inc. marketplace)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerVendor marketplace listing on The Knot with "As Seen on The Knot" badge displayed on the catering page, driving inbound wedding bookings.
• WeddingWireminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVendor marketplace listing on WeddingWire featuring the 2023 Couples' Choice Award badge, channeling wedding leads to Parts & Labor's catering enquiry form.
• Local event supply partnersminorOthersSeveral local partners provide event supplies ranging from silverware to food warmers that Parts & Labor facilitates on behalf of customers, applying a 10% handling fee on supply orders.
• Derek Dos Anjos (former Chef-partner)minorOthersCo-creator of the Parts & Labor concept during the founding of the ghost kitchen; the "Parts & Labor" brand name emerged from collaboration between Jeffrey Miller and Derek Dos Anjos around the menu philosophy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mission BBQ: National BBQ chain with catering programs for corporate and community events; comparable on category (American BBQ) and event catering model, though operating at chain scale rather than independent chef-led positioning.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Largest BBQ franchise in the U.S. with extensive catering programs including boxed lunches and event catering; comparable on category and catering structure, though franchise scale differs materially from an independent operator.
• Famous Dave's: National BBQ restaurant chain with full-service catering for corporate events, weddings, and large gatherings; broadly comparable category and catering model, but operates at much larger scale across many states.
• City Barbeque: Regional BBQ chain headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, with multiple Cincinnati-area locations and catering operations; comparable on category, geography, and catering service model, but at materially larger scale.
• Sonny's BBQ: Long-standing national BBQ franchise with catering offerings for corporate events and gatherings; comparable category and service model at meaningfully larger scale than a single-location independent caterer.

Regional players

• Smoke Justis: Cincinnati-area BBQ restaurant and bar with catering offerings; comparable on category and geographic market, operating in the same competitive set for BBQ event catering demand.
• Lucius Q: Cincinnati-based craft BBQ restaurant and caterer focusing on smoked meats with chef-driven menu; directly comparable category and market, with comparable craft positioning though primarily dine-in rather than catering-led.

Direct peers

• The Eagle: Cincinnati-based fried chicken and BBQ-focused restaurant group with catering offerings; comparable on category (American BBQ/comfort), geographic market, and event catering customer base.
• Montgomery Inn: Iconic Cincinnati-area BBQ restaurant and caterer with established catering operations for weddings, corporate events, and large gatherings; competes head-to-head with Parts & Labor in the local event catering segment.
• Eli's BBQ: Cincinnati-based BBQ restaurant and caterer serving the same metropolitan market as Parts & Labor with a similar craft/regional BBQ positioning; directly comparable on category, geography, and customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/partsandlaborcincinnati
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parts-labor-bbq
• Instagraminstagram.com/eatpartsandlabor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 Parts & Labor