Barrel & Boar

What Barrel & Boar does

Barrel & Boar is a privately held, multi-unit barbecue restaurant and catering operator headquartered in the Columbus, Ohio metro area. Originally founded in 1983 as Holy Smoke BBQ, the brand has evolved into a three-location smoked meats and southern cuisine concept spanning downtown Columbus (North Market since 2010), Gahanna Creekside (since 2012), and the Lancaster BBQ Factory smokehouse (since 2021). Its offering centers on traditional BBQ smoking techniques, southern sides, and a beverage program of craft beer and cocktails, with varied dining formats ranging from a high-traffic market counter to an upscale Creekside restaurant with private event space and a casual smokehouse on a scenic acre in Lancaster.

The company distributes through three physical storefronts and the ToastTab online ordering platform, which supports pickup and delivery across all locations. A separate catering line — branded under Barrel & Boar Catering — provides full-service and DIY catering for weddings, corporate events, and private gatherings, operated by a dedicated team with its own phone and email channels. The business is bootstrapped and founder/family-owned, with no disclosed external funding, acquisitions, or institutional ownership; the ownership structure is private and the company operates as an Ohio-based for-profit entity.

Barrel & Boar's customer mix is split between walk-in individual consumers and families for dine-in/takeout/delivery, and event hosts (individuals and corporate clients) for catering. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; menu prices are surfaced only through the ToastTab ordering interface. Marketing relies on location-based foot traffic, word-of-mouth, the company website, and email newsletter signup, rather than paid digital or programmatic channels. The company does not publish revenue, headcount specifics, leadership bios, or financial filings — limiting external visibility into unit economics, growth rate, and profitability.

Name

Barrel & Boar

Legal name

Barrel & Boar

Website

https://barrelboar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barrel & Boar is a privately held, three-location BBQ restaurant and catering operator in central Ohio serving smoked meats and southern cuisine to consumers (dine-in, pickup, delivery) and event/corporate catering clients across Columbus, Gahanna, and Lancaster since 1983.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

BBQ Restaurant and Catering

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pubs & Gastropubs (CRANACAB)

Keywords

• BBQ restaurant
• Smoked meats
• Southern cuisine
• Event catering
• Craft beer gastropub

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue generated from customers dining at physical restaurant locations in Gahanna, Lancaster, and North Market. Offers full menu of smoked meats and southern cuisine paired with craft beers and cocktails.
2. Takeout and Delivery: Online ordering through ToastTab platform for pickup and delivery from all three locations, providing additional revenue stream beyond dine-in service.
3. Catering Services: Full-service catering for weddings, parties, corporate events, and private gatherings. Offers full service catering menu and DIY catering options from Lancaster location. Contact via dedicated phone line 614-697-2500.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Barrel & Boar operates three BBQ restaurant locations across central Ohio (Gahanna Creekside, Lancaster BBQ Factory, and North Market Columbus) serving smoked meats, southern cuisine, craft beers, and cocktails via dine-in, takeout, delivery, and a dedicated catering service for weddings, corporate events, and private gatherings with 30 years of experience.

Product overview

Barrel & Boar is a single-brand BBQ restaurant chain offering smoked meats and southern cuisine. The company operates three physical locations in central Ohio: Gahanna Creekside (established 2012), Lancaster BBQ Factory (opened 2021), and North Market Columbus (since 2010). Originally known as Holy Smoke BBQ, the restaurant has been operating since 1983. The product portfolio includes dine-in restaurant services, online ordering via Toasttab, and catering for weddings, private events, and corporate functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barrel & Boar Restaurant Dining Full-service BBQ restaurant offering smoked meats, southern cuisine, craft beers, and cocktails across three central Ohio locations (Gahanna Creekside, Lancaster BBQ Factory, and North Market Columbus) with dine-in, pickup, and delivery service for individual diners and families.
• Barrel & Boar Catering Catering service providing full-service and DIY catering options for weddings, corporate events, birthday parties, graduation celebrations, and private gatherings, supported by a dedicated catering team accessible via phone (614-697-2500) and email ([email protected]).

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ToastTabcoreTechnology or IntegrationToastTab is used as the online ordering platform for all Barrel & Boar locations. Customers order pickup and delivery through ToastTab links provided on the website for each location (Gahanna, North Market, BBQ Factory).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• County Line BBQ: Regional BBQ restaurant concept with full-service dining, bar, and event catering; closely comparable in offering mix to Barrel & Boar.
• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: Multi-unit BBQ restaurant group with dine-in, takeout, and catering operations rooted in traditional smoking techniques; closest analog to Barrel & Boar's craft-BBQ positioning at slightly larger scale.
• Sonny's BBQ: Regional-to-national BBQ chain with dine-in restaurants and catering; comparable in menu focus (smoked meats, Southern sides) and casual full-service format.
• Bill Miller Bar-B-Q: Long-running regional BBQ chain with multiple dine-in locations and catering services; similar multi-unit, community-rooted BBQ operating model.
• Famous Dave's: Long-established BBQ restaurant chain offering dine-in, takeout, catering, and a full bar program — closely aligned with Barrel & Boar's smoked-meat, full-bar, and event-catering offering.
• Mission BBQ: Multi-unit BBQ chain with a strong patriotic/community positioning and dine-in plus catering operations; directly comparable concept to Barrel & Boar's BBQ gastropub model, but at significantly larger national scale.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Large franchise BBQ chain combining dine-in, takeout, delivery, and event catering; comparable business model with broader geographic reach.
• Smokey Bones: Casual-dining BBQ-focused chain with full bar service and catering; comparable gastropub-style BBQ concept at multi-state scale.
• Memphis Bar-B-Que Company: Regional BBQ restaurant group serving smoked meats, sides, and catering — directly comparable mid-size BBQ operator.

Broad incumbents

• Texas Roadhouse: Large publicly traded casual-dining steakhouse chain with catering operations; not a direct BBQ competitor but competes for the same casual dine-in and event-catering occasions in the broader Columbus market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/barrelboar
• Facebookfacebook.com/BarrelandBoar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holy-smoke-bbq

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 Barrel & Boar