Eli's BBQ

What Eli's BBQ does

Eli's BBQ is a Cincinnati-based, independently-owned barbecue restaurant founded in 2011 by Eli and his co-founder Drew, who bootstrapped the business by pooling personal savings after Eli built a following vending hickory-smoked pork sandwiches on Fountain Square starting in 2010. The company operates two brick-and-mortar locations in Cincinnati — a dine-in and carryout restaurant at 3313 Riverside Drive and a carryout-only stall at Findlay Market (133 West Elder Street) — producing hickory-smoked pork, turkey, ribs, wings, and a set of traditional Southern sides including coleslaw, mac and cheese, jalapeño cheddar grits, baked beans, mashed potatoes, and jalapeño cornbread.

Revenue is generated through three streams: in-store and carryout restaurant sales across the two Cincinnati locations, event catering services priced at $12-$15 per person with optional delivery and full-service chafing setup, and direct-to-consumer retail of branded condiments — Eli's BBQ Sauce ($8.25/bottle; $45.50/six-pack), Dry Rub ($9.90/bottle; $59.50/six-pack), and Wing Sauce ($8.25/bottle; $45.50/six-pack) — sold through the company website. Menu pricing spans from $1.50 for canned drinks to $33 for a full slab of ribs, with sandwiches in the $4-$10 range and sides at $3.50 per portion or $9/lb. Distribution is single-geography (Cincinnati, Ohio), with no regional or national expansion evidenced. The technology stack is limited to Squarespace for the public website and Toasttab for online ordering; there is no proprietary software, no mobile app, no API, no AI/ML capability, and no external funding.

The customer base is segmented into individual dine-in/carryout consumers, event catering clients hosting birthdays, office events, weddings, and family gatherings, and retail buyers of branded sauces and rubs for at-home use. Marketing is conducted almost entirely through word-of-mouth referrals and the company website; no formal digital advertising or social media presence is documented. Two General Managers — Jessy O'Connor (Riverside) and Chris Calvert (Findlay Market) — oversee day-to-day operations of the storefronts.

Name

Eli's BBQ

Legal name

Eli's Barbeque

Website

https://elisbarbeque.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eli's BBQ is a Cincinnati-based, independently-owned hickory-smoked barbecue restaurant operating two locations (Riverside and Findlay Market) serving smoked meats, Southern sides, event catering, and branded retail sauces and rubs sold online.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining BBQ Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Smoked Meats & Seafood (Hot/Cold Smoking) (AFANAEAB), BBQ Sauce & Marinades Manufacturing (AFAKADAH)

Keywords

• Hickory smoked BBQ
• BBQ restaurant dining
• BBQ catering services
• BBQ sauces and rubs
• Casual dining carryout

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Operations (Dine-in and Carryout): Two brick-and-mortar locations generating revenue from walk-in and online-ordered food purchases. Riverside location offers dine-in service; both locations offer carryout.
2. Catering Services: Buffet-style BBQ catering for events with pricing of $12-15 per person. Food sold by the pound with optional delivery and full-service setup including chafing stands.
3. Retail Products (Sauces and Dry Rubs): Sale of proprietary food products including BBQ sauce, dry rub, and wing sauce in individual bottles or six-packs through the company website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Eli's BBQ is a Cincinnati-based hickory smoked barbecue restaurant operating two locations (Riverside with dine-in and carryout, Findlay Market carryout only). The company sells hickory smoked pork, turkey, ribs, wings, sandwiches, homemade sides, and proprietary retail products including signature BBQ sauce, dry rub, and wing sauce. Catering services are offered for events with buffet-style BBQ sold by the pound.

Product overview

Eli's BBQ is a Cincinnati-based BBQ restaurant founded in 2011, operating two locations (Riverside and Findlay Market). The company's product portfolio centers on Hickory-smoked meats and related retail products. The retail offerings include three sauce and rub products sold in individual bottles and six-pack cases: Eli's BBQ Sauce Bottle ($8.25), Eli's Dry Rub Bottle ($9.90), and Eli's Wing Sauce Bottle. These products are available for purchase at the restaurant locations and online for pickup. The core restaurant business offers smoked meats (pulled pork, turkey, ribs, wings), sandwiches, sides (cole slaw, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, mashed potatoes, jalapeno cheddar grits, jalapeno cornbread), and catering services for events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eli's BBQ Sauce Bottle Eli's signature original-recipe BBQ sauce bottled for retail sale at $8.25 per bottle, used by customers at home with their own smoked meats or to recreate Eli's flavors.
• Eli's Dry Rub Bottle Eli's proprietary dry rub used on all smoked meats, bottled for retail sale at $9.90 per bottle for at-home smoking and grilling.
• Eli's Wing Sauce Bottle Eli's wing sauce, the newest addition to the sauce lineup, designed to accompany smoked wings, sold at $8.25 per bottle.
• Eli's BBQ Sauce Six Pack Case of six bottles of Eli's signature BBQ sauce for retail sale at $45.50, targeted at higher-volume home users.
• Eli's Wing Sauce Six Pack Case of six bottles of Eli's wing sauce for retail sale at $45.50.
• Eli's Dry Rub Six Pack Case of six bottles of Eli's dry rub for retail sale at $59.50.
• Dine-in and Carryout Restaurant Service Restaurant service at two Cincinnati locations offering hickory smoked BBQ meals including sandwiches (pulled pork, smoked turkey, hot dogs), ribs, wings, sides (coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, mashed potatoes, jalapeño cheddar grits, jalapeño cornbread), and drinks. Riverside location offers dine-in and carryout; Findlay Market offers carryout only.
• BBQ Catering Services Catering services for events including birthdays, office events, family gatherings, and weddings, offering buffet-style BBQ sold by the pound ($18/lb pulled pork, $23/lb turkey, $33 whole slab, $9/lb sides) with full-service setup options including chafing stands, plates, napkins, and forks. Average pricing is $12-15 per person.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rush TransportationminorOthersRush Transportation is recommended as an outsourced delivery option for urgent catering delivery needs that cannot wait for standard planning. Contact: (937) 224-7874. This is an optional third-party service recommended to customers, not a formal partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Montgomery Inn: Iconic Cincinnati-based BBQ restaurant famous for its ribs and BBQ sauce, operating multiple Cincinnati-area locations. Most directly comparable local peer given shared Cincinnati heritage, rib-centric menu, and signature sauce retail products.
• Mission BBQ: National fast-casual BBQ chain with 100+ locations offering smoked meats, sandwiches, and sides. Comparable on smoked-meat core menu, fast-casual service model, and catering for events.
• City Barbeque: Ohio-originated fast-casual BBQ chain with locations across the Midwest and beyond. Comparable on smoked meats menu, counter-service format, catering offerings, and Midwest BBQ market positioning.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Large franchised BBQ chain with dine-in, carryout, catering, and Big Yellow Cup retail sauce line. Comparable on smoked meats menu, multi-channel revenue, and branded retail CPG extension.
• Famous Dave's: Public BBQ restaurant chain with dine-in, carryout, catering, and retail sauce product lines. Comparable on full menu of smoked meats, sides, catering for events, and packaged retail BBQ products sold through grocery and DTC.
• Sonny's BBQ: Large franchised BBQ chain with dine-in, catering, and a wholesale/licensed products business. Comparable on hickory-smoked core menu, catering operation, and multi-channel distribution.
• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: Regional BBQ restaurant group with multiple locations plus a wholesale sauce and rub product line. Comparable on hickory/wood-smoked meats, signature sauce retail products, and catering/event business.

Others

• Sweet Baby Ray's: Leading national BBQ sauce brand sold across grocery, foodservice, and DTC. Comparable as a competing BBQ sauce CPG brand that targets the same at-home consumer purchasing BBQ rubs and sauces from Eli's retail line.

Regional players

• Skyline Chili: Cincinnati-originated restaurant chain famous for Cincinnati-style chili. Comparable as a Cincinnati-based regional restaurant brand with cult local following, multiple locations, and packaged retail products sold in grocery.
• Gold Star Chili: Cincinnati-based chili restaurant chain. Comparable as a Cincinnati-anchored multi-location regional restaurant brand with packaged retail products distributed through grocery channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/elisbbqcincy
• Facebookfacebook.com/elisbbqcincy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Eli's BBQ