Ichor Restaurant Group
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersCanton, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Ichor Restaurant Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ichor Restaurant Group
- Legal name
- Ichor Restaurant Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://ichorgroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ichor Restaurant Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fast-Casual Restaurant Franchising
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)
- akta.pro primary industry
- BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)
Keywords
Where Ichor Restaurant Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Canton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ichor Restaurant Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Restaurant sales (dine-in, carry-out): Traditional dine-in and carry-out sales at Old Carolina Barbecue Company and Smoke the Burger Joint restaurant locations. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
- Catering services: Pick-up catering, delivered catering, and full-service catering operations generate supplementary revenue. Year-round opportunities for private and corporate events.
- Franchise royalties and fees: Revenue from franchise operators including initial franchise fees and ongoing royalties. Company has been franchising since 2012 with two brands offering distinct franchise opportunities.
- Community event vending: Local community events serve as vending opportunities and advertising channels for franchise operators, generating additional revenue streams.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Old Carolina Barbecue Company franchise - in-line location |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Smoke the Burger Joint franchise - in-line location |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Ichor Restaurant Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ichor Restaurant Group operates two fast-casual restaurant concepts through corporate locations and a franchise model. Old Carolina Barbecue Company serves slow-smoked meats (pulled pork, brisket, ribs) cooked on-site over hickory wood in Southern Pride smokers with a five-sauce regional barbecue bar. Smoke the Burger Joint serves custom-blend Angus beef patties smoked with hickory wood, featuring creative regional flavor combinations. Both brands are franchised to operators across the Midwest USA, with supplementary catering and community event vending revenue.
Product overview
Ichor Restaurant Group operates two distinct fast-casual restaurant sub-brands: Old Carolina Barbecue Company (slow-smoked barbecue with hickory wood and regional Carolina sauces) and Smoke the Burger Joint (Angus beef burgers smoked with hickory wood with regional American flavor profiles). Both concepts are positioned in the fast-casual dining segment, share a commitment to quality smoked meats, and operate with similar franchise models including closing by 9:00 pm and holiday closures.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Old Carolina Barbecue Company: Fast-casual barbecue restaurant serving slow-smoked meats over hickory wood, inspired by Carolina roadside barbecue shacks. Founded in 2003 as a competition team, began franchising in 2012.
- Smoke the Burger Joint
Products and services
- Old Carolina Barbecue Company Fast-casual barbecue restaurant concept serving competition-quality slow-smoked meats (12-hour pulled pork, 10-hour brisket, 4.5-hour ribs) prepared on-site over hickory wood in Southern Pride smokers, with a self-serve five-sauce regional barbecue bar; available for dine-in, carry-out, catering, and as a franchise opportunity.
- Smoke the Burger Joint Fast-casual burger concept featuring a custom-blend Angus beef patty smoked over real hickory wood, topped with creative regional flavor combinations inspired by road-trip destinations across the United States; offered for dine-in, carry-out, and franchise ownership.
- Catering Services
Companies that use Ichor Restaurant Group
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ichor Restaurant Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Ichor Restaurant Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ichor Restaurant Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Culver's: Midwest-rooted fast-casual chain famous for ButterBurgers and frozen custard. Directly relevant competitor in Ichor's home geography with comparable counter-service operating model and quality positioning.
Direct peers
- Smashburger: Fast-casual burger franchise known for smashed-patty technique and regional flavor menu. Highly comparable on counter-service format, franchise model, and creative-flavor burger innovation strategy.
- Five Guys: Category-defining burger fast-casual franchise with simple operating model and premium positioning. Directly comparable on counter-service format, franchise growth story, and target customer seeking elevated fast-casual.
- Wayback Burgers: Fast-casual burger franchise with regional flavor profile menu and growing international footprint. Comparable on creative-menu burger innovation and franchise-driven unit growth.
- Mission BBQ: Fast-casual BBQ franchise emphasizing traditional American smokehouse preparation and catering. Comparable on smoked-meat product, franchise growth model, and patriotic brand positioning.
- Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Large BBQ franchise system offering hickory-smoked meats in a fast-casual counter-service format. Directly comparable on operating model, franchise investment tier, and catering-heavy revenue mix.
- Sonny's BBQ: Established BBQ fast-casual franchise chain serving slow-smoked meats with a similar dine-in and catering model. Directly comparable on core product, franchise structure, and target customer to Old Carolina Barbecue Company.
- Smokey Bones: Casual dining BBQ and grill chain owned by Sun Capital. Comparable on smoked-meat menu positioning and bar-and-grill revenue model, though operating at a slightly more casual-dining tier.
- Shake Shack: Premium burger fast-casual brand built around quality ingredients and differentiated experience. Comparable as benchmark for elevated burger fast-casual positioning against Smoke the Burger Joint.
- Famous Dave's: Publicly traded BBQ chain (previously) offering competition-style smoked ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. Comparable on award-winning BBQ product platform and catering-driven revenue mix.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ichor Restaurant Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ichor Restaurant Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ichor Restaurant Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ichor Restaurant Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ichor Restaurant Group
What does Ichor Restaurant Group do?
Ichor Restaurant Group operates two fast-casual restaurant concepts through corporate locations and a franchise model. Old Carolina Barbecue Company serves slow-smoked meats (pulled pork, brisket, ribs) cooked on-site over hickory wood in Southern Pride smokers with a five-sauce regional barbecue bar. Smoke the Burger Joint serves custom-blend Angus beef patties smoked with hickory wood, featuring creative regional flavor combinations. Both brands are franchised to operators across the Midwest USA, with supplementary catering and community event vending revenue.
Is Ichor Restaurant Group a public or private company?
Ichor Restaurant Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ichor Restaurant Group founded?
Ichor Restaurant Group was founded in 2003. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Ichor Restaurant Group based?
Ichor Restaurant Group is headquartered in Canton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ichor Restaurant Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Restaurant sales (dine-in, carry-out) is the primary driver. The others are catering services, franchise royalties and fees and community event vending.
Who are Ichor Restaurant Group's main competitors?
Culver's is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Smashburger, Five Guys, Wayback Burgers, Mission BBQ, Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Sonny's BBQ, Smokey Bones, Shake Shack and Famous Dave's.
Does Ichor Restaurant Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ichor Restaurant Group.
What industry is Ichor Restaurant Group in?
Ichor Restaurant Group's product category is Fast-Casual Restaurant Franchising. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAH, BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual, with a secondary code of THAFABAA, Burger Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722513.