DOC's Smokehouse

What DOC's Smokehouse does

DOC's Smokehouse is a privately held, founder-owned Southern BBQ restaurant chain operating four dine-in locations in the Upper Midwest: Dyer, Indiana (opened April 2016), Milwaukee, Wisconsin (opened March 2017 within the Marriott SpringHill Suites in the historic Commerce building), Mokena, Illinois (2017), and Madison, Wisconsin (December 2019). The company was co-founded in 2014 by Dr. Himanshu Doshi and Brent Brashier, the latter serving as the operational/culinary lead drawing on Alabama upbringing and Austin, Texas brisket experience. The core product is traditional Southern BBQ using hickory smoke, dry spice rubs, and low-and-slow cooking methods, served without in-kitchen saucing; menu items are prepared from scratch using select local ingredients, paired with an extensive bar program featuring 60+ rotating craft beer taps and 100-200+ bourbons and whiskeys at most locations.

The business operates four revenue streams: dine-in restaurant sales at the four brick-and-mortar locations; carryout/takeout (online ordering via UpServe at Dyer and Milwaukee); off-site catering (pickup, delivery, or on-premise events using a transportable smoker, plus EZcater for corporate bookings and 708-580-6223 for direct sales); and digital gift card sales through Shopify. Distribution is entirely regional, with no evidence of franchise or licensing. Technology is non-proprietary and outsourced: Shopify for e-commerce and gift cards, UpServe for online ordering, EZcater for corporate catering distribution, and Digital Pour for real-time keg-level visibility at the Milwaukee location. The company has accumulated notable regional recognition, including Southern Living's Great American Barbecue Bucket List (2017), NWI Times Best of the Region in BBQ (2017, 2018), and Thrillist's Best New Milwaukee Restaurants (2017).

Name

DOC's Smokehouse

Legal name

DOC'S Smokehouse

Website

https://docsbbq.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DOC's Smokehouse is a privately held, founder-owned Southern BBQ restaurant chain with four dine-in locations across Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois, serving hickory-smoked meats and scratch-made sides alongside 60+ craft beer taps and 200+ bourbons, with supplemental off-site catering and gift card sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pubs & Gastropubs (CRANACAB)

Keywords

• Smoked barbecue restaurant
• Craft beer bar
• Bourbon whiskey selection
• BBQ catering services
• Southern BBQ cuisine

Headquarters

HQ city

Dyer, Indiana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Full-service restaurant revenue from food and beverage sales including smoked meats, craft beers, and bourbon/whiskey selections. Operating hours vary by location with typical restaurant service model.
2. Carryout and Takeout: Online ordering available for carryout orders at Dyer, IN and Milwaukee, WI locations through Upserve platform. Customers can schedule pickup times.
3. Off-site Catering: Catering services for events of all sizes including corporate events, private parties, and community gatherings. Available for pickup, delivery, or on-premise events with transportable smoker capability.
4. Gift Cards: Digital gift card sales through Shopify platform. Gift card balance checking available online.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DOC's Smokehouse operates a multi-location Southern BBQ restaurant chain serving hickory-smoked meats (brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, wings) prepared from scratch using traditional low-and-slow Southern smoking methods, paired with an extensive craft beer program (60+ rotating taps) and bourbon/whiskey collection (200+ varieties). The company also offers off-site BBQ catering with a transportable smoker for corporate events, private parties, and community gatherings, plus gift cards and private event hosting at its restaurant locations.

Product overview

DOC's Smokehouse is a multi-location Southern BBQ restaurant chain operating as a unified restaurant brand with locations in Dyer, IN (opened 2016), Milwaukee, WI (opened 2017), and Madison, WI (opened 2019). The core offering consists of authentic, award-winning hickory-smoked BBQ prepared using traditional Southern methods with spice and time. Each location features an extensive craft beer program (60+ rotating taps) and bourbon/whiskey collection (200+ varieties). The business also operates catering services for off-site events and private event hosting at restaurant locations. All locations are integrated with online ordering via UpServe and Shopify-based e-commerce for gift cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dine-in BBQ Restaurant Service Full-service Southern BBQ dine-in restaurant offering hickory-smoked meats (brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, wings), scratch-made sides, craft beer (60+ taps), and bourbon/whiskey (200+ varieties) at four locations in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Targets local diners, tourists, and venue visitors seeking authentic Southern BBQ.
• Off-site BBQ Catering

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MobCraft Brewing Co.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2018Local Milwaukee brewery partnership for beer dinner pairing event on January 25th, 2018. MobCraft was featured as brewery of the month with a special dinner pairing at DOC's Commerce Smokehouse.
• MKE Brewing Co.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 August 2017Tap takeover and beer dinner pairing event on August 23rd, 2017. Local Milwaukee brewery hosted tap takeover with food pairing at DOC's Commerce Smokehouse. Covered by OnMilwaukee and 88.9 Radio Milwaukee.
• Marriott SpringHill SuitescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOC's Commerce Smokehouse is located within the Marriott SpringHill Suites hotel in downtown Milwaukee. Co-branded location provides convenience for hotel guests and proximity to entertainment venues (BMO Harris Bradley Center, Wisconsin Center).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Famous Dave's: Largest multi-unit BBQ chain in the U.S. with sit-down dining, catering, and a craft beer/bourbon program. Directly comparable to DOC's on menu, bar differentiation, and unit economics.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: National fast-casual BBQ franchise with dine-in, carryout, and large-event catering. Comparable to DOC's on operational model and audience, with a similarly broad beer program.
• Smokey Bones: BBQ-themed casual dining chain with deep bourbon list and craft beer on tap. Highly comparable to DOC's on the craft beer + bourbon bar differentiation and casual-dining format.
• Sonny's BBQ: Regional BBQ chain with dine-in, takeout, and large-scale catering. Comparable to DOC's on traditional hickory-style smoking, family/legacy positioning, and catering B2B capabilities.
• Mighty Quinn's Barbecue: Fast-casual BBQ concept with dine-in, takeout, and catering. Comparable to DOC's on traditional smoking methods, multi-location roll-out, and catering as a growth driver.
• Mission BBQ: Fast-growing BBQ chain with dine-in, catering, and a community/veteran focus. Comparable to DOC's on brand-led, multi-state casual dining expansion and catering revenue mix.

Broad incumbents

• Texas Roadhouse: Large national casual-dining chain with smoked/BBQ menu items and significant alcohol sales. Comparable as a broader-scale casual-dining incumbent with overlapping category and customer base.
• Cracker Barrel: National casual-dining chain with a strong smoked-meat menu and off-premise catering. Comparable on casual-dining scale, comfort-food category overlap, and catering business mix.
• Hard Rock Cafe: Theme-driven casual dining chain with extensive bar programs and strong tourism/hospitality tie-ins. Comparable on alcohol-forward bar differentiation and Marriott/hospitality-adjacent locations.

Emerging players

• PDQ: Fast-casual chicken-centric concept with hand-cut fries and rotating craft beer. Comparable as a fast-casual peer with strong craft beer program and similar unit-count growth profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DOCsSmokehouseBBQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/docs-smokehouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 DOC's Smokehouse