Fette Sau
Fette Sau is a single-location Philadelphia barbecue restaurant offering dry-rubbed smoked meats, sides, and a full beverage program to general consumers and private-event groups, operating under STARR Restaurant Organization LLC since 2012.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Fette Sau does
Fette Sau is a single-location American barbecue restaurant operating at 1208 Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, founded in 2012 by restaurateur Stephen Starr and Joe Carroll. The restaurant specializes in dry-rubbed, smoked meats prepared on-site — including brisket, pulled pork, ribs, smoked chicken, hot Italian sausage, and beef jerky — paired with sides, sandwiches, desserts, and an extensive beverage program of craft beers, cocktails, and bourbon. The concept uniquely blends American barbecue with German culinary influences, supported by an industrial-rustic interior and indoor/outdoor seating for up to 100 guests.
The business operates a direct-to-consumer model across four revenue streams: dine-in counter service, takeout, third-party delivery, and a catering/private-event program with bulk pricing tiers and 48-hour advance ordering. Pricing is unit-based (e.g., brisket at $17.50 per half-pound, Family BBQ Dinner at $112) with happy-hour discounting Monday-Friday 5-7PM and weekends 2-4PM. Distribution runs through the restaurant's own website, third-party delivery platforms, and the Resy reservation system, while group dining and catering are coordinated via Tripleseat software.
Fette Sau is owned and operated by STARR Restaurant Organization LLC, a Delaware-registered parent that provides centralized marketing, gift card, accessibility (WCAG 2.0 AA, ADA-compliant), and digital infrastructure. No proprietary technology, AI capabilities, funding rounds, or outside equity investors are disclosed. The company employs approximately 11 staff and operates only in Pennsylvania, with no public financials or expansion plans in the available data.
Fette Sau firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fette Sau
- Legal name
- STARR Restaurant Organization LLC
- Website
- https://fettesauphilly.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fette Sau is a single-location Philadelphia barbecue restaurant offering dry-rubbed smoked meats, sides, and a full beverage program to general consumers and private-event groups, operating under STARR Restaurant Organization LLC since 2012.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fette Sau industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Barbecue Restaurant
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)
Keywords
Where Fette Sau is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fette Sau business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue from serving smoked meats, sandwiches, sides, desserts, and beverages directly to customers dining in the restaurant. Counter ordering system for dine-in customers.
- Takeout and Delivery: Revenue from takeout orders and third-party delivery services, including online ordering through the restaurant's website and delivery platforms.
- Catering and Private Events: Revenue from catering packages (meats, sides, desserts) and private group dining events accommodating up to 100 guests. 48-hour advance notice requested for catering orders.
- Gift Cards: STARR Restaurants gift cards sold through the Starr Restaurants platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Smoked Meats - Unit Pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sandwiches - Unit Pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sides - Small/Large Pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Special Packages |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beverages - Draft Beer and Cocktails |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Happy Hour |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Catering - Bulk Orders |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Fette Sau product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fette Sau is a dine-in American barbecue restaurant that dry-rubs and smokes meats on-site, including brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs, smoked chicken, sausage, and beef jerky. The menu combines these smoked meats with sandwiches, traditional sides, desserts, and a beverage program of craft beer, bourbon, and specialty cocktails. The restaurant supplements dine-in service with takeout, delivery, group dining for up to 100 guests, and bulk catering packages requiring 48-hour advance notice.
Product overview
Fette Sau is a Philadelphia-based restaurant offering American barbecue with German influences, founded by Stephen Starr and Joe Carroll. The core product is a dine-in and catering service featuring dry-rubbed, smoked meats (brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, sausage) served with sides, sandwiches, desserts, and an extensive beverage program including craft beers, cocktails, and bourbon. The restaurant operates as a single unified dining concept rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, supplemented by catering packages, group dining accommodations for up to 100 guests, and happy hour promotions. Takeout and delivery are available through third-party platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Smoked Meats
Companies that use Fette Sau
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Fette Sau technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Fette Sau partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- STARR RestaurantscoreFette Sau is owned and operated by STARR Restaurants, the parent restaurant group founded by Stephen Starr. STARR Restaurants provides operational infrastructure including marketing, gift card systems, accessibility compliance programs, privacy policies, and digital platforms for all member restaurants including Fette Sau.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Fette Sau competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Largest U.S. barbecue franchise with hundreds of locations offering slow-smoked meats, sides, and catering. Comparable product category and catering-led business model, though it competes on scale and franchise footprint rather than single-location craft positioning.
- Famous Dave's: Public, multi-unit American barbecue chain offering hickory-smoked meats, full bars, and catering. Highly comparable on menu (ribs, brisket, pulled pork) and on a dine-in plus catering revenue model, though at a much larger and more standardized scale.
- Mission BBQ: Multi-unit American barbecue chain serving smoked meats, sides, and a craft beer program in a casual, fast-casual setting. Directly comparable on product mix (brisket, pulled pork, ribs) and dine-in experience, with a much larger national footprint.
Direct peers
- Federal Donuts: Philadelphia-based fried chicken and donut concept also owned by Stephen Starr and STARR Restaurants. Operates as a small-format, counter-service restaurant in the same hometown and parent portfolio as Fette Sau, serving overlapping dine-in and takeout audiences.
- Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: Multi-location New York-based craft barbecue brand with a strong bar program and live music identity. Directly comparable as a destination BBQ restaurant with counter/dine-in service, full bar, and a regionally rooted brand identity.
- Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse: Long-running Philadelphia barbecue restaurant and caterer specializing in smoked meats, sides, and bulk event orders. Closely comparable on product (smoked meats, sides, catering packages) and on Philadelphia regional BBQ competition.
- Joe's Kansas City BBQ: Award-winning destination BBQ restaurant famous for brisket, ribs, and burnt ends, with a counter-ordering, dine-in plus takeout model. Comparable on product positioning (premium smoked meats), service style, and cult brand status within American craft BBQ.
- Hill Country Barbecue Market: Texas-style barbecue restaurant in New York and Washington, D.C. offering dry-rubbed smoked meats by the half-pound, sides, and an extensive bourbon and beer program. Closely comparable to Fette Sau on menu structure (meats by weight), counter-ordering service style, and craft beverage positioning.
Regional players
- City Tap House: Philadelphia-based gastropub with a strong craft beer and bourbon program and full food menu. Comparable as a STARR-adjacent or peer Philadelphia dining concept competing for the same dine-in, beverage-forward customer in the regional market.
Emerging players
- Ardie's / Project Smoke (Steven Raichlen concepts): Author-driven barbecue concepts and retail product lines translating on-site smoking expertise into branded consumer and restaurant experiences. Comparable as a content-plus-restaurant BBQ brand exploring ways to scale craft smoking beyond a single location.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fette Sau social profiles
Digital presenceFette Sau compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Fette Sau financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fette Sau leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Fette Sau funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fette Sau 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 Fette Sau
What does Fette Sau do?
Fette Sau is a dine-in American barbecue restaurant that dry-rubs and smokes meats on-site, including brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs, smoked chicken, sausage, and beef jerky. The menu combines these smoked meats with sandwiches, traditional sides, desserts, and a beverage program of craft beer, bourbon, and specialty cocktails. The restaurant supplements dine-in service with takeout, delivery, group dining for up to 100 guests, and bulk catering packages requiring 48-hour advance notice.
Is Fette Sau a public or private company?
Fette Sau is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Fette Sau founded?
Fette Sau was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Fette Sau based?
Fette Sau is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fette Sau make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are takeout and Delivery, catering and Private Events and gift Cards.
Who are Fette Sau's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Famous Dave's and Mission BBQ. Direct peers are Federal Donuts, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse, Joe's Kansas City BBQ and Hill Country Barbecue Market. City Tap House is listed as a regional player. Ardie's / Project Smoke (Steven Raichlen concepts) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fette Sau have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fette Sau.
What industry is Fette Sau in?
Fette Sau's product category is Casual Dining Barbecue Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAH, BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual, with a secondary code of THAFACAD, Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 5810.