What Plowboys BBQ does

Plowboys BBQ is a family-owned Kansas City barbecue restaurant operator incorporated as Plowboys Restaurant Group, Inc., with roots in a competition team (Pork Pullin Plowboys) formed in 2001 by Todd Johns and Randy Hinck. The company opened its first restaurant in Blue Springs, Missouri in September 2013 and has since expanded to a downtown Kansas City location (145 seats with two outdoor patios), a 5000 sq ft Overland Park, Kansas location, and a franchise at Barry's Husker Bar in Lincoln, Nebraska, operating in three states. It also runs two concession stands at Arrowhead Stadium as the anchor BBQ brand for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The core product is traditional competition-style smoked meats — brisket (14-hour smoked), burnt ends (9-hour smoked), pulled pork (12-hour smoked), turkey, pulled chicken, ribs, and ham — prepared using proprietary rubs (Yardbird, Bovine Bold, Fin & Feather) and sauces (Sweet 180, En Fuego, KC Crossroads) created by chief pitmaster Todd Johns. Signature items include the award-winning BBQ Nachos and BBQ Cheese Fries. The company also sells its rubs and sauces at retail through a 'Refer a Retailer' channel and offers full-service catering managed by a dedicated Director of Catering.

Revenue is generated through four streams: dine-in restaurant sales, Arrowhead Stadium concessions, catering services, and franchise/licensing fees plus consumer product sales. The company reports a very small core employee count of 8, though the operational footprint (multiple restaurants, stadium operations, catering, franchise support) implies broader staffing than the listed figure suggests. The business is private with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or external investors.

Name

Plowboys BBQ

Legal name

Plowboys Restaurant Group, Inc.

Website

https://plowboysbbq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Plowboys BBQ is a family-owned Kansas City barbecue restaurant chain founded on a competition pedigree, operating three company-owned restaurants in Missouri and Kansas, a franchise in Nebraska, Arrowhead Stadium concession stands for the Kansas City Chiefs, and catering services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining / Barbecue Restaurants

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

BBQ Sauce & Marinades Manufacturing (AFAKADAH)

Keywords

• Smoked barbecue meats
• Barbecue restaurant chain
• Catering services
• Sports stadium concessions
• Bbq sauces and rubs

Headquarters

HQ city

Blue Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Full-service restaurant operations serving smoked meats, combos, sides, and specialty items. Revenue from dine-in customers at two Missouri locations.
2. Catering Services: Catering operations managed by Owner & Director of Catering Audrey Johns. Contact at 816-228-7569.
3. Stadium Concessions: Concession stands at Arrowhead Stadium serving Kansas City Chiefs fans. Major revenue stream with high-volume sales during games.
4. Franchise Fees: Franchise model with first franchise at Barry's Husker Bar in Lincoln, NE. Revenue from franchise licensing.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Plowboys BBQ is a family-owned Kansas City barbecue restaurant group that serves competition-style smoked meats (brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, turkey, chicken, ribs, ham), plated combos, sides, and signature items such as BBQ Nachos and BBQ Cheese Fries at company-owned restaurants in Missouri and Kansas. The company also operates stadium concessions at Arrowhead Stadium, provides full-service catering for events, licenses franchise locations, and sells branded spice rubs and BBQ sauces.

Product overview

Plowboys BBQ is an award-winning Kansas City barbecue restaurant chain founded in 2001 by Todd Johns and Randy Hinck as a competition BBQ team, with the first restaurant opening in Blue Springs, MO in September 2013. The restaurant operates on a multi-location model with dine-in service, catering, and stadium concessions. The core product offering consists of competition-style smoked meats (brisket, pork, chicken, turkey, burnt ends, ribs, ham), served as sandwiches or by the pound with optional sides. Signature specialties include the award-winning BBQ Nachos and BBQ Cheese Fries. The company also manufactures and sells consumer products including specialty spice rubs (Yardbird, Bovine Bold, Fin & Feather) and BBQ sauces (Sweet 180, En Fuego, KC Crossroads) at retail locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Smoked Meats (Pulled Pork, Turkey, Pulled Chicken, Brisket, Burnt Ends, Ham) Competition-style smoked meats served as sandwich or by the pound at Plowboys BBQ restaurant locations. Includes Pulled Pork (12-hour smoked with Yardbird rub), Turkey (Yardbird rub), Pulled Chicken (6-hour smoked), Brisket (Certified Angus Beef, 14-hour smoked with Bovine Bold), Burnt Ends (Certified Angus Beef, 9-hour smoked with Bovine Bold), and Ham (honey and brown sugar cured, double smoked). For dine-in customers at the Blue Springs, downtown Kansas City, and Overland Park locations.
• Baby Back Ribs Baby back ribs seasoned with Yardbird rub, smoked 3–5 hours and lightly coated with Sweet 180 sauce. Available in full racks (12-13 bones) and half racks (6 bones). Served at Plowboys BBQ restaurant locations.
• Plated Combos (Fall Classic, Stockyards, Moink, Barnyard, Royal Crown Combo) Plated combo meals that let customers sample multiple menu items. Includes Fall Classic (Pork, Sausage, Turkey, Two Sides, Texas Toast), Stockyards (Brisket, Sausage, Two Sides, Texas Toast), Moink (Burnt Ends, Sausage, Two Sides, Texas Toast), Barnyard (Pork, Chicken, Brisket, Two Sides, Texas Toast), and Royal Crown Combo (Four Ribs, Pork, Brisket, Two Sides, Texas Toast). For dine-in customers.
• BBQ Nachos Tortilla chips fried in-house daily, topped with made-from-scratch cheese sauce, sour cream, jalapenos, and choice of award-winning BBQ meat (excluding burnt ends). Runner-up for Best Only-in-KC BBQ Dish by The Pitch and listed on INK Magazine's BBQ Bucket List. A signature specialty item at Plowboys BBQ restaurants and at Arrowhead Stadium concessions.
• BBQ Cheese Fries French fries dusted with Yardbird rub and topped with made-from-scratch cheese sauce, sour cream, jalapenos, KC Crossroads sauce, and choice of BBQ meat (excluding burnt ends). Served at Plowboys BBQ restaurant locations.
• BBQ Sides (Pit Beans, Cheesy Potatoes, French Fries, Creamy Cole Slaw, Vinegar Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, Green Beans, Mac N Cheese) BBQ side dishes including Pit Beans (with Bovine Bold rub), Cheesy Potatoes (hashbrown casserole with Yardbird rub), French Fries (with Yardbird rub), Creamy Cole Slaw (3-generation family recipe), Vinegar Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, Green Beans (with rib meat and Bovine Bold), and Mac N Cheese (with Yardbird rub). For dine-in customers and combos.
• Plow Kids Menu Kids meals for ages 12 and younger featuring a kids-size sandwich, 2 baby back ribs, or chicken strips, served with a side and kid-sized drink. Available at Plowboys BBQ restaurant locations.
• Catering Services Full-service BBQ catering for corporate events, private parties, and large gatherings across the Kansas City metro and surrounding region. Managed by Owner & Director of Catering Audrey Johns; booking contact at [email protected] and 816-228-7569.
• Stadium Concessions at Arrowhead Stadium BBQ concession stands operated by Plowboys BBQ at Arrowhead Stadium for Kansas City Chiefs home games. Plowboys is the anchor BBQ brand at the stadium with two concession stands; BBQ Nachos became a top 10 stadium item and record-breaking sales approached 600 nachos in 4.5 hours during a 2019 game.
• Plowboys BBQ Franchise Program Franchise licensing of the Plowboys BBQ brand, recipes, and operating playbook to third-party operators. First franchise opened at Barry's Husker Bar in Lincoln, NE in 2019, marking Plowboys' expansion into a third state.
• Yardbird Rub Proprietary spice rub created by pitmaster Todd Johns in 2007, balancing sweet and salty with a bit of heat, used on poultry (chicken and turkey). Award-winning blend sold under the Plowboys brand.
• Bovine Bold Rub Proprietary spice rub introduced in 2008, used on beef products including brisket and burnt ends. Sold under the Plowboys brand.
• Fin & Feather Rub Proprietary spice rub released by Todd Johns in 2011, used on fish and poultry. Sold under the Plowboys brand.
• Sweet 180 Sauce Proprietary sweet finishing BBQ sauce named after the perfect 180-point score it helped chicken receive in competition. Released in 2012 and sold under the Plowboys brand.
• En Fuego Sauce Proprietary spicy BBQ sauce described as the kicked-up cousin of Sweet 180, starting sweet and ending sassy. Released in 2012 and sold under the Plowboys brand.
• KC Crossroads Sauce Proprietary BBQ sauce featured on menu items (such as BBQ Cheese Fries) and available for purchase under the Plowboys brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 KCBS-sanctioned competition wins across 7 states in 2009 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Barry's Husker BarflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019First Plowboys BBQ franchise opened at Barry's Husker Bar in Lincoln, NE. This represents the company's first franchise location and expansion into Nebraska.
• Kansas City ChiefscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Plowboys BBQ became the anchor BBQ brand for Arrowhead Stadium after the Chiefs needed local BBQ options following Jack Stack BBQ's departure. They operate concession stands in Chiefs Hall of Honor and expanded to two stands by 2019. Plowboys nachos became a top 10 stadium item with record-breaking sales.
• Travel ChannelminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014BBQ Crawl show on Travel Channel featured Plowboys BBQ restaurant in 2014, providing national media exposure.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arthur Bryant's Barbeque: Arthur Bryant's is a legendary KC BBQ original operating dine-in locations and catering in the same metro. Direct peer in competition-style smoked meats and KC BBQ brand identity.
• Jack Stack BBQ: Jack Stack BBQ is a KC BBQ chain with sit-down restaurants, catering, and consumer products (sauces, rubs) shipped nationally. Plowboys literally replaced Jack Stack as Arrowhead's anchor BBQ brand, making them the closest direct competitor and historical benchmark.
• Gates Bar-B-Q: Gates Bar-B-Q is a multi-location KC institution with sit-down service and a sauce-and-rub consumer products line. Directly comparable on Kansas City BBQ product format and branded retail sauce distribution.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Dickey's is the largest BBQ franchise network in the U.S. with hundreds of franchised locations and a consumer products line. Closest comparable franchise-driven BBQ growth model to what Plowboys is attempting with Barry's Husker Bar.
• Joe's KC BBQ: Joe's KC BBQ (formerly Oklahoma Joe's) is the highest-volume Kansas City BBQ competitor, operating multiple KC-area restaurants and a nationally shipped consumer products line. Directly comparable competition-style BBQ operating model in the same metro.
• Q39 BBQ: Q39 is a competition-style BBQ restaurant in Kansas City founded by a KCBS pitmaster with award-winning smoked meats and scratch sides. Closely comparable premium BBQ positioning within the same metro.

Regional players

• LC's Bar-B-Q: LC's Bar-B-Q is an established Kansas City BBQ restaurant with limited but loyal dine-in traffic. Comparable regional, KC-BBQ-format competitor at the smaller end of the scale.

Emerging players

• Slap's BBQ: Slap's BBQ is a Kansas City competition BBQ team turned small restaurant brand with multiple KC-area locations and a consumer rubs/sauce line. Closely mirrors Plowboys' origin and operating model.
• Mission BBQ: Mission BBQ is a multi-unit, veteran-themed fast-casual BBQ chain expanding across the U.S. Competes in the same fast-casual BBQ category with national ambitions, similar to where Plowboys is heading.

Broad incumbents

• Famous Dave's: Famous Dave's is a publicly traded, full-service BBQ chain with dine-in, catering, consumer products, and franchising nationwide. Comparable on every revenue stream (restaurants, catering, sauces/rubs retail, franchising) but far larger footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plowboys-bbq

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 Plowboys BBQ