Smokehouse Barbecue

What Smokehouse Barbecue does

Smokehouse Barbecue is a family-owned and operated Kansas City-style barbecue restaurant chain that has operated continuously since 1987, when it opened its original location in Gladstone, Missouri. The company runs three full-service dine-in restaurants across the Kansas City metro area—in Gladstone, Independence, and Kansas City (Zona Rosa)—each featuring a bar/lounge area, banquet room, and carryout service. Its core product is hickory-smoked meats prepared using traditional wood-burning pit methods, including brisket, ribs, pulled pork, burnt ends, and chicken, served alongside made-from-scratch sides (coleslaw, baked beans, cheesy corn) and proprietary sauces and rubs.

The business generates revenue across five distinct streams: dine-in restaurant sales, carryout/online ordering (processed through Toast Tab), full-service catering with buffet and boxed meal options for events of 10-500 people, private banquet room rentals (25-110 person capacity depending on location), and nationwide shipping of mail-order BBQ products via the separate shipkcbbq.com storefront. Pricing follows a unit-pricing model with lunch specials at $11.95, dinner platters at $19.95-$39.95, and catered buffets at $17.95-$29.95 per person plus gratuity.

The customer base is primarily individual and family diners from the Kansas City metro, supplemented by corporate catering clients, wedding and private-event customers, and a small nationwide mail-order audience. The company uses Toast Tab for online ordering, Google Analytics for site analytics, email marketing through the Smokehouse Barbecue Club loyalty program, and organic social media as its primary marketing channels. No external funding, institutional investors, or public listing are disclosed; ownership remains with the founding family.

Name

Smokehouse Barbecue

Legal name

Smokehouse Barbecue

Website

https://smokehousebbq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smokehouse Barbecue is a family-owned Kansas City-style BBQ restaurant chain operating three dine-in locations in the Kansas City metro (Gladstone, Independence, Zona Rosa) since 1987, serving hickory-smoked meats via dine-in, carryout, full-service catering, banquet rooms, and nationwide mail-order shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family-Style Restaurants (THAFACAC), Cocktail Bars & Lounges (CRANACAD)

Keywords

• Barbecue restaurant
• Hickory smoked meats
• Full-service catering
• Banquet event venue
• Mail-order barbecue

Headquarters

HQ city

Hackettstown, New Jersey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from customers dining at one of three Kansas City metro restaurant locations. Includes lunch, dinner, and weekend service periods with full menu offerings.
2. Carryout/To-Go Orders: Revenue from carryout orders placed online or by phone for pickup at any of three locations. Includes online ordering through Toast Tab integration.
3. Catering Services: Full-service catering and buffet delivery for events. Includes buffet-style catering, boxed meals, and food trays. Minimum 25 person buffet requirement. Revenue from catering department handling corporate events, weddings, and private functions.
4. Nationwide Shipping: Mail-order BBQ products shipped nationally through shipkcbbq.com. Customers can order smoked meats, sauces, and rubs for delivery anywhere in the continental US.
5. Banquet Room Rentals: Revenue from private event bookings at banquet rooms across three locations. Capacity ranges from 25-110 people depending on location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Smokehouse Barbecue operates three family-owned casual dining restaurants in the Kansas City metro area (Gladstone, Independence, Zona Rosa) serving hickory-smoked meats including brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and burnt ends since 1987. The company supplements dine-in service with carryout/online ordering, full-service catering for events of 10-500 guests, private banquet room rentals, and nationwide mail-order shipping of smoked meats and sauces.

Product overview

Smokehouse Barbecue is a family-owned BBQ restaurant chain with three Kansas City metro area locations (Gladstone, Independence, and Zona Rosa/Kansas City) operating since 1987. The core offering is Hickory-smoked meats including brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and burnt ends served in a casual family-friendly dining atmosphere. The company operates as a unified restaurant brand supplemented by multiple service modules: carryout/online ordering via Toast Tab, nationwide shipping, full-service catering with professional staff, private banquet rooms (25-110 capacity), and a customer loyalty club. Additional offerings include specialized menus for lunch, dinner, kids, and catering events, as well as delivery services within the metro area. The product portfolio functions as a single restaurant brand with integrated add-on services rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dine-In Restaurant Service Full-service dine-in experience at three Kansas City metro locations (Gladstone, Independence, Zona Rosa) featuring hickory-smoked meats, full bar, lounge areas, and family-friendly atmosphere.
• Carryout/Online Ordering Online carryout ordering system enabling customers to place orders for in-store pickup at any of the three Kansas City area restaurant locations.
• Full-Service Catering Catering service with professional staff, buffet setup, tables, linens, and chafing dishes for weddings, corporate events, and private gatherings. Offers buffet-style catering (Traditional Buffet $25.95/person, Ultimate Feast Buffet $29.95/person, Executive Buffet $17.95/person, Combo Buffet $20.95/person), boxed meals ($14.95-$15.95), and food trays.
• Banquet Rooms Private event spaces at all three restaurant locations accommodating 25-110 guests with customized menus, dedicated event managers, and banquet room buffets ($26.95-$36.95 per person).
• Nationwide Shipping Mail-order shipping service allowing customers nationwide to order smoked meats, sauces, and rubs for delivery anywhere in the continental US.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mission BBQ: Mission BBQ is a multi-state barbecue concept with dine-in, catering, and smoked-meat offerings. It is a broader incumbent comparable to Smokehouse's restaurant and event-based barbecue model.
• Famous Dave's: Famous Dave's is an established barbecue restaurant chain offering dine-in, takeout, catering, and branded products. It is a broader incumbent whose category, customer use cases, and monetization model are similar to Smokehouse.

Regional players

• City Barbeque: City Barbeque is a multi-state barbecue chain with dine-in, carryout, catering, and smoked-meat offerings. It is a broader regional operator comparable to Smokehouse on product and occasion-based restaurant economics, but not on local concentration.

Direct peers

• Slap's BBQ: Slap's BBQ is a Kansas City-area barbecue concept serving smoked meats through restaurant and takeout channels. It is an emerging local direct peer with the same barbecue focus and customer occasion.
• Jack Stack Barbecue: Jack Stack Barbecue is a Kansas City-area barbecue chain with multiple restaurants, full-service dining, carryout, catering, and packaged products. Its multi-site, omnichannel operating model is closely aligned with Smokehouse's.
• Q39: Q39 is a Kansas City barbecue concept with multiple locations, smoked-meat menus, dine-in service, and takeout and catering. It serves the same regional barbecue customers and occasions as Smokehouse.
• Gates Bar-B-Q: Gates Bar-B-Q is a Kansas City barbecue chain serving smoked meats through restaurants and takeout. Its local footprint and core barbecue proposition are directly comparable to Smokehouse.
• Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que: Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que is a multi-location Kansas City barbecue operator offering smoked meats through restaurants, carryout, and catering. It is directly comparable to Smokehouse's regional, multi-channel barbecue model.
• LC's Barbecue: LC's Barbecue is a Kansas City barbecue restaurant centered on smoked meats and dine-in and carryout service. It is a close local product and customer comparison for Smokehouse.
• Arthur Bryant's Barbecue: Arthur Bryant's Barbecue is a Kansas City barbecue institution focused on smoked meats and dine-in and takeout service. It competes for the same local barbecue demand as Smokehouse, although its brand heritage is longer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smokehouse-barbecue

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Smokehouse Barbecue