What Virgil's Real BBQ does

Virgil's Real BBQ is a privately held, Southern-style barbecue restaurant chain founded in 1994 by Artie Cutler and operated under the Alicart Restaurant Group. The company runs four company-owned locations in destination markets: Times Square (flagship, opened 1994), the Upper West Side in New York City (opened 2024), The LINQ Promenade on the Las Vegas Strip, and the Atlantis resort in Nassau, Bahamas. It employs 83 people and serves two primary customer segments — individual consumers and families seeking authentic barbecue in tourist-friendly settings, and groups/corporate event organizers (15+ guests) booking private dining, catering, and event packages. The brand monetizes across dine-in, takeout, delivery (via the Olo online ordering platform), catering, gift cards, and a published cookbook, with a Las Vegas venue capable of hosting up to 500 seated / 600 reception events.

Name

Virgil's Real BBQ

Legal name

Times Square Barbecue, Inc.

Website

https://virgilsbbq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining / Restaurant Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

Keywords

• Southern-style barbecue
• Smoked meats restaurant
• Catering services
• Private event hosting
• Casual dining chain

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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: Revenue generated from customers dining in at physical restaurant locations across Times Square NYC, Upper West Side NYC, Las Vegas, and Atlantis Bahamas.
2. Catering Services: On-site party hosting and off-site catering for groups of 15 or more, with customizable BBQ menus and beverage packages.
3. Take-Out and Delivery: Take-out and delivery orders placed via the company's online ordering platform (powered by Olo/olo.com), including specialty takeout packages such as the Red, White & 'Cue package.
4. Gift Card Sales: Digital and physical gift cards sold through the company's website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Virgil's Real BBQ operates four Southern-style barbecue restaurant locations (Times Square NYC, Upper West Side NYC, Las Vegas, Atlantis Bahamas) serving slow-smoked meats prepared through a proprietary low-temperature indirect heat smoking process using hickory, oak, and fruit woods. The company offers dine-in service, take-out and delivery via the Olo online ordering platform, on-site private party hosting, and off-site catering for groups of 15 or more.

Product overview

Virgil's Real BBQ is a Southern-style barbecue restaurant chain established in 1994, operating under the Alicart Restaurant Group. The core offering consists of dine-in restaurant service, takeout/delivery, and catering across four locations (Times Square NYC, Upper West Side NYC, Las Vegas, and Atlantis Bahamas). Their signature products include smoked meats cooked at low temperatures for up to 10 hours using hickory, oak, and fruit woods. The company also offers seasonal takeout packages (Red, White & 'Cue), event hosting services (World Cup Fan Zones, private parties), gift cards, and a published cookbook. The business operates primarily through OpenTable for reservations and its own ordering platform for takeout/delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dine-In Restaurant Service Full-service dine-in restaurant experience offering slow-smoked meats, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, and regional comfort food sides at four physical locations: Times Square NYC, Upper West Side NYC, Las Vegas (The LINQ Promenade), and Atlantis Bahamas.
• Take-Out and Delivery Online ordering for take-out and delivery via the Olo online ordering platform at Times Square NYC, Upper West Side NYC, Las Vegas, and Atlantis Bahamas.
• Off-Site Catering Service Off-site BBQ catering for parties and events at Times Square NYC, Upper West Side NYC, and Las Vegas locations, available for groups of 15 or more people with customizable menus.
• Private Party and Event Hosting On-site private and semi-private event hosting for corporate events, fan club parties, and private celebrations at Times Square NYC and Las Vegas locations, including the Las Vegas second-level private room with built-in bar and outdoor patios (capacity up to 500 seated / 600 reception).
• Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards redeemable across Virgil's Real BBQ locations, sold via the company website.
• Red, White & 'Cue Takeout Package Limited-edition summer takeout package featuring slow-smoked brisket, pulled pork, ribs, wings, Hot Piggies, sides, and Red, White & Blue Banana Pudding packed in an exclusive America 250 insulated tote bag, available in two sizes.
• World Cup Fan Zone BBQ Packages Special viewing packages for FIFA World Cup matches including General Entry ($25/person), Bar Drink packages ($70/person), Premium Bar packages ($130/person), and reserved table packages for 2, 4, and 6 people with food and drink inclusions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Original New York City barbecue restaurant, established 1994

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Atlantis Resort (Nassau, Bahamas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirgil's operates a restaurant location within the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas. The resort location provides a built-in tourist customer base. Take-out service is available at this location. The partnership positions Virgil's as the BBQ option within a major luxury resort property.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hill Country Barbecue Market: NYC-based upscale BBQ restaurant serving slow-smoked Texas-style meats with a market/dining concept. Directly comparable to Virgil's as a high-volume, event-friendly BBQ operator in Manhattan with a similar Southern/Texas-style smoked meat playbook.
• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: Multi-unit regional BBQ chain known for slow-smoked meats, sauces, and full-service dine-in plus catering. Comparable in BBQ category positioning, catering/event emphasis, and brand-led expansion approach, though with a stronger upstate NY concentration.
• Sugarfire Smoke House: St. Louis-based BBQ concept with NYC expansion, focused on craft smoked meats and counter-service. Comparable in BBQ craft positioning and urban market entry strategy.
• Mighty Quinn's Barbecue: NYC-born craft BBQ fast-casual concept with multiple locations. Comparable as a competitor for Southern-style smoked meats in the New York market, sharing a similar target customer (urban diners and takeout) and emphasis on proprietary smoking techniques.
• Carmine's (Alicart Restaurant Group): Sister brand under the same Alicart Restaurant Group parent. Operates large-format, family-style Italian restaurants in Times Square, Upper West Side, and other markets. Highly comparable operating model, real estate strategy, group/event orientation, and management team.
• Dallas BBQ: Long-standing NYC BBQ chain operating multiple Manhattan locations with full bar, group dining, and tourist clientele. Closely comparable to Virgil's in geography, customer mix (tourists and groups), and family-style BBQ positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Mission BBQ: Fast-growing national BBQ chain with 100+ locations emphasizing American themes, dine-in, and catering. Comparable in BBQ category and group/community catering focus, but with substantially broader scale and unit growth.
• Sonny's BBQ: Largest U.S. franchised BBQ chain with 90+ locations. Comparable in BBQ category, family-style dining, and catering emphasis, though operates predominantly in the Southeast with a franchise model versus Virgil's corporate/owned approach.
• Famous Dave's: Public, multi-unit BBQ chain with broad national footprint, full-service dine-in, catering, and retail sauce line. Comparable BBQ category and revenue model, but operates at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Regional players

• Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que: Highly acclaimed regional BBQ destination in Kansas City with strong national brand recognition and limited geographic expansion. Comparable in BBQ craft and cult following, but with no NYC/Vegas overlap and a counter-service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/virgilsbbq
• Facebookfacebook.com/Virgilsrealbbq
• Instagraminstagram.com/VirgilsRealBBQ
• TikToktiktok.com/@virgilsrealbbq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virgil-s-real-bbq

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Virgil's Real BBQ