Low and Slow Smokehouse

What Low and Slow Smokehouse does

Low and Slow Smokehouse is a privately held, for-profit BBQ restaurant operator founded in 2021 and headquartered in Smithfield, North Carolina, with a second location in Lakeland, Florida. The company serves individual diners, families, and event/catering customers seeking authentic Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue prepared via wood-fired and grilled techniques, using locally sourced meats and ingredients where seasonally available. Its core offerings include dine-in service, online ordering via Clover (NC) and Toast Tab (FL), third-party delivery through DoorDash, catering booked through Ezcater, private events with a $7,500 minimum rental fee, and loyalty programs plus digital gift cards through the Clover and Toast apps.

The business operates a two-unit, multi-state footprint spanning the Southeast U.S., with each location offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner service (11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily) and supplemental menus such as a kids menu, family packs, drinks, and a buffet option at the NC site. The NC flagship has a distinctive co-location above Blue Line Aviation at the Johnston Regional Airport that enables a fly-in dining experience, while the FL location offers a pet-friendly outdoor patio. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer across physical storefronts and digital ordering channels, supplemented by catering and private-event bookings.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: dine-in restaurant sales, online ordering transaction fees, third-party delivery commissions, catering and private-event fees (with a $7,500 minimum for private events), gift card sales, and loyalty-driven repeat purchases. The technology stack is built on industry-standard restaurant platforms — Clover POS, Toast Tab, Ezcater, DoorDash, and Paylocity — with no disclosed AI/ML, proprietary software, or external funding. The company appears to be independently owned and bootstrapped, having grown from informal backyard BBQ competitions into a small multi-location restaurant group.

Name

Low and Slow Smokehouse

Legal name

Low and Slow Smokehouse

Website

https://lowandslowsmokehouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Low and Slow Smokehouse is a privately held two-location BBQ restaurant group operating in Smithfield, NC and Lakeland, FL, serving Eastern North Carolina-style smoked meats to individual diners, families, and event clients via dine-in, online ordering, delivery, catering, and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

BBQ Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

Keywords

• Barbecue restaurant dining
• Smokehouse meats
• Catering services
• Private event venue
• Online food ordering

Headquarters

HQ city

Smithfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 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 from walk-in customers dining at either Smithfield, NC or Lakeland, FL locations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner service. Operating hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at both locations.
2. Online Ordering: Digital ordering through Clover POS (Smithfield) and Toast Tab platform (Lakeland) for takeout orders, generating transaction-based revenue.
3. Catering Services: Customized catering for events including weddings, corporate events, and private parties. Menu is arranged to meet client needs. Orders processed through Ezcater platform.
4. Delivery Services: Third-party delivery revenue through DoorDash partnership for Lakeland, FL location.
5. Gift Cards: Digital gift card sales through Toast Tab platform for both locations.
6. Loyalty Program: Customer retention through loyalty program available via Clover app (NC) and Toast app (FL), driving repeat purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Low and Slow Smokehouse operates two physical BBQ restaurants in Smithfield, NC and Lakeland, FL, serving authentic Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue prepared through wood-fired and grilled techniques. The business offers dine-in service, online ordering via Clover and Toast platforms, off-site catering through Ezcater, private event hosting with a $7,500 minimum rental fee, gift cards, and loyalty programs through the Clover and Toast mobile apps.

Product overview

Low and Slow Smokehouse is a dual-location BBQ restaurant chain offering a unified dining experience across Smithfield, NC and Lakeland, FL. The core offering centers on authentic Eastern NC-style smoked meats prepared through wood-fired and grilling techniques. The product portfolio consists of dine-in restaurant service, online ordering systems (via Clover for Smithfield and Toast for Lakeland), catering services, and private event hosting. Supporting offerings include loyalty programs accessible through mobile apps, gift cards, and specialized menus including Kids Menu, Family Packs, Drinks Menu, and buffet options at the NC location. The restaurants source meats locally and focus on quality ingredients with affordable pricing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dine-In Restaurant Service

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blue Line AviationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Line Aviation is the host location for the Smithfield, NC restaurant. The restaurant is located above Blue Line Aviation at the Johnston Regional Airport, and Blue Line's airstrip allows customers to fly in specifically to dine at the restaurant. This partnership creates a unique fly-in dining experience not available at typical BBQ establishments.
• ClovercoreTechnology or IntegrationClover POS system powers online ordering and loyalty program for the Smithfield, NC location. The Clover app enables customers to join the loyalty program and access exclusive deals.
• Toast TabcoreTechnology or IntegrationToast Tab platform powers online ordering, gift card sales, and loyalty program for the Lakeland, FL location. The Toast app enables customers to join the loyalty program.
• DoorDashminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoorDash provides third-party delivery services for the Lakeland, FL location, enabling customers to order BBQ for home delivery.
• EzcatercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEzcater is the catering ordering platform for both Smithfield, NC and Lakeland, FL locations, enabling corporate events, weddings, and private party catering orders.
• Restaurant GuruminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant Guru is a restaurant review and discovery platform that featured Low and Slow Smokehouse as a top 10 best BBQ restaurant in Smithfield for 2022, providing third-party credibility and marketing visibility.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Memphis Taproom: Independent BBQ and smoked-meat concept serving a different region; comparable menu and casual full-service format at similar scale.

Broad incumbents

• Texas Roadhouse: Large casual dining chain with smoked and grilled meats on the menu; broader incumbent that competes for family dining occasions in the same price tier.
• Smokey Bones: Casual dining chain with a BBQ-centric menu and full bar; broader restaurant operator that competes for sit-down BBQ occasions at larger scale.

Others

• ezCater: Catering marketplace and platform partner; not a restaurant but a key distribution channel for Low and Slow's catering business and comparable catering aggregators shape demand.
• Toast: Restaurant POS and online ordering platform used by Low and Slow's Lakeland location; an enabling technology peer whose product decisions directly impact the company's operations.

Direct peers

• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: Regional BBQ operator known for wood-smoked meats, live music, catering, and private events; closely aligned with Low and Slow's music-food-events positioning.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Large franchised BBQ chain offering slow-smoked meats, catering, and dine-in; comparable multi-unit smokehouse and catering model.
• Sonny's BBQ: Southeastern U.S. BBQ chain with sit-down service, catering, and to-go offerings; overlaps directly with Low and Slow's dine-in plus catering business model.
• Famous Dave's: National BBQ restaurant chain serving wood-smoked meats in a dine-in and catering format; directly comparable to Low and Slow Smokehouse's core BBQ and catering offering across multiple locations.
• Mission BBQ: Multi-location BBQ concept serving smoked meats with dine-in and catering; competes for similar smokehouse customer occasions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lowslowsmokehousenc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/low-and-slow-smokehouse

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 Low and Slow Smokehouse