Phil's BBQ
Phil's BBQ is a founder-owned, San Diego-based fast-casual barbecue chain founded in 1998, operating five SoCal locations (plus an Arizona unit planned for Q1 2027) and serving mesquite-grilled ribs, chicken, and sandwiches via dine-in, take-out, catering, and event-center channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Phil's BBQ does
Phil's BBQ is a privately held, founder-owned chain of fast-casual barbecue restaurants headquartered in San Diego and operating since 1998. The company serves mesquite-grilled baby back ribs, beef ribs, chicken, and sandwiches across four full-service locations (Point Loma, Santee, Rancho Bernardo, Temecula) and one airport concession at San Diego International Airport (Terminal 2 West), with corporate offices at 3750 Sports Arena Blvd. Its go-to-market is direct-to-consumer across dine-in, take-out, online ordering, and four catering tiers (Family Style Pick-Up, Delivery Drop Off, Full Service Staffed Events, and on-site Grill Master) accommodating 10 to 3,000 guests, supplemented by an Event Center venue tier, a happy-hour bar business, and an online merchandise storefront at philsbbq.biz.
The business operates on a transaction-fee revenue model. Per-item pricing ranges from approximately $2.25 for sides to $34.99 for the Beef Rib Dinner; family meals are priced at $109.99 (Baby Back Rib) and $125.99 (Beefy Rib). Catering has a $200 minimum for delivery, a $375 setup fee plus 20% administrative service charge for staffed events, and a $6-per-plate add-on plus 20% administrative service charge for Grill Master events. Pricing is posted on the website and operates on a pay-as-you-go cadence. Customer segmentation spans individual/family diners, event and party planners, airport travelers, and bar/social diners, with no large single-customer dependence.
The underlying technology stack is the SpotHopper restaurant platform for point-of-sale and online ordering, plus the registered-trademark BBQueue Cam® live webcam that streams real-time crowd levels at each main restaurant. Other registered trademarks (Rib-less®, Tickler®, Chick-less) protect product naming. The company has grown from four employees to well over 400 across its 27-year history, reports having served over one million gallons of its signature BBQ sauce, and contributes to local causes including the founder's equine rescue non-profit, ResQue Ranch. Phil's BBQ has no outside investors disclosed, is not a public reporting entity, and operates without any stated AI/ML infrastructure.
Phil's BBQ firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Phil's BBQ
- Legal name
- Phil's BBQ
- Website
- https://philsbbq.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Phil's BBQ is a founder-owned, San Diego-based fast-casual barbecue chain founded in 1998, operating five SoCal locations (plus an Arizona unit planned for Q1 2027) and serving mesquite-grilled ribs, chicken, and sandwiches via dine-in, take-out, catering, and event-center channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Phil's BBQ industry classification
Industry- 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)
Keywords
Where Phil's BBQ is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Phil's BBQ business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from customers dining at physical restaurant locations. Fast-casual model with counter service for food ordering.
- Catering Services: Full-service catering for events, weddings, parties. Options include Family Style Pick-Up, Delivery Drop Off, Full Service Staffed Events, and Grill Master BBQ on Site events. Serves groups from 10 to 3,000 guests.
- Event Center Rentals: Phil's Event Center Main Room (up to 100 guests) and patio spaces at Santee and Rancho Bernardo locations available for private events.
- Online Merchandise Sales: BBQ merchandise sold through online store at philsbbq.biz
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual dine-in and take-out menu items ranging from $2.25 to $34.99 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | BBQ Family Meals serving 4-6 people at $109.99-$125.99 |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Catering services with minimum order requirements and service fees |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Happy Hour food and drink specials |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels7 records
Phil's BBQ product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Phil's BBQ operates a multi-location barbecue restaurant chain selling mesquite-grilled meats (ribs, chicken, pulled pork, brisket, tri-tip) and classic sides to dine-in and to-go customers in Southern California. In addition to restaurant sales, the company offers full-service catering, rents its Phil's Events center for private gatherings, and sells branded apparel and merchandise through its own channels.
Product overview
Phil's BBQ is a fast-casual BBQ restaurant chain founded in 1998 by Phil Pace, offering a unified dining and catering experience across multiple locations. The core product portfolio centers on in-restaurant dining featuring mesquite-grilled baby back ribs, beef ribs, chicken, and sandwiches, complemented by catering services (Family Style Pick-Up, Delivery Drop-Off, Full Service Staffed Events, Grill Master on Site, and Weddings), Event Center rentals at multiple venues, the BBQueue Cam® live webcam feature, and BBQ merchandise. ResQue Ranch operates as a charitable sub-brand. The menu includes alcohol service (cocktails, beer, wine, liquor) with Happy Hour specials. The company operates five locations in San Diego County plus the airport terminal, with expansion planned for Chandler, Arizona in Q1 2027.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BBQueue Cam®: Live webcam system allowing customers to view wait times at restaurant locations.
- ResQue Ranch
Products and services
- Dine-in restaurant meals
Quantifiable outcome
- Served over 1 million gallons of signature BBQ sauce
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Phil's BBQ
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Phil's BBQ technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Phil's BBQ partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ResQue RanchcoreFounded by Phil Pace in 2014, ResQue Ranch is a non-profit equine rescue and rehabilitation center in Escondido, California. Phil's BBQ supports the ranch through fundraising - multiple menu items (ResQue Ranch Sangria, ResQue Ranch Rose, ResQue Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, ResQue Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, ResQue Ranch Malbec, ResQue Ranch Merlot, ResQue Ranch Red Blend) donate 100% of proceeds to the ranch. Phil serves as founder and horse rescuer, providing rescue neglected, abused, abandoned, emaciated, retired, lame, and injured horses.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves14 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Phil's BBQ competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Texas Roadhouse: Large casual-dining chain offering steaks, ribs, and BBQ items with dine-in, carryout, and catering. Comparable as a high-volume casual dining concept with BBQ/ribs on the menu and event/group business.
- Buffalo Wild Wings: National sports-bar chain with a broad menu including smoked/BBQ items, full bar, and event-friendly dining rooms. Comparable in casual dining + bar model and group/event appeal, though wings-led rather than BBQ-led.
Direct peers
- Slater's 50/50: SoCal-based BBQ and burger restaurant chain with dine-in, takeout, and catering; directly comparable as a regional BBQ concept with strong brand identity and multi-channel revenue, overlapping with Phil's BBQ in geography and casual-dining positioning.
- Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Largest BBQ franchise in the U.S. with dine-in, catering, and event services. Comparable product category (smoked BBQ meats, sides, family meals) and similar fast-casual plus catering model, with broader geographic reach via franchising.
- Smokey Bones: Casual-dining BBQ and sports-bar chain with smoked meats, full bar, and catering. Comparable as a multi-unit BBQ operator combining restaurant dining with bar-driven traffic and group/event business.
- Famous Dave's: National BBQ restaurant chain serving smoked ribs, brisket, and chicken with dine-in, takeout, catering, and event hosting. Closely comparable menu, dining format, and catering/event business mix to Phil's BBQ.
- Mission BBQ: Fast-growing BBQ chain focused on dine-in and catering with strong community/charity positioning. Comparable in menu, catering-led revenue mix, and brand story around community service.
- Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que: West Coast BBQ chain offering mesquite-smoked meats, full bar, and catering. Closely matches Phil's BBQ's smoked-meat menu, full-service bar, and West Coast regional footprint.
- Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse: Iconic Texas-based BBQ chain with dine-in and catering of smoked meats. Comparable in heritage-brand positioning, smoked BBQ menu, and emphasis on catering/event business.
Regional players
- Saltgrass Steak House: Texas Roadhouse-owned casual-dining chain with steaks, ribs, and BBQ items plus full bar. Comparable menu and dining format; while primarily Texas-focused, its BBQ-adjacent offering makes it a relevant adjacent operator.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Phil's BBQ social profiles
Digital presencePhil's BBQ compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Phil's BBQ financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Phil's BBQ leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Phil's BBQ funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Phil's BBQ 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 Phil's BBQ
What does Phil's BBQ do?
Phil's BBQ operates a multi-location barbecue restaurant chain selling mesquite-grilled meats (ribs, chicken, pulled pork, brisket, tri-tip) and classic sides to dine-in and to-go customers in Southern California. In addition to restaurant sales, the company offers full-service catering, rents its Phil's Events center for private gatherings, and sells branded apparel and merchandise through its own channels.
Is Phil's BBQ a public or private company?
Phil's BBQ is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Phil's BBQ founded?
Phil's BBQ was founded in 1998.
Where is Phil's BBQ based?
Phil's BBQ is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Phil's BBQ make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services, event Center Rentals and online Merchandise Sales.
Who are Phil's BBQ's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Texas Roadhouse and Buffalo Wild Wings. Direct peers are Slater's 50/50, Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Smokey Bones, Famous Dave's, Mission BBQ, Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que and Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse. Saltgrass Steak House is listed as a regional player.
Does Phil's BBQ have an API?
No public API is recorded for Phil's BBQ.
What industry is Phil's BBQ in?
Phil's BBQ's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAH, BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.