Carpa, Inc.

What Carpa, Inc. does

Carpa, Inc. is a family-owned Texas restaurant company that operates Cousins Bar-B-Q, a Texas-style barbecue chain founded in 1983 by Calvin "Boots" and Beverly Payne. The company runs six locations concentrated in the Fort Worth area and at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (two units inside Terminal B at Gates 12 and 43). The concept is built on multi-generational pitmaster recipes and slow-smoked meats served in a casual dine-in format, supplemented by online ordering, catering, and a branded merchandise store.

The business monetizes through a combination of in-restaurant sales, airport concession sales to travelers, direct online ordering for pickup, catering for events and group orders, and branded merchandise e-commerce. Third-party endorsements, including Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints (2008) and Condé Nast Traveler's Top 25 Best Airport Restaurants (2014), have been used to reinforce the brand's positioning. The company is also a member of the GO TEXAN program, supporting its Texas-sourced product narrative.

Operationally, Carpa, Inc. is a private, family-controlled restaurant operator with no disclosed funding events, M&A activity, or institutional ownership. Its footprint and product extensions point to a mature, regionally anchored business rather than a venture-backed growth chain, with incremental expansion driven by additional sales channels and airport exposure rather than aggressive new-unit rollout.

Name

Carpa, Inc.

Legal name

Cousins Bar-B-Q

Website

https://cousinsbbq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Carpa, Inc. operates Cousins Bar-B-Q, a family-owned Texas barbecue chain founded in 1983, running six locations across the Fort Worth area and DFW Airport Terminal B serving dine-in, pickup, catering, and merchandise customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

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

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Family-Style Restaurants (THAFACAC)

Keywords

• Barbecue restaurant chain
• Smoked meat catering
• Texas BBQ dining
• Casual family restaurants
• Event catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-Restaurant Dining: Walk-in customers dining in casual, cafeteria-style restaurants. Six locations across Fort Worth area and DFW Airport.
2. Online Ordering (Pickup): Online platform for placing fast pick-up orders. Customers can save favorites for future orders.
3. Catering Services: Catering for events ranging from basic delivery to full service. Basic deliveries available online up to 20 hours prior. Full service catering available with minimum purchase requirements ($100 minimum, $15 delivery fee).
4. Merchandise (Shop): Online merchandise store at cousinsbbqmerch.com for branded products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carpa, Inc. (DBA Cousins Bar-B-Q) operates a family-owned chain of six casual, cafeteria-style barbecue restaurants in the Fort Worth area and DFW Airport serving authentic slow-smoked Texas Bar-B-Q prepared with indirect heat from hand-selected Hickory hardwoods, using All-Natural Black Angus Beef and hand-crafted German-style sausage from multi-generational family recipes. The company sells its food through in-restaurant dining, online pickup ordering (cousinsbbq.menu), basic-delivery and full-service catering (catering.cousinsbbq.menu), and a branded merchandise e-commerce store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cousins Bar-B-Q Restaurant Dining

Quantifiable outcome

• Named one of Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas by Texas Monthly (2008)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GO TEXANminorOthersGO TEXAN is a membership program that celebrates, promotes, and supports Texas products throughout the world. Cousins Bar-B-Q is a GO TEXAN member, which promotes Texas products and authenticity.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Saltgrass Steak House: Texas Roadhouse-owned casual Texas-themed steakhouse chain with multiple DFW locations; competes for the same casual Texas-dining occasions and Texas brand authenticity cues as Cousins.
• Texas Roadhouse: Large publicly-traded casual steakhouse chain with strong Texas brand identity and hundreds of U.S. locations; broader incumbent competing for Texas-themed casual family dining occasions.

Direct peers

• Pecan Lodge: Dallas-based craft BBQ counter known for long lines and national acclaim; competes for the same DFW BBQ diner and frequently appears alongside Cousins on Texas BBQ best-of lists.
• Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q: Multi-unit Texas BBQ chain known for cafeteria-style service and family-friendly atmosphere; directly comparable to Cousins on format, geography, and casual BBQ positioning.
• Lockhart Smokehouse: DFW-area BBQ restaurant serving Central Texas-style smoked meats in a casual, family-style setting; competes for the same Fort Worth/Dallas BBQ consumer with similar traditional smoking methods.
• Mission BBQ: Multi-unit American BBQ concept known for catering and family-friendly dining; comparable to Cousins on multi-location BBQ operations with strong catering orientation and brand-led storytelling.
• Famous Dave's: National BBQ chain operating dine-in, catering, and to-go formats; comparable to Cousins as a multi-unit BBQ brand pursuing both restaurant and catering revenue streams.
• Bill Miller Bar-B-Q: San Antonio-based family-owned Texas BBQ chain with 70+ locations; closely comparable to Cousins as a multi-generational, multi-unit Texas BBQ brand serving the local market with cafeteria-style service.
• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Dallas-headquartered national BBQ chain with hundreds of franchised locations; directly comparable to Cousins as a Texas BBQ brand operating multiple restaurant units in the DFW market and beyond.
• Black's BBQ: Historic Texas BBQ institution (since 1932) with multiple locations and catering; directly comparable to Cousins as a multi-generational Texas BBQ brand serving both dine-in and catering customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cousinsbbq
• Facebookfacebook.com/cousinsbbq
• Instagraminstagram.com/cousinsbbq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cousinsbbq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Carpa, Inc.