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BBQ Joe's Country Cooking & Catering
High Point, NC
The family's ongoing focus on operational and financial efficiencies has helped BBQ Joe's weather the recession.
The Housand family has an extensive history in the local
BBQ industry. Big Joe Housand was among the founders of
the original Lexington BBQ Festival. He won a BBQ cook-off
between North and South Carolina held at the White House
in Washington, DC, worked for famous BBQ restaurants in
Lexington, NC for over 20 years, and was day manager at a
chain of BBQ restaurants in High Point, NC. Big Joe’s wife, Patti,
served as a bookkeeper for this BBQ chain. Their son, Little Joe
Housand, managed a second BBQ restaurant, and Stephanie,
Little Joe’s wife, was involved in the front operations at the
same BBQ restaurant chain.
In 2005, Patti sought assistance to start their own restaurant from the Small Business Center (SBC) at Randolph Community College. Victor Dau, then the SBC’s Director, helped them develop a business plan – their banker called it “the best business plan he’s ever seen” – and the Housands received the loan they needed to start their business in 2006.
BBQ Joe’s Country Cooking & Catering opened on September 5,
2007, and was cash flow positive from day one. In less than one year,
BBQ Joe’s was voted both the best new restaurant in town and the
best lunch in town. Within six months they were able to purchase a
trailer to add catering services as an additional income stream.
After the business opened, Victor (now an SBTDC counselor based at NC A&T State University) helped them set up an easy system to project and track their daily and weekly sales, expenses, and cash flow, and continues to monitor their projected cash flow and outcomes, keeping a close watch on key financial indicators, especially their food and labor costs, extremely critical in this industry.
The family’s ongoing focus on operational and financial efficiencies has helped BBQ Joe’s weather the recession – while 2009 sales were down vs. 2008, profits were up, and 2010 has exceeded expectations so far. BBQ Joe’s now has 16 full-time and 17 part-time employees and over $3 million in revenue.
The Housands continue to work with the SBTDC in streamlining their operations, expanding their market, and exploring the possibility of opening franchises with a trimmed down fast food concept, BBQ Joe’s Express. To quote Big Joe: “Our counselor keeps us on track and motivated – we couldn’t have done it without him.”
Story originally featured in the SBTDC's 2009-2010 Annual Report.