Southern Pride of Texas
Restaurant & Catering Industry News
55 articles on smoker care, BBQ tips, industry news, and more.
What Competition Chicken Taught Me About Running a Commercial Kitchen
Lessons from 30 years on the competition circuit that apply directly to restaurant and catering BBQ production.
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Your Restaurant Already Has Everything You Need to Start Catering — Here's What's Actually Stopping You
How to build a profitable catering operation from your existing BBQ restaurant without doubling your overhead or losi...
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Food Costs Are Up 30% — Here's How Operators Are Actually Surviving It
Real menu strategies BBQ operators are using to handle 2024 food cost inflation without gutting quality or losing cus...
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Why Your Catering Corn Program Deserves Better Than a Steam Table
Fire-roasted corn outsells steamed corn 3-to-1 at events. Here's the operational math behind making it profitable.
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World Cup Promotions Are Everywhere Right Now — Here's What BBQ Operators Can Actually Learn From Them
Restaurant chains are going all-in on World Cup tie-ins. What can independent BBQ operators steal from their playbook...
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What Smart Operators Actually Do With Leftover Pulled Pork
Real strategies for managing pulled pork inventory, from hold temps to menu integration. No gimmicks, just what works.
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Hire for Feel, Train for Technique: Building a BBQ Crew That Won't Burn You
After 30 years running crews, Earl breaks down which skills you can teach new hires and which ones a cook either has ...
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Your Restaurant Already Has Everything It Needs to Start Catering — Except the Right Math
How to build a catering operation from your BBQ restaurant without destroying your margins or burning out your crew.
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What Tom Berry Gets Right About Building BBQ Concepts That Actually Last
COJE's Tom Berry builds restaurant concepts from real travel experiences. Here's what operators can learn from his ap...
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Pizza Hut's Sale to LongRange Capital: What Big QSR Moves Mean for Commercial BBQ Operations
Pizza Hut's pending sale signals shifting QSR priorities. Here's what BBQ operators should watch—and why equipment de...
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That First Overnight Pork Shoulder: What Actually Happens When You Stop Checking Every Hour
Earl recounts his first real overnight pork shoulder cook and breaks down what most operators get wrong about low and...
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Your Smoker Did Its Job — Now Don't Ruin the Meat Before It Reaches the Customer
How to protect smoked meat quality through packaging, holding temps, and delivery logistics for online ordering opera...
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