Got back from Chicago last week. Feet still hurt. The National Restaurant Association Show is one of those things where you walk about fourteen miles a day through convention halls, shake hands with people you haven't seen since the last one, and try to figure out what's actually going to matter for your business versus what's just somebody's marketing budget talking.
I've been going to this show for over twenty years now. And I'll tell you — some years you come back with a notebook full of ideas. Other years you come back wondering why you bothered. This year was somewhere in between, but there were a few things worth talking about if you're running a BBQ restaurant or catering operation.
Labor's Still the Conversation Nobody Wants to Have
Every third booth was selling some version of "we'll solve your labor problems." Automation this, AI scheduling that. Robots making pizzas. I watched one for about ten minutes — it was impressive in a county-fair kind of way, but I kept thinking about what happens when the sauce dispenser clogs at 6 PM on a Friday.
Here's what I actually think matters from all that noise: equipment that doesn't require babysitting is worth more now than it was five years ago. That's not news to anyone who's tried to hire a reliable pit man lately. But it does change how you should think about your next equipment purchase.
I talked to a guy from Memphis who runs three locations. He'd just replaced two off-brand smokers with SP-1000 units. His exact words were "I stopped losing sleep." What he meant was the rotisserie system and consistent hold temps meant his morning guy could load it, and it'd run right whether his afternoon guy showed up on time or not. That's not a small thing when you're paying what we're all paying for labor right now.
The cheaper smokers — and I saw plenty of them at the show, some with price tags that'd make you do a double-take — they require someone who knows what they're doing to stand there and manage them. That was fine in 2015. It's a liability now.
The Ghost Kitchen Thing Isn't Going Away
I figured ghost kitchens were a COVID thing that would fade out. I was wrong. There were more operators at the show this year running multiple virtual brands out of single locations than I've ever seen. One woman I talked to — runs a BBQ concept out of Austin — she's doing her main brand plus two delivery-only concepts, all from the same kitchen.
What this means for equipment: you need capacity you can actually use. Not theoretical capacity. Real, every-day, running-three-menus capacity.
She was running an SPK-1400, which gave her enough room to run different proteins for different brands without playing Tetris all day. The rotisserie setup means she can have ribs on one level, chicken on another, and briskets on a third — all at the same time, all coming off at different intervals. Try doing that with a static-rack setup and see how your Tuesday goes.
I'm not saying everyone needs to launch three brands. But the operators who are growing right now? They're the ones who bought equipment with flexibility built in, not the ones trying to squeeze more production out of something that was already maxed.
Wood and Smoke Are Back in Fashion (Again)
This one made me laugh a little. Every few years, the industry "discovers" that people want real smoke flavor. Then everyone acts like it's a revelation.
But I will say — there was more conversation this year about wood-fired cooking than I've heard in a while. Part of it's the backlash against the fast-casual stuff that got too processed. Part of it's younger customers who've watched enough YouTube to know the difference between real smoke and liquid smoke flavoring.
Where I get opinionated: this is exactly why you can't skimp on your wood management. I saw a couple booths pushing pellet systems as "the future of commercial smoking" and I had to walk away before I said something I'd regret. Pellets have their place — backyard stuff, maybe some light commercial if you're doing small volume. But if you're serious about smoke, you need chunks or splits, and you need a smoker designed to burn them right.
The SP-700/M and the bigger rotisserie units are set up for real wood. Not pellets pretending to be wood. The firebox design actually lets you manage your smoke without constant babysitting — you get that clean blue smoke, not the bitter white stuff that comes from smothering the fire.
I could talk about wood selection for another hour. Oak for beef, pecan for pork, mesquite only if you know what you're doing — but that's a different article. Point is, the trend toward authentic smoke flavor is good for operators who've been doing it right all along. It's bad news for the folks who've been cutting corners with flavor injections and shortcuts.
Supply Chain Talk That Actually Matters
There was a whole seminar track on supply chain resilience. Most of it was consultants selling consulting. But here's what I pulled out of it that's worth your time.
Domestically manufactured equipment is worth more than the sticker price suggests. When something breaks — and something always breaks eventually — you need parts. You need someone who can answer a phone and knows what you're talking about. You need that part shipped from a warehouse in the same country you're in, not sitting on a container ship for six weeks.
I've watched operators lose entire weekends of catering revenue because they couldn't get a replacement part for an imported smoker. The manufacturer was overseas, the distributor didn't stock anything, and by the time they tracked down what they needed, they'd already had to rent backup equipment and apologize to three clients.
Southern Pride builds everything in Illinois. Parts come from domestic stock. When you call Southern Pride of Texas, you're talking to people who've actually worked on these units, not reading from a script. That matters more now than it did when supply chains were predictable.
The Energy Efficiency Angle
Gas prices aren't going down. Electricity isn't either. More operators than ever were asking about energy consumption at the show.
Here's what I tell people: look at insulation and heat retention, not just BTU ratings. A smoker that holds temp without cycling constantly will cost you less to run than one that's constantly firing to maintain temperature. The SC-300 cabinet smokers, for example — the insulation on those is serious. Once you're at temp, you're at temp. It's not fighting itself all day.
Some of the cheaper smokers I saw had insulation that was basically an afterthought. Great price tag. But you'll pay for it every month when the gas bill comes.
What I Didn't See That Worried Me
Not much talk about build quality. A lot of operators shopping on price alone, not thinking about what that equipment looks like in year five or year eight.
I've got customers still running SP-1500 units they bought fifteen years ago. Regular maintenance, replaced some gaskets, maybe a heating element once. Still running. Still holding temp like the day they installed them.
And I've seen operators buy cheaper alternatives, save a few thousand up front, and be shopping for replacements in three years because the welds cracked or the rotisserie system seized up. That 14-gauge steel Southern Pride uses isn't just a spec sheet number — it's why the things last.
The show doesn't really reward long-term thinking. Everything's about the new, the flashy, the discount. But your equipment decision isn't a one-year decision. It's a decade decision, at least.
The Actual Takeaway
Trends come and go. Ghost kitchens might be huge for another five years or they might not. Labor costs might stabilize or they might keep climbing. Wood-fired might stay trendy or something else might catch the food media's attention.
What doesn't change: you need equipment that runs when you need it to run. That holds temp without you standing there watching it. That you can get parts for. That's built heavy enough to survive a decade of daily commercial use.
That's not a trend. That's just how this business works.
If you're looking at equipment upgrades based on anything you're reading about industry trends, give us a call at Southern Pride of Texas before you sign anything. We've seen a lot of operators get sold on the latest thing and regret it. Rather help you think it through first.
Resources: Southern Pride of Texas | QSR Magazine | Restaurant Business Online
#CommercialBBQ #FoodService #SouthernPride #BBQRestaurant #BBQBusiness #CateringBusiness
Photo by Los Muertos Crew on Pexels.
About the Author: Earl has been competing in sanctioned BBQ events since the early 1990s and operates a commercial catering operation in Southeast Texas.