We were lucky to catch up with Chris Armentrout recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chris, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?
When COVID-19 started up we where getting cancelations non stop every day. Being a BBQ catering company we rely on bookings to stay afloat and keep our business going! With a business things change all the time and as soon as you think you have it figured out it changes. These are things as a owner you have to figure out and always be thinking ahead so your not left wondering why it’s not working out. When the shut down happened all stores were cleaned out of meat and supplies and all our bookings were canceled. We went to the next step and started taking on home delivery orders! This was a huge hit for us even though it was different then what we were used to. Driving to every store from Aubrey Tx to Oklahoma we were looking for meat and trying to time out the trucks delivering it. This was another issue to figure out. The contactless porch drop offs and payment through apps worked very well. Everyone still had to eat and were able to enjoy awesome bbq without leaving home. Changes like Covid only helped our business with clients and learning new ways to adapt in hard times.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Chris Armentrout and I’m the owner of Longhorn Smoke BBQ. We are a catering and competition bbq team. I’ve been doing craft bbq for 18 years and started up Longhorn Smoke BBQ in 2018. We cater all events from weddings to small parties! Our most popular meats are obviously the brisket and beef ribs! People in Texas love the big meats! We keep all our meats seasoned Texas style and smoked with pecan wood for the best flavor! We started up our business from scratch to help pay for our wedding. My first party ever was a birthday for 75 at a brewery in Downtown Dallas. I have to say I was a bit nervous but everything came out amazing! I’m very proud of how the business has succeeded and grown over the years. There’s been a lot of challenging and exciting times with it. As a business owner you’ve got to take one with the other.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
When I first started doing bbq I had no idea it would turn into the business that it did. I started off just smoking meats for fun and hanging out with friends in the backyard. Over several years of practice and good and bad bbq it became a hobby to a passion to a full time job. I love bbq so yes I love my job. As Aaron Franklin says bad bbq turns into great bbq. Over time I thought it would be fun to give a go at a competition. The first one was 68 teams with spring storms and I had nothing like these guys with RVs, huge smokers, and teams with several guys. I was the Lone Ranger and can say a bit intimidated but did pretty good. We made the finals table but no calls and I was happy I made the final table with my half chicken. Since then I’ve entered more comps and have taken several awards. I’m know a Brand Ambassador for several companies and looking to add more. You never know what’s coming next but it’s exciting when it does.
Any advice for managing a team?
When you have a business it takes a lot of time, effort and had work! You always have to stay positive and work hard if you want it to grow. It’s easy to go off the rails so you have to stay focused on the goal. My wife is my number one supporter and she’s good about keeping me going in right direction. One of the biggest rewards is watching people try your bbq and absolutely love it. There’s many rewards of being a business owner so that always keeps your morale up and moving forward to the next customer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://longhornsmokebbq.wixsite.com/lhsbbq
- Instagram: LonghornSmokeBBQ
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.arm.90
Image Credits
Chris Armentrout