Barbecue Catering Smarts

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Phillip Livingston, Owner of Baby-Boyz BBQ . Phillip shares how he went from getting laid off and watching a barbecue show on Food Network to building a 22-year barbecue business with a restaurant, catering operation, and catering hall. Phillip talks about the early days of building Baby-Boyz BBQ one customer at a time — driving...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Tracy Carter, owner of JAC's Craft Smokehouse in West Monroe, Louisiana. What started as a passion for barbecue, competition cooking, and a food truck eventually grew into one of the area's busiest barbecue operations—with catering now accounting for roughly 42% of the business. Tracy shares the remarkable story behind launching...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Phil and Johanna Hennenfent, owners of Henn House BBQ . What started with Phil winning a smoker in a local radio contest eventually grew into an award-winning barbecue catering business serving weddings, corporate events, and special occasions throughout the Midwest. Together, Phil and Johanna share the story of how they turned...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Tim Halls, co-founder of Burnt BBQ N' Tacos . Tim shares the unconventional journey that led him from working in the ambulance industry and attending culinary school to building one of the most unique BBQ concepts in Texas—blending traditional barbecue, tacos, and Venezuelan-inspired flavors into a catering-driven business model...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Mark Avalos , founder of Stack City BBQ . What started as backyard cookouts and weekend catering jobs has evolved into one of the most recognizable barbecue brands in Texas . Mark shares how he combined barbecue , hip-hop culture , hospitality , and relentless relationship-building to create a catering business that keeps...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Chris Bennett , VP of Catering at Maurice's Piggie Park —a multi-generational barbecue brand with nearly 70 years of history. Chris shares how he built Maurice's catering division from essentially zero into a meaningful revenue stream by focusing on relationships , consistency , and playing the long game . Rather than chas...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Bridget Ryan, Director of Sales & Marketing at Fat Bob's Smokehouse . From a former Spanish teacher to helping lead a $1M+ catering operation , Bridget shares how Fat Bob's transformed catering into a scalable, system-driven revenue engine—without losing the personal touch that built their reputation. Bridget breaks down h...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Dale Lockwood, Owner and Pit Master of Hickory BBQ & Grill . Dale shares his journey from starting a barbecue catering business during the 2008 downturn to scaling into high-volume operations—including serving up to 1,000 meals per day for a state contract. Along the way, he's built a business rooted in consistency, relati...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Brent Reaves, President of Smokey John's Bar- B- Que , a second- generation operator who grew up in the business and now leads its growth across catering, retail, and large- scale events. Brent shares the incredible origin story of Smokey John's— how his father went from real estate to barbecue by simply cooking for client...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Julie Reinhardt, Co-Owner of Smokin' Pete's BBQ in Seattle , to break down how they transformed their operation into a focused, profitable catering business. After 10 years running both a restaurant and catering, Julie and her husband made a strategic decision: shut down the restaurant and go all-in on catering. The result...

In this episode of  Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Dan Bosworth, Owner & Pitmaster of Big Dan's BBQ in Catawissa, Pennsylvania . Dan didn't grow up in restaurants—he came from manufacturing and supply chain management. That operational background became his unfair advantage. Instead of running barbecue on instinct alone, Dan built systems around food costing, production p...

In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with  Jim Lenzen, Owner of Jimmy L's , a barbecue operator who built a multi-state catering business from a small-town base in western Nebraska—without cutting corners or competing on price. Jim shares his unconventional path into barbecue catering, from cooking for wind farm crews to executing three weddings a weekend, multi-t...

In this episode of   Barbecue Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Linda Bogach, Catering Director at Central BBQ —one of the most iconic barbecue brands to ever come out of Memphis. Linda brings a true operator's perspective to catering. Her path wasn't linear—restaurant management, bartending, raising a family, and eventually stepping into catering leadership. That real-world experien...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Erin Childs , restaurant consultant, coach, and long-time catering operator who cut her teeth in Boston's fast casual scene. From pounding the pavement with samples in hand to building systems for national brands like Beloco and Fresh City, Erin shares her journey from boots-on-the-ground catering sales to strategic lead...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Phillip Scotton, President & COO of Primo Partners —one of the most successful multi-unit, multi-brand franchise operators in the Ben & Jerry's system, and a rapidly growing partner within the Starbucks licensed store network. Phillip shares his remarkable journey from unpaid intern to executive leader, helping Primo Partners...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with Amanda Quinn, Director of Catering at Viva Chicken —one of the fastest-growing Peruvian rotisserie brands in the U.S. Amanda brings years of experience building off-premise programs across hotels, franchise concepts, and now a multi-unit restaurant group. She shares how Viva Chicken has scaled catering by focusing on peo...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts ,  Michael Attias welcomes Lauren Laurent , the powerhouse Director of Catering Sales & Marketing at Levy Restaurants — based at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. With 15+ years in hospitality, Lauren brings a rare blend of operational excellence and heartfelt hospitality to some of the nation's largest events and conventions. From serving thousa...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Christin Marvin , founder and CEO of Solutions by Christin . With over 20 years in the hospitality trenches—from line cook to multi-unit operator—Christin now helps restaurant owners and leaders create sustainable success without burning out in the process. They dive into what it really means to build resilient teams, retain t...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Terry Matthews , Co-Founder of CaterLinked , a fast-growing community built to connect, educate, and empower catering professionals. Terry shares how CaterLinked was born out of one big idea: that caterers don't have to compete alone—they can grow stronger together. Through online groups, in-person meetups, and the newly launc...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with George Westberry, Director of Marketing Initiatives at Red Hot & Blue Barbecue . With 13 years at the brand and a career that began in the back of the house as a chef, George has a unique perspective on how marketing, hospitality, and operations come together to grow both dine-in and catering sales . George shares how Re...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Kevin Reading, VP of Sales and Community Engagement at Luna Grill . Kevin shares his journey from hotel catering to leading national catering at Qdoba, and now helping Luna Grill scale its off-premise and catering programs. He dives into the advantages of working in a nimble, entrepreneurial organization, where testing ideas a...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Jenn Saunders-Haynes, Owner & Chief Catering Strategist at Elizabeth Jewel Consulting . Jenn shares why the three P's—Packaging, Process, and Profit—are the foundation of catering success . From avoiding the trap of copying your full restaurant menu, to choosing functional packaging that protects food quality, to building syst...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Deborah Miller, Founder of Deborah Miller Catering & Events —one of New York City's most creative and fast-growing catering companies. Deborah shares her journey from growing up in her father's "greasy spoon" to building a thriving, full-service catering and events business in the heart of Manhattan. She reveals how her team c...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias sits down with John Geyerman, Chief Strategy Officer at WOWorks , the parent company behind better-for-you brands like Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, and The Simple Greek. John brings a wealth of experience from his days at Schlotzsky's and Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, and he dives into the complexities and opportunities of running cateri...

In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts , Michael Attias welcomes Christian Hilty, VP of Partnerships at DeliverThat , a delivery logistics platform built specifically for catering. Christian shares how DeliverThat carved out a niche in the catering world by offering scheduled, white-glove delivery services tailored for large catering orders—a game-changer for restaurants tired of the headac...