R&R BBQ Meanwhile, R&R BBQ’s takeout and delivery sales have increased massively, going from around 20 percent of the business pre-Covid-19, to almost 50 percent or higher in some of its restaurants. “Bearing in mind that barbecue in the United States is very much a communal food that is typically shared with others, this was a massive shift for our business,” Neil confirms. “One of our current initiatives is in figuring out how to differentiate ourselves further from all the other food-in-a-bag concepts, and we want to do this by transferring the warm, welcoming and engaging experience that customers get inside our restaurants into the delivery arena. We’re working on things like improved messaging and branding, as well as “outside-the-box” ideas like thank you cards, clean up kits, etc. Whatever we choose to do, it will be another example of how we have been able to pivot our business to react to these
challenges, and stay relevant to our customers.” Another change for the company in 2020 was the retirement of its founders. “We will forever be thankful for the platform Rod & Roger provided. Their passion for amazing quality barbecue and genuine hospitality will continue to fuel some amazing growth and opportunities for our team,” said Harfert. What of the future for R&R BBQ then? “The success that we have had – and continue to have – at our existing locations is certainly what we will replicate going forward,” Neil enthuses. “We were already on an aggressive growth trajectory prior to Covid-19 hitting,
and this was only briefly paused over the past eight months, with new restaurants currently under construction and set to open in the next several months. We have a further five identified sites which will open in 2021, and within the next five years I can see no reason why we couldn’t see more than 50 locations in new markets across the United States. If we keeping doing what we have done historically, which is to provide unbelievably consistent, highquality meals at a great value, and if we continue to find good real estate and fill the restaurants with amazing team members who we treat like family, then that is a recipe for incredible success!” D www.randrbbq.com
SYSCO SYSCO and R&R BBQ joined in a partnership when they opened their first location in downtown SLC in 2013. The partnership has now grown to nine current locations with a tenth location opening in November2020. The strength of the partnership grew over time and was strengthened even more during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both companies have always worked together to make business decisions that were win-win for each other. The future looks very bright for SYSCO Intermountain Foods and R&R BBQ.
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