How Kansas City's most underrated BBQ joint survived COVID-19
Jazzy B’s, one of the most in the Kansas City area, serves an outstanding selection of barbecue, smoked burgers, inventive sides, and more. It’s the type of joint where word of mouth brings most people in the door and one where it’s hard to order because everything on the menu is good.
Owner Brandon Simpson opened the restaurant in Lee’s Summit in April 2016 after running a successful food truck for more than six years. (Hear more of Brandon's backstory via Kevin's BBQ Joints.) But in March 2020, COVID-19 reared its ugly head across the United States and began impacting Jazzy B’s just like every other restaurant. Simpson closed the dining room and did whatever he could to make the numbers work as a takeout and delivery operation.
We spoke with Brandon this week about how his joint has adapted to coronavirus and how he’s thinking about the future of his business in this wildly different environment.
Brandon Simpson owns Jazzy B's in Lee's Summit, Missouri.
The Smoke Sheet: What were things like for you and the restaurant when the COVID-19 shutdowns started a few months ago?
Brandon Simpson: It was crazy. When things got started, I didn’t really know what to do. But there’s no money if I’m closed, so I decided I couldn’t shut down and we stayed open. What really saved us is that I was already working with a short staff, and I wasn’t outside of my means.
TSS: Did you lose a lot of customers when the shutdowns started?
BS: The surprising part was the community response in Lee’s Summit and Southeast Kansas City, and that support was huge. We were already set up for carryout and online ordering, so the only thing we really needed to add was the curbside part. Everyone was A-OK with people placing online and call-in orders, so we stayed close to where we were at even when we had dine-in. A lot of regulars really came out for us the first month — a true testament to the culture Jazzy B’s has built in the area.
Try a little bit of everything at Jazzy B's.
TSS: Were you able to get a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and do you think you’ll be able to get it forgiven?
BS: I was able to get a PPP loan from my local bank during the second wave of funding. It was tremendously helpful to keep paying some of my team in the short term, but I’m worried about the forgiveness part because they keep changing the rules. They did that for the EIDL loans as well. I’m worried it might hurt a lot of small businesses at the end.
TSS: With your food truck background, do you think you were uniquely suited for a primarily takeout operation?
BS: It saved us. Some restaurants that have been closed down, whether they are barbecue or traditional, they had waitstaff and a ton of cooks. We didn’t have that. What I see is that a food-truck mindset is how I set up this restaurant and it works for us. My only problem was getting to-go boxes!
Jazzy B's serves a diverse array of barbecue items.
TSS: Now that you’ve reopened the dining room, how have you set that up?
BS: I have four tables, where people can sit and they are spread out. I was already spread out and sort of set up to meet regulations. If the group is more than six people, then I have them go to the upstairs portion of the restaurant. … We’ve thought about outdoor dining too, but it might be a little difficult to get it together. But the option is there.
TSS: What’s your split of business between the dining room and takeout/delivery?
BS: The vast majority is still call-in and online orders. Deliveries from UberEats and GrubHub have picked up a lot as well. In the past two weeks, only about 10% is dine-in. That number may go up a little as more people go back to work but I don’t expect it to go up a lot.
TSS: Have you been surprised by that response at all?
BS: I’ve contemplated not even going back to dine-in at all and just focusing on carryout. It’s two fold — you have some people who are willy-nilly with how they treat the virus and some people are paranoid about it. You don’t know what you’re going to get when they come in. … And there’s another aspect of this with needing another person for dine-in and it may not be worth the cost of having that labor. Plus, I can’t get anyone hired because a lot of people who are unemployed aren’t really looking for a job, and I can’t pay anyone $1000 a week!
Don't forget to order the wings at Jazzy B's.
TSS: We noticed you've been selling new jugs of pre-made smoked cocktails. How has the response been?
BS: It's been crazy, and think we'll probably add in drinks to dine-in at some point too. We've done smoked pineapple and mango infused vodka, smoked blueberry and bacon infused bourbon, and smoked watermelon infused tequila punch and smoked mojitos. If you like barbecue, you'll like the sweetness and smokiness.
TSS: What do your sales look like today versus a year ago?
BS: I looked at it the other day, and I am probably about 5% under versus last year. Obviously, you always want to keep growing but we’ve done pretty well during COVID.
TSS: What does the rest of 2020 look like for you?
BS: At least until the fall, people are going to be cautious and I expect it to be mostly takeout. For a lot of people previously, the dine-in was the experience and now people are taking the food home, so I don’t know exactly how that translates to keeping customers.
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Thank you to Brandon for sharing what’s been happening as of late with Jazzy B’s. We hope, like all the other barbecue joints out there, that you’re able to maneuver swiftly to stay in business and roll with the crazy punches 2020 keeps throwing.
Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ) and Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
Thanks to our sponsor Sauce King NYC, a new virtual event from Food Karma NYC. Enter your best sauce in the competition today!
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
The Denver BBQ Festival is moving forward with a virtual event to celebrate Father’s Day weekend.
The Denver BBQ Festival was forced to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the festival’s organizers are inviting everyone to celebrate Father’s Day Weekend with a virtual event that includes a Prairie Fresh Rub Rumble rib-eating contest, a barbecue photo contest with a chance to win a Green Mountain Grill, and a virtual Lamb Cooking contest with Superior Farms.
Speaking of Father’s Day, last week we shared five Father’s Day BBQ gift ideas. If those were not enough or if your Dad is hard to shop for, Forbes wrote about essential grilling and BBQ tools you might consider buying and even shared wines that pair well with barbecue.
Barbecue historian Robert Moss wrote about the story of the celebration of Juneteenth with Emancipation Barbecues. Against the backdrop of nationwide protests against the killings of black citizens, the “commemoration of the day when the last enslaved people in the South were emancipated has taken on added significance.”
Dr. Howard Conyers, a rocket scientist and whole hog pitmaster, spoke with Bon Appétit about visiting Black-owned whole-hog barbecue restaurants and remembering forgotten Black pitmasters.
J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle recently wrote about Ray’s BBQ Shack, a place that continues the traditions of the Third Ward, a predominantly African-American neighborhood south of downtown Houston.
Houston’s Gatlin’s BBQ famously “combines East and Central Texas barbecue styles with ever-evolving Gulf Coast and Louisiana culinary touches” but Alison Cook recently reviewed her takeout experience after ordering one of their burgers.
Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn wrote about a bitter barbecue rivalry that took place in El Paso a century ago.
Katie Chang profiled pitmaster John Lewis of Charleston’s Lewis Barbecue in an article for Forbes. In the feature, “Lewis shares why he moved to Charleston, how to tell the difference between good and not-so-good barbecue, and what to barbecue at home if you’re a first-timer.”
St. Louis’ Beast Craft BBQ is opening a third location called Beast Southern Kitchen & BBQ in Columbia, Illinois, and a change in format to their Grove location, which will become a full-service sit down restaurant.
Our friends at the Barbecue Bros highlighted the success Jon G’s Barbecue is having with their new brick-and-mortar location in North Carolina, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Paper City Magazine wrote about the current state of Franklin Barbecue, suggesting that the joint’s current takeout operations still make for a satisfying barbecue pilgrimage despite not waiting in a community-building four-hour line.
Eater Los Angeles reports that some of the biggest names in LA barbecue are working on new locations, including Bludso’s Bar & Que, Slab, Moo’s Craft Barbecue, and Heritage Barbecue.
Finally, in a sad bit of news, Ritz Barbecue in Allentown, Pa. has closed its doors after more than 90 years in business due to COVID-19. “The restaurant has made it through a world war, a depression, and a fire, but it couldn't make it through the coronavirus,” WFMZ reports.
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
The pastrami beef ribs at Interstellar BBQ in Austin are a delicious and unique spin on Texas barbecue.
Watch: Pastrami Beef Ribs are Interstellar’s Spin on Classic Texas Barbecue — Smoke Point
At Austin’s Interstellar BBQ, pitmaster John Bates and his right-hand man, Warren McDonald, a.k.a "War Dog," put a spin on classic Texas fare. Using all of the kitchen skills and attention to detail he learned as a chef in high end restaurants, Bates plays up traditional ribs by rubbing them with a mole seasoning, serving them with a riff on mole sauce and cotija cheese, and makes other distinct offerings like pastrami beef ribs and jalapeño popper-stuffed sausages. Watch here.
Listen: John Markus and David Bouska — The BBQ Central Show
On this episode of The BBQ Central Show, host Greg Rempe is joined by John Markus, creator of the acclaimed TV show BBQ Pitmasters. They talk about Markus’ career in bringing competition barbecue to the masses, the future of barbecue programming on television, and his semi-finalist nomination to the Barbecue Hall of Fame. Next, Greg is joined by David Bouska of Butcher BBQ. They talk about Bouska’s Butcher BBQ Podcast and discuss BBQ Mud, a new product that is being released soon. Listen here.
Read: Healthy Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker Cookbook: 100 Low-Carb Wood-Infused Barbecue Recipes — by Nancy Loseke
If you're looking to fire up your grilling game, then you need a wood pellet grill and smoker. Not only does it grill foods perfectly every time, but it also infuses them with a smoky flavor that enhances the texture and taste of your BBQ dishes. With Healthy Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker Cookbook as your go-to guide for healthy, competition-level results, you'll be making lower-carb versions of all your BBQ favorites for summer picnics, backyard BBQs, and family pitch-ins. This book features 100 recipes for appetizers, beef, lamb, game, pork, poultry, seafood, soups, salads, and sides. It also includes a foreword by barbecue master Steven Raichlen. Buy it here.
Create a unique culinary experience by adding smoke to meatloaf with this delicious recipe.
Smoked Meatloaf — Doug Scheiding
For this week’s Recipe of the Week, we chose this recipe for Smoked Meatloaf from Doug Scheiding of Rogue Cookers world champion barbecue team. Doug takes a simple meatloaf recipe to the next level, blending seasoned beef and Italian sausage and smoking until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. View the recipe here.
In light of the constantly changing coronavirus crisis, we will be leaving this section blank for a little bit. Many events you know and love have been postponed or made into a virtual event. We’ll be updating the events section on our website with the most up-to-date information as we have it.
See the full Smoke Sheet events calendar online here.
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