Famed Kansas City barbecue joint tells customers: Don’t buy the brisket or burnt ends

[1srelluc]

Famed Kansas City barbecue joint tells customers: Don’t buy the brisket or burnt ends

Thanks Tater.

 

[dblack]

That place has always been underpriced. When the original owner, Arthur Bryant, died, his son took over and basically doubled all the prices. And they were still below market. Ten bucks for one of those sandwiches is a steal. I'd happily pay seventeen.

 

[1srelluc]

That place has always been underpriced. When the original owner, Arthur Bryant, died, his son took over and basically doubled all the prices. And they were still below market. Ten bucks for one of those sandwiches is a steal. I'd happily pay seventeen.

There's a place in town (Two Fat Butchers) that sets-up a pit in the warm weather months and sells a very generous/tasty BBQ sandwich, a cup of slaw, bag of chips, and a canned soft drink for $5.00 on the weekends. I'll be curious what they sell it for this year.....Like you I'd pay double and not blink a eye.

 

[Dekster]

Sounds like they need an all you can eat salad bar.

 

[Moonglow]

I eats all the burnt ends I want since I cook at home.

 

[1srelluc]

I eats all the burnt ends I want since I cook at home.

You want a cookie?

 

[Moonglow]

You want a cookie?

I live a long way from a smokehouse restaurant.

 

[1srelluc]

I live a long way from a smokehouse restaurant.

Quit spending all your time at the Kum-N-Go eating gas station food.

 

[JohnDB]

Food service industries are getting hammered hard.

First is staffing shortages. The few who do show up don't care to work hard.

Then there's the hit and miss supply chain. Sometimes you get the things you ordered and sometimes you don't. The prices of all of it has gotten ridiculously high.

Restaurants have particular margins (extremely low) in order to stay profitable. At best most are around 10% from investment.

50% of all independent food service establishments go bankrupt in the first year.
97% in five years.

And soon enough there's going to be nobody except for national chain foods.

Subway, taco bell, McDonald's, Chuy's, and etc. That's it. Hope you like that junk because that's all there is.

 

[1srelluc]

Food service industries are getting hammered hard.

First is staffing shortages. The few who do show up don't care to work hard.

Then there's the hit and miss supply chain. Sometimes you get the things you ordered and sometimes you don't. The prices of all of it has gotten ridiculously high.

Restaurants have particular margins (extremely low) in order to stay profitable. At best most are around 10% from investment.

50% of all independent food service establishments go bankrupt in the first year.
97% in five years.

And soon enough there's going to be nobody except for national chain foods.

Subway, taco bell, McDonald's, Chuy's, and etc. That's it. Hope you like that junk because that's all there is.

Just wait till Taco Bell wins the Franchise Wars.

 

[JohnDB]

Just wait till Taco Bell wins the Franchise Wars.

That's the way things are going.

I prefer artisan food.
Not overpriced crap. But stuff made well from good ingredients.

Hand made apple pie...
Not machine made with a ton of chemicals and sugars I can't pronounce.

 

[dblack]

I grew up just outside of Kansas City and we'd go to Bryant's whenever we went into the city. I remember my dad would slip the serving guy a bribe to throw extra meat on our sandwiches. I still miss their brisket.

Most places that think they have good brisket serve really rich fatty cuts. Bryant's was dry by comparison, but had amazing flavor with just the right amount of smoke.

Their sauce is interesting. I hated it at first but grew to love it. I remember my son and I tried to backward engineer the recipe. After trading notes with some people online pursuing the same goal, we concluded that it's basically ketchup and mustard mixed together, with lots of cayenne.

 

[JohnDB]

I grew up just outside of Kansas City and we'd go to Bryant's whenever we went into the city. I remember my dad would slip the serving guy a bribe to throw extra meat on our sandwiches. I still miss their brisket.

Most places that think they have good brisket serve really rich fatty cuts. Bryant's was dry by comparison, but had amazing flavor with just the right amount of smoke.

Their sauce is interesting. I hated it at first but grew to love it. I remember my son and I tried to backward engineer the sauce. After trading notes with some people online pursuing the same goal, we concluded that it's basically ketchup and mustard mixed together, with lots of cayenne.

Good food isn't complicated sometimes.
It just requires attention to detail when cooking.

 

[1srelluc]

Good food isn't complicated sometimes.
It just requires attention to detail when cooking.

Indeed.

 

[JohnDB]

Indeed.

However...
Good breads and yeast raised products are an exercise in organic chemistry and timing.
Good sourdough isn't as easy as these "artisans" think. Overly hydrated dough that has low utility and a burnt crust.
There's better than that junk. It just requires better timing and better care of the sourdough starter.

 

[initforme]

Don't feel any pity for the business. Want workers? Pay up. That's the way it works.

 

[JohnDB]

Don't feel any pity for the business. Want workers? Pay up. That's the way it works.

But there might not be any money to pay the workers with.

Food service industries are very low profit to begin with.
Food is not their highest costs... labor is.
Labor is their most expensive expense in restaurants. Food is second.
Labor runs between 30-50% of the cost of a meal in most food service establishments.

It's easy to say "well pay them more" but are you willing to pay $15 for a cup of coffee? Or are you going to drive to the place that only charges you $5/cup?

That's the thing....
It's a balance of paying labor what you can versus what you want to.

And where the industry has been plagued by a bunch of petty and tyrannical leadership it doesn't have to always be that way. Plenty of small independent food service establishments have loyal employees that have worked there for years. They are treated like family. (Family you like...not like those cousins that drive you nuts)

Corporate giants like Panera, O'Charly's, or Starbucks...those are the ones that are usually guilty of not paying enough or having abusive leadership. The independent food service establishments wouldn't have the abusive leadership. Not around here at least.

Independent food service establishments create jobs and not corporate profits. No one gets rich...no one gets to live a life of luxury from opening a restaurant. They get a job and a lot of hard work.