In Episode 26 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-trailer vending events, and catering across six states. He explains how focusing on certified Nebraska beef, disciplined systems, and relationship-first selling helped Jimmy L’s scale while maintaining consistency, quality, and trust.
The conversation dives into the realities of large-scale BBQ catering—from trailer vending as a lead generator, to staffing and training young teams, to why Jim refuses to play the price game. Jim also outlines the three biggest mistakes operators make when scaling, the importance of knowing your numbers, and how staying true to your values can become a competitive advantage.
If you’re looking to grow catering beyond your local market while protecting margins, food quality, and your sanity, this episode delivers real-world insight from an operator who’s lived it.
Barbecue Catering Smarts is sponsored by CaterZen Catering Software.
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✅ Big Growth Doesn’t Require a Big City: Jimmy L’s proves you can scale from a small-town BBQ shop to multi-state catering if the food, systems, and reputation travel with you.
✅ Quality Protects Your Margins: Certified, locally sourced beef isn’t just a food choice—it’s a positioning strategy that attracts better clients and reduces price pressure.
✅ Stop Racing to the Bottom: The best catering customers aren’t shopping for the cheapest quote—they’re buying reliability, consistency, and peace of mind.
✅ Trailers Aren’t Just Events—They’re Lead Generators: Every trailer stop is a live tasting, a marketing channel, and a future catering order waiting to happen.
✅ Systems Matter More Than Talent at Scale: When you’re cooking hundreds of briskets, prep timelines, checklists, and load-out discipline beat heroics every time.
✅ Big Events Aren’t Risky—Disorganization Is: Large catering jobs succeed with proper staffing, clear roles, and advance planning—not last-minute scrambling.
✅ Word of Mouth Still Beats Ads: Over 70% of Jimmy L’s catering comes from repeat clients and referrals—proof that execution is still the best marketing.
✅ Not All Catering Customers Are the Same: Weddings, corporate events, and festivals require different messaging, expectations, and sales approaches.
✅ Hire Hungry, Train Hard: Young team members can deliver elite catering experiences when you set standards, empower them, and hold the line on execution.
✅ If You Don’t Know Your Numbers, You’re Guessing: Yield, waste, food cost, and labor control are non-negotiable once catering volume increases.
🔹 “A brisket is a brisket—but a brisket isn’t a brisket.”
🔹 “You pay for what you get.”
🔹 “We’re not trying to make a dollar. We’re trying to make a customer.”
🔹 “People that aren’t organized in this business, they die.”
🔹 “Large events are just small events with better staffing and planning.”
🔹 “If you don’t know your numbers, it doesn’t matter how big your business is.”
🔹 “Good food sells itself—just let people taste it.”
🔹 “We want return customers, not one-time wins.”
🔹 “If you’re not yourself, you have no chance of succeeding.”
