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 a side hustle into a full-time business, the leap of faith that led Phil to leave his job, and how their partnership helped build a thriving catering operation.
They discuss why they chose a catering-first model instead of opening a traditional restaurant, how weddings became a major growth driver, and the systems they've implemented to stay organized as the business scaled. Phil and Johanna also explain how building a CRM and automating their sales process helped fuel significant growth, why documentation and communication are critical to successful event execution, and how they navigated losing a 10,000-follower Facebook page overnight.
The conversation also covers food trucks, holiday catering, fundraising programs, online product sales, wedding marketing, customer experience, and the importance of balancing growth with quality of life.
Whether you're looking to grow catering sales, improve your systems, or build a business that fits your lifestyle, this episode is packed with practical insights from operators who have done exactly that.
Barbecue Catering Smarts is sponsored by CaterZen Catering Software.
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✅ Start Before You're Ready: Henn House BBQ began with a smoker won in a radio contest and grew through consistent action and customer demand.
✅ Support Systems Matter: Phil's leap into full-time barbecue was possible because Johanna's nursing career provided stability and confidence during the transition.
✅ Catering Creates Predictability: Unlike food truck sales, catering provides known revenue, staffing requirements, and profitability before the event begins.
✅ Weddings Can Be a Powerful Niche: Henn House now caters nearly 60 weddings annually, creating a strong foundation for recurring revenue.
✅ Systems Drive Growth: Implementing a CRM, sales pipeline, automated communications, and documented processes helped the business scale significantly.
✅ Make Communication Traceable: Keeping all customer communication documented inside a CRM reduces mistakes and protects the business when issues arise.
✅ Diversify Revenue Streams: Sauces, rubs, holiday meals, fundraising programs, and specialty products can create additional income outside traditional catering.
✅ Build Owned Marketing Assets: Email and SMS marketing helped Henn House continue generating sales even after losing their Facebook presence.
✅ Know Your Value: Successful operators learn that their expertise, time, and staff have value—and price accordingly.
✅ Don't Sacrifice Quality of Life: Growth matters, but building a business that supports your lifestyle is just as important as increasing revenue.
🔹 "I was turning down catering jobs that paid more in a day than I made in a week."
🔹 "We'll be fine. Do it."
🔹 "Our business is 98% catering."
🔹 "Catering, I know what I need, how much staff I need, and how much money I'm making at the end of the day."
🔹 "We've gotten pretty big into the wedding scene. That's been our bread and butter for years."
🔹 "People said, 'I've called five other places and no one's called me back.'"
🔹 "Being organized and getting the automations put in—that's it."
🔹 "It just makes it safer when everything is documented."
🔹 "We started throwing it on a pizza crust and people went nuts."
🔹 "I decided I don't want to cater my life away."
