In this episode of Barbecue Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Phillip Livingston, Owner of Baby-Boyz BBQ. Phillip shares how he went from getting laid off and watching a barbecue show on Food Network to building a 22-year barbecue business with a restaurant, catering operation, and catering hall.
Phillip talks about the early days of building Baby-Boyz BBQ one customer at a time — driving around with a Southern Pride smoker on a trailer, offering samples, doing door-to-door outreach, and relying heavily on word-of-mouth. He also shares the lessons he learned from his father about consistency, pride, and caring for customers in a way that keeps them coming back.
Michael and Phillip discuss the realities of growing a barbecue business slowly and intentionally, including hiring challenges, location decisions, buying and renovating a former Dollar General building, creating a catering hall, and using community events to keep the business visible.
Phillip also shares practical insight on sales, marketing, customer appreciation, consistency, and why your last customer experience matters so much in catering. This episode is a great reminder that barbecue catering growth is built through reputation, relationships, persistence, and showing up for your customers every day.
Barbecue Catering Smarts is sponsored by CaterZen Catering Software.
Listen to the podcast episode below:
Prefer listening on your favorite streaming platform? We’ve got you covered!
And don't forget to subscribe to Barbecue Catering Smarts to stay up to date with the latest episodes.
Sign up to find out when we release our next episode!
✅ Start Where You Are: Phillip began with a trailer, a Southern Pride smoker, and a willingness to figure things out one event at a time.
✅ Sampling Builds Trust: Giving people a taste of the food helped turn strangers into customers and customers into repeat buyers.
✅ Word-of-Mouth Still Matters: Baby-Boyz BBQ grew largely through reputation, consistency, and customers sharing their experience with others.
✅ Consistency Drives Repeat Business: Phillip emphasized that customers come back when they know they can count on the same quality every time.
✅ Customer Appreciation Is Key: Catering success depends on valuing each customer and treating every event like it matters.
✅ Location Can Limit Growth: Phillip shared that his earlier location made it harder for people to see, understand, and fully recognize what Baby-Boyz BBQ offered.
✅ Real Estate Can Create Opportunity: Buying and renovating a former Dollar General gave Baby-Boyz BBQ more room for the restaurant, prep space, and a catering hall.
✅ Catering Halls Add Revenue Potential: Having an event space gives operators another way to capture catering revenue, private events, and community gatherings.
✅ Community Visibility Creates Demand: Collaborating with local businesses and hosting events helps introduce the brand to new customers.
✅ Sales Skills Matter: Phillip’s sales and marketing background helped him understand the importance of outreach, persistence, and relationship-building.
🔹 “I knew I wanted to own my own business.”
🔹 “It was all trial and error.”
🔹 “There was a lot of money wasted, I could tell you that, on trial and error.”
🔹 “Learning to love your customer is key because they’ll keep coming back to you.”
🔹 “I try to feed my people well, whoever that may be.”
🔹 “Nothing’s ever really easy.”
🔹 “I had to make a decision, a real decision, a grown man decision.”
🔹 “We have built a reputation and a name for ourselves.”
🔹 “You got to appreciate them because you’re only as good as your last customer.”
🔹 “Make sure you’re consistent, consistent, consistent.”
