Brooks Bar-B-Q is hot

Success comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. — A sign posted in Ryan Brooks’ office.

ONEONTA — Brooks Bottling Co. just took delivery of a new bottling line. The machinery should be installed and operational by the end of August.

Driving this latest capital investment is consumer demand for new sauces and marinades. The Mintel Group, a global market-research provider, is forecasting an annual growth rate of 3 percent for most sauces. Five-year projections by IBIS World, an industry market-research organization, indicate that demand for hot sauces will grow annually at a 9.3 percent rate. Insistence on product versatility by millennial or Generation-Y consumers is a major factor propelling the “dip, sauce, and dressing category.”

Ryan Brooks, the managing member of Brooks Bottling Co., LLC and president of its sister company, Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q, Inc., both located on State Highway 7, just east of Oneonta is well-positioned to take advantage of the industry’s growth. The company already produces and bottles 16 liquid proprietary sauces, rubs, and marinades and is introducing two more designed for professional kitchens.

Currently, Brooks Bottling ships six to eight pallets weekly of its own sauces and another 10 pallets as a co-packager (contract manufacturer) for 300 private-label brands located from Vermont to Arizona. “An average pallet contains 1,440 bottles, which [translates] … into 23,000 to 26,000 bottles a week,” says Brooks.

“Not bad for a company that used to cook its batches in 3-gallon containers and bottle by hand. We didn’t add a foot-pump filler until 1994 or 1995, and the first automated line wasn’t installed until 2008. The new [equipment] line will run three times faster (5,400 bottles per hour) than our current equipment, giving us both added capacity and the backup we need in case of equipment failure.” Anticipating future growth, Brooks is already looking for a new site for the bottling company.

How it all started
The Brooks’ story began in 1941 with chickens. Ryan’s grandfather, Griffin, married Frances McClelland, whose father owned a poultry farm in Stamford. The newlyweds bought the farm to raise chickens for eggs and meat and set up a retail store on the farm to supply dressed and packaged poultry and eggs. In 1951, they began catering barbeques between April and September.

The next step was to open a concession stand in 1958 at the miniature golf and driving range, which were connected to a drive-in. The dream of owning a restaurant came true on June 10, 1961, with the opening of Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q. The restaurant passed to the second generation in 1975 when John and Joan Brooks purchased the eatery from Griffin and Frances. Three decades later, Ryan and his wife Beth purchased the restaurant and catering business.

The Brooks’ enterprise has come a long way since the restaurant opened with 15 employees. “We employ 115 people at Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q,” notes the company president, “and another eight at the bottling company.” The Business Journal News Network estimates consolidated revenue of $10 million to $12 million.

“Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q serves 250,000 meals a year, the take-out another 150,000, and we cater 200,000 (600 to 625 jobs per year). That translates into 900,000 pounds of chicken; 140,000 pounds of pork; and 180,000 pounds of ribs, or roughly 1.25 million pounds of meat per year. In preparing these meals, our 38-foot charcoal pit burns 42,000 pounds of charcoal weekly along with our onsite catering. (The company also sells its private-label brand of charcoal.)

“The entire operation is located on 26 acres and contains 29,000 square feet of covered space.” Brooks House of BBQ is owned by Ryan and his wife, who also own Brooks’ BBQ Realty, LLC, and the bottling company shares are split: 70 percent owned by Ryan and 30 percent by a family trust.

Ryan Brooks says he is very careful to protect the eponymous brand created by three generations. “The reason for our success is the quality of the product and the service we offer,” he says. “This is the concern I share daily with the employees. It begins with hiring people who have a great attitude and ethic. That’s why we only hire one of every 20 … [interviewees]. I prefer that they not come with previous experience; I would rather teach them. Next, I insist that there is always management coverage to ensure that things go smoothly. It’s a formula the family has used for 63 years (since the Brooks began catering), and it has worked well. Our managers, which include six for the restaurant and seven crew bosses, train the new staff and work with them closely to monitor their progress. Finally, as much as I appreciate technology and the need for efficiency, this is a human-interaction … [business]. I want my staff to take orders, process them, and deliver the product. You can’t take the [human] contact out of the business.”

In addition to his staff, Brooks relies on local professional firms to manage the operation. “We’ve worked with NBT Bank for years,” he says. “This is really a capital-intensive business, and NBT has been a partner in meeting our financial needs. For example, to accommodate our growth and comply with regulations, I need to install a waste-water-treatment system that will cost $1 million. I also work with Carol Ronovech [CPA] in Oneonta for our accounting. When it comes to legal matters, the business utilizes two Binghamton–based firms: HH&K (Hinman, Howard & Kattell, LLP) for general labor updates, and Levene, Gouldin & Thompson [LLP] for general business.”

Growth strategy
The Brooks’ strategy calls for growth. “I have no interest in franchising the restaurant business, so we will continue to be a single-location, full-service restaurant. Also, I don’t want to extend our geographical catering reach to more than 100 miles from the restaurant. Still, there is room for new products to sell, such as a home barbeque pit. We are setting up the distribution system now for this product,” Brooks says.

“My goal is to make Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q a destination for families. That’s why I installed 28 feet of glass in the gift shop so visitors can actually watch the bottling process. At Halloween, we’ll sponsor [pumpkin] carving; in July, a family day with entertainment for the kids. Another option is to offer cooking classes, including a specialty class on barbequing. There is room for growth in the restaurant/catering business, but the real growth will come from the bottling operation.”

Brooks currently works with a packaging consultant to help build the bottling business. “We ship our sauces, rubs, and marinades to over 300 stores, working through distributors,” adds the company president. “The potential to increase this distribution is huge. We also sell our products online and directly to restaurants as well as offering them in our own restaurant. The timing couldn’t be better with consumers concerned about the quality of food that’s available. There is a clear preference for locally grown produce that is fresh and not loaded with additives. Also, grown-in-America food is in demand, especially with the scare over Chinese products. We plan to grow, but it will be controlled growth.

“Everything I do is tied to family,” Brooks declares. “The ice-cream store is called ‘Generations,’ and the new sauces we’re producing are under the C&A label, named after my children Carter and Abigail. As hard as I work, I have created a work/life balance to be with my family. That’s why I only live 7 minutes from the restaurant. I feel very comfortable with my management which allows me the opportunity to spend time with my family. My children are only 1½ and 3½, but I want them to be involved with the business the way I was with my parents. It would be wonderful to see a fourth generation of Brooks running the business.”

Brooks is a 1996 graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he majored in food management. He is a member of the Association for Dressings and Sauces, the National Restaurant Association, the New York State Restaurant Association, the Small Scale Food Processors Association of New York, and the National Barbeque Association. According to IBIS World, Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q is part of a $141 billion industry that employs more than 3 million people in 200,000 businesses. With the average restaurant generating about $700,000 in revenue annually, Brooks is clearly an industry leader.

Ryan Brooks isn’t looking for success. He’s too busy. That’s why success has found him.

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@cnybj.com