If you love BBQ and have always dreamed about opening up your own BBQ restaurant, then now is the perfect time to make your dreams come true.

Chaps Pit Beef, whose Baltimore pit beef sandwich has drawn the attention of Food Network and Travel Channel food experts, is looking to open new franchise locations in the immediate future.

Check out these 5 reasons why Chaps may be one of America’s best BBQ franchise opportunities.

1. Family Built & Run

Customers love a good backstory and to feel like they can connect to a business on a personal level. They want to know that you share the same values that they hold as important like hard work and dedication to the customer. This is why Chap’s rich history resonates so much with customers and prospective franchisees and what makes them one of the best bbq franchise opportunities.

Chaps Pit Beef is the brainchild of Gus Glava who owned a Southwest-themed night club on Pulaski Highway and his daughter and son-in-law. Back in May of 1987, Glava built the original Chaps Pit Beef on the grounds of his nightclub as a wedding gift for his daughter Donna and son-in-law Bob Creager who was working in a steel mill at the time.

Glava had already been serving pit beef at his bar, Gus’ Manor Inn which is located in Dundalk, Maryland and knew his new son-in-law loved to cook so thought it would be a great career transition for Creager.

The original stand was basically a 12 x 15 shack that shared the food license and even electricity with the nightclub. It was the most basic setup that could be with no restroom and only enough room to prep and cook the food. Bob would cook and Donna would manage the staff and eventually their business grew to not only allow for an expansion of their original shack, but also the addition of the new restaurant in Aberdeen.

The family love and the blood, sweat and tears that went into building this business is sure to resonate with most people. When people walk into a Chaps Pit Beef, they automatically feel like family.

2. Everyone Loves Barbecue

Barbecued meats are a meat lover’s dream so a barbecue franchise will always be a sure hit, because who doesn’t love a good barbecue? And if you pick the right franchise with a varied menu, you will also have good options for customers who want to avoid red meats or who prefer fish.

There are also a lot of different styles of barbecue so it is easy to find the one that speaks to you the most. Think about the area where you want to set up shop and get a sense of what type of barbecue is most popular there. Baltimore pit beef has a following all around the world, making Chaps Pit Beef one of the BBQ franchise opportunities out there.

3. Low Cost of Entry

Some franchises require millions of dollars in an initial investment which is not doable for all new business owners. That is what is so great about Chaps Pit Beef. Their franchise model is a lot more affordable and accessible to more people, making it one of the best franchise opportunities available today.

4. A Unique Brand of BBQ

In Baltimore when you say barbecue what you really mean is Baltimore pit beef which basically is barbecued beef that is crusty on the outside and juicy and almost rare on the inside. The meat is shaved into thin strips and heaped high on a sandwich. People come far and wide for a Baltimore pit beef sandwich. Most of the time top round is used instead of brisket which is the favorite in a lot of the other styles.

Baltimore BBQ has a distinctive flavor that you can’t get anywhere else. The bread also adds to the tastiness of the sandwich. Pit Beef is served on a Kaiser Roll or rye bread which give an earthy flavor to the sandwich. What else makes this such a signature Baltimore dish is the sauce. Unlike other regions which use a mix of ketchup, brown sugar or vinegar to give the meat its flavor, the sauce used with Baltimore pit beef has horseradish sauce in it which keeps the customers coming back for more.

Chaps Pit Beef is one of the pioneers of modern day Baltimore pit beef which makes it one of the hot franchises around. Chaps “Baltimore Style BBQ” method is what made their original pit beef sandwich so famous. To make a Classic Pit Beef sandwich,

Bob Creager and his staff uses a bottom round roast flat cut from the hind quarters which are a tougher, but more flavorful cut. They trim the gristle and silver off the meat and then applies a dry rub of different herbs and spices like paprika, salt and pepper, thyme and onion powder. He then lets it sit overnight and in the morning he puts it on an open pit of burning hardwood charcoal that gets to gets to about 400 to 500 degrees.

Once the beef has a nice crust on the outside and is tender on the inside, he slices it in ribbons and puts it back on the pit so he can cook to order for each of his customers. He always make sure to spread the meat around to add some char and flavor to it. Next he shaves the meat and piles it high on a kaiser roll and adds whatever fixings the customer wants, including Chaps’ signature horseradish sauce which is a mixture of mayonnaise and extra hot horseradish. The food is always cooked to order.

5. Loyal Customers, Strong Brand

Chaps is one of the top BBQ restaurants in MD. Having been around for over 20 years, Chaps has built a strong loyal customer base that any Chaps franchisees can bank on. When you are building a new business from the ground up, you will have to create your own customer base. That is what is so great about joining Chaps. There is already a strong customer population craving your food, making Chaps Pit Beef one of the best BBQ franchise opportunities available.

In addition, Chaps has built a strong brand. People know what to expect when they enter a Chaps Pit Beef restaurant and when they see advertisements. This can also help you a lot as a fledging franchisee.

For more information about Chaps BBQ franchising opportunities, call us or send us a message today.

Mike Piotrowski says:

March 2, 2019 at 11:27 am

bobby, mike piotrowski here, I lived next to the burger king. I have been living in ocmd for 35 years. I don’t have any cash to invest but may be able to find an investor or a partner. I have been working in the service industry all my life. if you need any connections down here or just want to talk just send me a message

Steven Ashby says:

March 2, 2019 at 11:47 am

I love your Pit Beef and my Dad is an avid customer. I am extremely interested in a franchise. I declared bankruptcy a few years ago but one day i hope to be able to own. Northern DE or south jersey. Any hope for this?

J Turlington says:

March 2, 2019 at 11:54 am

My name is J Turlington and I was born and raised in west Baltimore. I now live in St George Utah and love an opportunity to have a Chaps here, it was do awesome. St George is the fastest growing city in the country. Dickey’s is the only bbq/smoked meat place here and it’s not all that . Hope to talk more about this opportunity.