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Eatery operator hopes to take his BBQ nationwide
Spotsylvania County chef starts first Fredericksburg-based franchise company.
Date published: 2/2/2006 By CATHY JETT By CATHY JETT Virginia Barbeques soon may be popping up across the country--fueled with a little help from the National Hot Rod Association. Rick Ivey, a Spotsylvania County chef who started the quick-serve restaurant chain in 2000, has franchised his business and is teaming up with German liquor company Jägermeister to sponsor Naylor Racing Inc. "The first race is Feb. 9 in Pomona, Calif.," an excited Ivey said Tuesday. "I just sent our logo out to them." The bright red, diamond-shaped logo, which says Virginia BBQ in white script, will be slapped on the back of NRI's race car and the tractor-trailer hauling it from race to race across the country. The National Hot Rod Association has the second largest fan base after NASCAR, according to its Web site, nhra.com. Ivey plans to piggyback on that appeal through the co-sponsorship and by adding racing elements in his franchises' decor. "The thought is that it will help differentiate our brand," he said. Ivey, a certified executive chef with 25 years of restaurant experience, opened his first Virginia Barbeque nearly six years ago in a small, wooden building just down the street from the Smokey Pig in Ashland. Naysayers said he wouldn't be able to compete with the established, popular restaurant, but that didn't stop Ivey. After tasting barbecue at dozens of restaurants, he came up with a recipe for smoking beef, chicken and pork; stripping it of fat and gristle; and then hand-pulling and serving it either with a tomato-based, Virginia-style sauce or a vinegary, North Carolina version. Today, there are three more Virginia Barbeque restaurants in Fredericksburg, Culpeper and Stafford County--and more are on the way. Ivey franchised his business last March, has sold three and hopes to have 200 of them in the next 10 years. "We'll be at the International Franchise expo in Washington in June, which is when we'll launch in the D.C. area," he said. Ivey, whom the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce just named Entrepreneur of the Year last week, is one of 20 franchisers based in Virginia--and the only one in the Fredericksburg area, according to the IFA, an organization of franchisors, franchisees and suppliers. It estimates there's a total of 1,500 franchise businesses across the United States.
Read more stories about Fredericksburg Date published: 2/2/2006
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