Franchise Opportunities

Welcome to Smokey Mo's

The Pit is LitTM

prototypical footprint 2,250-2,750 sq ft

AVERAGE YEARLY STORE SALES*

AVERAGE GUEST CHECK*

fast casual is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry

the pit's been lit since 2000.

The first Smokey Mo’s BBQ opened in 2000 in Cedar Park, Texas, and was the quintessential small, family business. With a lot of hard work, the model gained traction, and within 7 years, the first franchise was born in San Antonio. If you’re not keeping score, that gives us over 21 years of successful corporate operations and 14 solid years of franchising partnerships. Just saying, this ain’t our first rodeo.

Prototype rendering - work in progress

What’s made the Smokey Mo’s BBQ concept so successful?

We’re committed to quality, freshness, and real Texas BBQ– all our meats are smoked in-house daily.

Our small footprint limits overhead.

We offer a product with a naturally high ticket and perceived value.

Our rub and sauces are proprietary and cravable.

We maintain a neighborhood feel by rooting ourselves in our surrounding community, supporting causes like schools, kid’s sports and neighbors in need.

There's a lot to be said for timing

The BBQ restaurant segment has remained resilient through economic downturns as well as the global pandemic.

It’s comfort food, it travels well, and there’s something for everyone.

Fast Casual BBQ is not a saturated segment, which means prime markets are widely available.

Looking to diversify? Great. Smokey Mo’s model is complementary to other restaurant concepts, and has minimal non-compete issues.

Doesn’t that sound good enough to sink your teeth into?

THE SMOKEY MO'S TX BBQ™ CULTURE

Smokey Mo's BBQ is a real-life American dream.

It all started with one small, family-run store in Cedar Park, Texas. So, as we grow, we think it's important to stay true to our roots and bring along the best of that heritage- our friendly, warm Texas atmosphere, freshly smoked meats, honest work, and our commitment to the communities around us. It is our hope that the "regulars" at every future Smokey Mo's will always be greeted by name. That's just the Smokey Mo's Way.

Vision

To be the best neighborhood BBQ in Texas.

Mission

We serve great tasting BBQ in a friendly way that keeps 'em coming back.

Core Values

Excellence: Be excellent. Own your results. Learn from mistakes. Take pride in our great food, our unrivaled hospitality and the cleanliness of our stores.

Teamwork: Be a team player. Show up for each other, have fun and act with empathy. We always work together to deliver a flawless guest experience.

Community: Be genuine and friendly. Smokey Mo’s strives to be a good neighbor and make a positive difference in our communities.

Promises to our guests

Clean • Friendly • Quality • Accurate • Fast

Our current franchisee family has been a part of Smokey Mo’s for years, and each has enjoyed a great deal of success. Here’s what they have to say:

"Smokey Mo's BBQ has become a grand part of my family's life. The opportunity to become Franchisees has been one of the greatest decisions we have ever made. I am proud to represent and be a part of something we will continue to build."

Bob Saldivar, Franchisee

"I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but was never sure how I was going to make that happen. I started working for Smokey Mo's while in college and fell in love with the concept. Great neighborhood barbeque with an emphasis on being involved in the community. After being with the company for 5 years there was no question I wanted to be a franchise owner. Quality ingredients, great processes, and being a part of an amazing team has proven again and again that Smokey Mo's was the perfect choice for me and my family."

Nathan Page, Franchisee

"I grew up in restaurants--watching my father manage them--so restaurants are my passion. Smokey Mo’s dedication to quality and service is what drew me to the brand. We smoke our meats onsite everyday to ensure we have the best quality BBQ for our guests. And we have the ability to serve our communities, whether it’s by making the day better for guests, or being able to help local schools and organizations. We are part of a brand and a business that we can be proud of."

Roger Harris, Franchisee

HOW WE SUPPORT OUR FRANCHISE PARTNERS

The Smokey Mo's Way

Once you qualify and join the Smokey Mo's team, we'll teach you everything you need to know about The Smokey Mo's Way. Since your success is our success, we'll be committed to you every step of the way. Our proven system of operation created from years of experience is the key to a thriving Smokey Mo's.

Site Selection

We’ve had a great deal of professional research done so we can provide you with data-driven assistance in identifying ideal Smokey Mo’s BBQ locations.

Restaurant Design and Construction

Once you're ready, we'll provide prototype plans, a base equipment list and a framework for your architect to work from. These plans are based on everything we've learned over the years to prioritize proper guest traffic flow, seating and maximizing efficiency in work areas and storage.

Training and Operations

During your Smokey Mo's training, we'll teach you about our processes and operations, and everything else you need to know to get your store up and running.

What are you waiting for? Join the Smokey Mo’s family.

Smokey Mo's Ideal Candidate

Financially qualified (minimum $600,000 investment capability with a minimum of $200K liquid assets per location).

Minimum commitment of 3 locations in new target markets and minimum of 5 in new markets outside Texas; single locations in fill-in markets (with 5+ locations) and opportunistic developments.

Minimum of 3 years of direct restaurant management experience (GM and above) with P&L responsibility in restaurants with a minimum of $1 million annual sales.

For Multi-Unit Commitment: Minimum of 2 years of multi-unit restaurant management experience with P&L responsibility.

For Multi-Unit Commitment: Must have experience building/developing new locations.

Demonstrated ability to operate a business successfully (other business, business career, systems implementation).

No interest in a competing business (BBQ style dishes equaling no more than 10% of total sales).

Experience managing and developing hourly wage team members successfully.

Match with Smokey Mo’s BBQ’s Mission, Values, Strategy and Philosophy.

Ready to saddle up?

THE SMOKEY MO'S BBQ™ QUALIFICATION PROCESS

Once you’ve gotten the thumbs up to become a Smokey Mo’s BBQ franchisee, we’ll give you our all to teach you the Smokey Mo’s Way of doing things. Like we said before, your success is our success and we’ll be right there with you every step of the way. You can hang your hat on it.

As much as we wish this was as simple as a handshake, it’s business, so all potential franchisees will go through our qualification process.

Application

  • Initial phone conversation with our Qualification Specialist will get the ball rolling.
  • Candidate completes and returns Franchise Application.
  • Documentation must be enclosed with the Franchise Application to support the following:
    • Candidate must have a minimum of $200,000 in liquid assets per location.
    • Candidate must have $600,000 Investment Capability.
    • Please include statements (bank, stock, 401K) of the liquid $200K.
  • Qualification Specialist completes financial review of candidate’s Franchise Application and conducts background investigation.

Franchise Disclosure Document

  • Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and Decision-Making Checklist mailed to candidate (Acknowledgement of Receipt page must be returned before proceeding to the next step).
  • Smokey Mo’s BBQ Franchise Recruiter contacts candidate to discuss FDD and Decision-Making Checklist and schedules a face-to-face meeting. This is where the good old-fashioned handshake will come in.

Observation

  • Candidate meets face-to-face with Smokey Mo’s BBQ Franchise Recruiter.
  • Candidate observes operating system in a Smokey Mo’s for a 1 day. Sure hope you like brisket.
  • Candidate completes and returns their Business Plan to Franchise Recruiter.

Review

  • The Approval Committee reviews the candidate’s file for the appropriate market.
  • Welcome to Smokey Mo’s! Candidate is invited to Orientation for the following:
    • Signing of the Franchise Agreement
    • Payment of Franchise Fee
    • Discussion of pre-opening timeline
    • Set up initial training (Did somebody say, “Pitmaster”?)

Prototype rendering - work in progress

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Legal Disclaimer

*Figures reflect averages for the 4 franchisee-owned restaurants that opened before January 1, 2021, as published in Item 19 of our March 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document. Regarding the figures for the period from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021, of these 4 restaurants, 1 (25%) had lower costs of goods sold, 2 (50%) had lower labor costs and 2 (50%) had a higher ticket average during the reported period. Regarding the figures for the period from March 1, 2021 through February 28, 2022, of these 4 restaurants, 2 (50%) had higher net sales during the reported period. A new franchisee’s results may differ from the represented performance. There is no assurance that you will do as well and you must accept that risk. This advertisement is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. An offering is made by Franchise Disclosure Document only.

Information made available through this web site regarding the Smokey Mo’s BBQ franchise opportunity is for general information only and is not intended to be a franchise offer. Offers are made only after delivery of an effective Franchise Disclosure Document in compliance with applicable federal and state laws. None of the communications made through this web site should be construed as an offer to sell any Smokey Mo’s BBQ franchises in, nor is any such communication directed to the residents of, any jurisdiction requiring registration of the franchise before it is offered and sold in that jurisdiction. No Smokey Mo’s BBQ franchises will be sold to any resident of such jurisdiction until the offering has been exempted from the requirements of, or duly registered in and declared effective by, such jurisdiction and the required Franchise Disclosure Document has been delivered to the prospective franchisee before the sale in compliance with applicable law.

Pre-Disclosure: 

Assuming you qualify as a prospective franchisee of Smokey Mo’s BBQ, we may provide you with a Franchise Disclosure Document in hard copy or electronic format. If the Franchise Disclosure Document is furnished electronically, it will be provided in a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. You must use the Adobe Acrobat program in order to open and view this type of electronic file.