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MEMPHIS BBQFest > 2023 > 1 Month Away - $100,000 budget due to inflation! (1 Viewer)

What happened with Slab yo mama?
The Not Particularly Brief History of the BBQfest Team

SLAB YO MAMA YEARS:

• Slab formed 2003 and was mostly run by group of 4-5 guys that they gradually backfilled around

• I came on around 2005 and subsequently brought on half dozen folks over the course of a few years.

• Gradually things got bigger and the original guys started getting lazy. Work share was disproportionate yet say in team operations, and financing/budget was held close to vest by original guys. Complaints went un-heeded and finally we were finally told "This is how it's going to be so suck it up". Our group did most of the load-in / load-out, brought the sponsorships, owned the bar/kegerator, had the DJ, Neil as pitmaster, etc. Things got bad enough that I pummeled one dbag on the team in 2013 over stupid crap.

• After several years of increasing frustration (2011-2013) we finally broke off and formed McClure's Barbecue.

• Slab attempted to continue but given the vacuum of those willing to actually DO anything, they dissolved.

McCLURE'S BARBECUE ERA:

• When we split off we formed a new LLC and decided to cook under McClure's Barbecue. We picked up some additional team members (friends who brought skills/connections to the table) and did our thing.

• Learning from the past, we fixed the issues of transparency by having budget and spending always on Dropbox file for all to see, team all has say in all major matters to give everyone a voice, etc.

• Competed and had a blast. Biggest booth in BBQfest history. Made a couple mistakes but given the scale things went fantastic.

• In offseason we picked up a few more folks, and had opportunity to add Troy Black who is somewhat of a ringer with a huge rap sheet of competition BBQ wins. Cleared it with Neil, and Troy was added to form a two-headed pit monster.

• Neil had the 2nd restaurant opportunity surface which developed uncertainty on his ability to participate. Simultaneously there was a push among some folks on the team to go with a more "fun" and less "business-ish" name so we switched to Usual Saucepects.

USUAL SAUCEPECTS ERA:

• Thus the Usual Saucepects were born. Word is now coming from NOLA that Neil's schedule is looking better for him to make it up for the fest which is awesome. Another 4 figures dropped on a new round of branding/decor has gone out the door so hopefully we are done with the metamorphosis and settled in where we need to be.

 
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8 days till scaffold goes up!
10 days till carpet goes down and load-in begins...

Banners are in.
Cups are in. Reprint cups (bonus 2000 reverse colors free) are on the way.

Large 5'x3' custom poly flags are in (two sided with inverse graphics)
Team comp day shirts are ordered
Tshirts are ordered and approved
All Sponsor money is in

Given the Grizzlies are looking like they SHOULD advance beyond Portland to take on Golden State in the SemiFinals, we are now looking into the dates for the games in that series. IF there is a game scheduled for Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat night of BBQfest, we will be installing a 50"+ flatscreen on the 2nd floor of the booth looking down at the main floor area to show the game(s). Will have DJ's ready to jump in and play music / hype the crowd during commercial breaks.

Happened once before 3 years ago vs the Thunder and we had a much smaller setup but had TONS of people packed in and going nuts. When the grizzlies won the DJ broke into "all I do is Win" (played out now but wasn't then ) The crowd went ape####. One of my favorite BBQfest memories.

Time is drawing close... I fly out to Cape Cod for a family wedding during the weekend of load in so I'm going nuts trying to plan last minute stuff.

 
I'm all but confirmed. Not bringing my pit, but will help in kitchen. Might bring the jambalaya pot....possibly other treats.

Icon has promised me a bed downtown (probably his...dudes a pervert) for the trip....probably because he doesn't want what happened on his couch last year to happen again. (sorry man...i'm taking medicine for it now).

Gonna try for a Wednesday departure...all depends on me not slicing my leg to the bone again (can barely walk today) and not firing anybody.

 
I'm all but confirmed. Not bringing my pit, but will help in kitchen. Might bring the jambalaya pot....possibly other treats.

Icon has promised me a bed downtown (probably his...dudes a pervert) for the trip....probably because he doesn't want what happened on his couch last year to happen again. (sorry man...i'm taking medicine for it now).

Gonna try for a Wednesday departure...all depends on me not slicing my leg to the bone again (can barely walk today) and not firing anybody.
You trying out a new kind of hamhock? Since the "secret" menu item has gone over so well?

(#rethinkupcomingtriptomcclures#

 
I'm all but confirmed. Not bringing my pit, but will help in kitchen. Might bring the jambalaya pot....possibly other treats.

Icon has promised me a bed downtown (probably his...dudes a pervert) for the trip....probably because he doesn't want what happened on his couch last year to happen again. (sorry man...i'm taking medicine for it now).

Gonna try for a Wednesday departure...all depends on me not slicing my leg to the bone again (can barely walk today) and not firing anybody.
:pickle: :pickle:

I figured you and I could share one bed so the GF could spread out in hers. she kicks a lot in her sleep ;)

Wednesday departure would be dope. Grizzlies vs Warriors game 5 will be theoretically be on the big screen in the booth. :banned:

Wednesday is usually very low key with teams allowed to purchase 30 tickets, or 50 if they buy a special whole hog package. As of now we have:

• 50 sponsors doing a dinner on the top deck

• 21 team members + 15-16 wives/girlfriends

• ~40 extra wed tickets we've bought from other teams

Factoring in stragglers and our booth will be pretty well packed out for our "quiet night" this year. Good times. :lmao:

 
I'm all but confirmed. Not bringing my pit, but will help in kitchen. Might bring the jambalaya pot....possibly other treats.

Icon has promised me a bed downtown (probably his...dudes a pervert) for the trip....probably because he doesn't want what happened on his couch last year to happen again. (sorry man...i'm taking medicine for it now).

Gonna try for a Wednesday departure...all depends on me not slicing my leg to the bone again (can barely walk today) and not firing anybody.
MMMM jambalaya - I can't wait for that again!

 
I'm a little unsure of how this whole thing works. I get that for folks affiliated or guests of teams, they can hang out in the teams areas and get que and booze, etc. What about random folks just walking around? Can they come into your area and sample the que? Can they buy booze and que?

WTF is it like for normal people!!

 
I'm a little unsure of how this whole thing works. I get that for folks affiliated or guests of teams, they can hang out in the teams areas and get que and booze, etc. What about random folks just walking around? Can they come into your area and sample the que? Can they buy booze and que?

WTF is it like for normal people!!
Heath Department regulations prohibit teams from distributing food/booze to the general public. Absent that, this whole thing gets a LOT more complex with everyone needing health department inspections, liquor licenses, ABC certified beverage servers, etc. It's the Gub-mint's world.. we just play in it.

The result is a system where the booths are considered "private parties" and are "invite only". This allows us to keep the food and booze free flowing. Keep in mind "invite-only" enforcement varies dramatically based on the booth, time of day, etc. Low key booth on Thursday afternoon? If you ask nicely and offer to tip, most will be happy to invite you in for a beer and some BBQ. The bigger/better booths on Friday night? Good luck. We're already full with our friends/sponsors. There's no ROOM for random folks. :)

Keep in mind also, we're there to have fun. We spend tens of thousands of dollars to throw this party for our friends/sponsors. We already have to work hard enough to set up and man things as they are.... even if given the choice, most of us would probably not WANT the hassle of preparing/packaging/selling food/drinks to the public anyway. We want to have fun, too.

Regarding random folks "Sampling" our que.... health codes aside, BBQ isn't cheap. If we handed out a rib bone or pulled pork slider to everyone walking by... we could blow through thousands of dollars in food easily. This festival sees 100,000 visitors.

That of course, didn't stop Tipsy from setting up shop at the front of our booth the first year and shucking raw oysters for anyone walking by who wanted one. :lol:

Absent knowing someone with a booth, and absent the charisma to talk/tip your way into one.... you've got a few options:

• Kingsford Tour Of Champions (spend couple hundred bucks to tour several high-finishing teams and taste their BBQ and talk to their pitmaster).

• Buy beers from the bud tent at $4/pint and corn dogs / pulled pork sandwiches from the vendors on vendor row, and walk around to enjoy the people watching.

Quite a few teams offer deal like "buy a T Shirt for $25 and you get a wristband for our tent"... this can be a good option as well, considering that includes lunch/dinner/open bar for several days.

 
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I'm a little unsure of how this whole thing works. I get that for folks affiliated or guests of teams, they can hang out in the teams areas and get que and booze, etc. What about random folks just walking around? Can they come into your area and sample the que? Can they buy booze and que?

WTF is it like for normal people!!
Heath Department regulations prohibit teams from distributing food/booze to the general public. Absent that, this whole thing gets a LOT more complex with everyone needing health department inspections, liquor licenses, ABC certified beverage servers, etc. It's the Gub-mint's world.. we just play in it.

The result is a system where the booths are considered "private parties" and are "invite only". This allows us to keep the food and booze free flowing. Keep in mind "invite-only" enforcement varies dramatically based on the booth, time of day, etc. Low key booth on Thursday afternoon? If you ask nicely and offer to tip, most will be happy to invite you in for a beer and some BBQ. The bigger/better booths on Friday night? Good luck. We're already full with our friends/sponsors. There's no ROOM for random folks. :)

Keep in mind also, we're there to have fun. We spend tens of thousands of dollars to throw this party for our friends/sponsors. We already have to work hard enough to set up and man things as they are.... even if given the choice, most of us would probably not WANT the hassle of preparing/packaging/selling food/drinks to the public anyway. We want to have fun, too.

Regarding random folks "Sampling" our que.... health codes aside, BBQ isn't cheap. If we handed out a rib bone or pulled pork slider to everyone walking by... we could blow through thousands of dollars in food easily. This festival sees 100,000 visitors.

That of course, didn't stop Tipsy from setting up shop at the front of our booth the first year and shucking raw oysters for anyone walking by who wanted one. :lol:

Absent knowing someone with a booth, and absent the charisma to talk/tip your way into one.... you've got a few options:

• Kingsford Tour Of Champions (spend couple hundred bucks to tour several high-finishing teams and taste their BBQ and talk to their pitmaster).

• Buy beers from the bud tent at $4/pint and corn dogs / pulled pork sandwiches from the vendors on vendor row, and walk around to enjoy the people watching.

Quite a few teams offer deal like "buy a T Shirt for $25 and you get a wristband for our tent"... this can be a good option as well, considering that includes lunch/dinner/open bar for several days.
What do the 100k visitors do if they can only get booze and food from limited spots? Is this thing you're describing just a small part of the festival?

 
What do the 100k visitors do if they can only get booze and food from limited spots? Is this thing you're describing just a small part of the festival?
Great video showing an overview of the festival at day/night and some in/out of booth footage >

Festival Map - Overview

From the map you can see that, absent the two main walkways (riverside drive inland, and the "Rivers edge" walkway along the mississippi), there are a few paths that weave their way through the mile long park. Those are the primary "Common areas" where the general public congregates. The majority of the real estate is paid for by teams and is allocated to their private parties.

Folks without an invite mostly just walk the park, enjoy the sights, dance outside the booths (each booth is blaring their own music), etc. There are lots of food/arts/crafts vendors, a big stage with (crappy) bands playing, etc.

So yes... while the festival can be fun for the general public.... it's INFINITELY more fun when you know someone on a team (or 10... or 20). :)

 
Just got work from Trey Nolan at Nolan AV Solutions (our Light/Sound/Video Sponsor) that the'll be happy to work in a big video monitor to showcase the Grizzlies games in our booth :lol

:thumbup:

This is going to be ridiculous...

 
Final team meeting tonight.

Passes, tickets, wristbands, and T shirts being handed out tonight.

Thursday / Friday : Scaffold Goes up
Saturday: Carpet laid, booth shade mesh hung, Few large items (kegerator/bar/etc) will be loaded in.
Mon-Tuesday : Other key items loading in and banners/lighting hung.
Wednesday: last of load in. Set up all day. Sponsors (Cisco/CDW/EMC2) coming in for dinner/evening at 5pm or so.

Homestretch now... very glad that Tipsy will be making it in! Fest wouldn't be the same without him!

Any FBGs that are planning on coming, please inbox me with your first/last name and number in your party so I can ensure you're on the guestlist!

 
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Jesus... Twitter chatter off the charts tonight with word of tipsy being more likely to make it up... AND possibly having some of the Hogs for the Cause, NOLA Brewing, HogDat Nation crew... UbonsBBQ and Big Bob Gibson's in on the conversation as well.

Also have added a comp day shirt to the run... Size Medium with the name Yi Lynne embroidered...

pic

Things getting more and more interesting....
A very good friend of mine is with the Ubons crew. They're some badasss BBQ'ers!
So I've heard! I'll be stopping in for a bite at some point!

Cups came in... Damn ink ran way too dark. they're re-running them with black art on red cups. Hoping we get to keep both... will probably need all 2000 cups.

Also picked up a small RC Drone with HD cam attached to fly and capture some aerial video at the booth. This should be interesting :popcorn:

Any worries someone will think you're shigging them with that thing flying around?
 
Jesus... Twitter chatter off the charts tonight with word of tipsy being more likely to make it up... AND possibly having some of the Hogs for the Cause, NOLA Brewing, HogDat Nation crew... UbonsBBQ and Big Bob Gibson's in on the conversation as well.

Also have added a comp day shirt to the run... Size Medium with the name Yi Lynne embroidered...

pic

Things getting more and more interesting....
A very good friend of mine is with the Ubons crew. They're some badasss BBQ'ers!
So I've heard! I'll be stopping in for a bite at some point!

Cups came in... Damn ink ran way too dark. they're re-running them with black art on red cups. Hoping we get to keep both... will probably need all 2000 cups.

Also picked up a small RC Drone with HD cam attached to fly and capture some aerial video at the booth. This should be interesting :popcorn:
Any worries someone will think you're shigging them with that thing flying around?
huh?

 
Jesus... Twitter chatter off the charts tonight with word of tipsy being more likely to make it up... AND possibly having some of the Hogs for the Cause, NOLA Brewing, HogDat Nation crew... UbonsBBQ and Big Bob Gibson's in on the conversation as well.

Also have added a comp day shirt to the run... Size Medium with the name Yi Lynne embroidered...

pic

Things getting more and more interesting....
A very good friend of mine is with the Ubons crew. They're some badasss BBQ'ers!
So I've heard! I'll be stopping in for a bite at some point!

Cups came in... Damn ink ran way too dark. they're re-running them with black art on red cups. Hoping we get to keep both... will probably need all 2000 cups.

Also picked up a small RC Drone with HD cam attached to fly and capture some aerial video at the booth. This should be interesting :popcorn:

Any worries someone will think you're shigging them with that thing flying around?
Good old urban dictionary.

+5 points for introducing a new word to the FFA.

 
final beer and liquor orders in....

16 Kegs Lagunitas Daytime
8 Kegs Lagunitas IPA
8 Cases Vox Vodka (6x1.75L)

5 Cases Jim Beam Kentucky Fire Cinnamon Whiskey (12x750ml)

3 Cases Jim Beam Black 8yr Aged Bourbon (12x750ml)

2 Cases Devils Cut Whiskey (12x750ml)

1000 Jello Shots
1000 "Rummy Bear" cups

:unsure:

 
5 Cases Jim Beam Kentucky Fire Cinnamon Whiskey (12x750ml)

oof.

Assuming you use this for lighter fluid
People like shots.....They love fireball type shots.... we will have two shot chiller machines with that crap on tap. I will be staying away from that liquid hangover, but I assure you we'll blow through our 1250 1oz shot cups...

 
Any FBGs that are planning on coming, please inbox me with your first/last name and number in your party so I can ensure you're on the guestlist!
I've never been to a Memphis in May and I'm not going this year, but I just wanted to say this is very cool of you to send this offer out a bunch of strangers you only know through FBG's. Best of luck to you and your team this year!!

 
Any FBGs that are planning on coming, please inbox me with your first/last name and number in your party so I can ensure you're on the guestlist!
I've never been to a Memphis in May and I'm not going this year, but I just wanted to say this is very cool of you to send this offer out a bunch of strangers you only know through FBG's. Best of luck to you and your team this year!!
 
Any FBGs that are planning on coming, please inbox me with your first/last name and number in your party so I can ensure you're on the guestlist!
I've never been to a Memphis in May and I'm not going this year, but I just wanted to say this is very cool of you to send this offer out a bunch of strangers you only know through FBG's. Best of luck to you and your team this year!!
He invited me last year and now I am officially on the team :hifive: . This really is just a bunch of cool dudes that have a good time hanging out. Very relaxed fun time.

 
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Any FBGs that are planning on coming, please inbox me with your first/last name and number in your party so I can ensure you're on the guestlist!
I've never been to a Memphis in May and I'm not going this year, but I just wanted to say this is very cool of you to send this offer out a bunch of strangers you only know through FBG's. Best of luck to you and your team this year!!
He invited me last year and now I am officially on the team :hifive: . This really is just a bunch of cool dudes that have a good time hanging out. Very relaxed fun time.
:thumbup: What Stu said!

It's been a great ride. This forum is a cool community and we know there are a lotta BBQ junkies on here. Its fun to let folks get a taste of the full BBQfest experience. It's really cool to actually get to belly-up to a prep table with Tipsy and watch him work his meat magic. :lol:

We can't always spend as much time with everyone as we'd like (it's a good bit of work too), but everyone who's come down seems to have had fun, and they've always been super cool.

No experiences that would make us not want to continue welcoming FBGs :banned: ...... though shuke and Otis haven't made it down yet.

 
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Any FBGs that are planning on coming, please inbox me with your first/last name and number in your party so I can ensure you're on the guestlist!
I've never been to a Memphis in May and I'm not going this year, but I just wanted to say this is very cool of you to send this offer out a bunch of strangers you only know through FBG's. Best of luck to you and your team this year!!
He invited me last year and now I am officially on the team :hifive: . This really is just a bunch of cool dudes that have a good time hanging out. Very relaxed fun time.
:thumbup: What Stu said!

It's been a great ride. This forum is a cool community and we know there are a lotta BBQ junkies on here. Its fun to let folks get a taste of the full BBQfest experience. It's really cool to actually get to belly-up to a prep table with Tipsy and watch him work his meat magic. :lol:

We can't always spend as much time with everyone as we'd like (it's a good bit of work too), but everyone who's come down seems to have had fun, and they've always been super cool.

No experiences that would make us not want to continue welcoming FBGs :banned: ...... though shuke and Otis haven't made it down yet.
Unless you've got tuna on the menu, don't hold a spot for Oats.

 
Unless you've got tuna on the menu, don't hold a spot for Oats.
:lol:

Just remembered... been chatting with FBG Tusken Raider... he's on a BBQfest team as well and is two doors down from us at R092.
Yeah, but knowing what I know (& have seen) from y'all, we're kind of the green room to your main stage...

Think the booth in between us will mind if we use their kitchen as a cut-through?

 
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Its not going to game five. Sorry bro. :)

edited to add: for the record I am rooting for the grizz.
:boxing: :headbang: :thumbup:

If Game 5 (Wed night) is anything like Game 2 was,

Game 6 (Friday night) IN DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS, will be insane.

This city is on a Game 2 hangover right now.

Grit & MF'n Grind, baby.

 
Chaos/crunch time. Some hiccups during setup but the booth is up and carpeted, the bar and kegerator are loaded. The kitchen and electrical panel are being set up today. Smoker and porta potties are in place. Slowly coming together.

Tonight, load in and some light setup. I've got to meet with the Mexican team sponored by Bud Light and Weber to pick up some passes and make sure their refrigeration needs are taken care of. Our team is lining up 20 pallets for them and delivering to their booth so they can build a floor today.

Tomorrow all the kitchen/booth/bar supplies get loaded in. Meat and liquor get loaded in. Refrigeration and Electrical are set up. Kegs are loaded in.

Wednesday all day is getting everything finalized and in place... banners and lighting finished off. Everything done and in place for 5:00pm SPonsor dinner for 60.

6 months of planning and it's still chaos at the last minute due to mixups, and vendors straight out not doing their jobs.

Wheeeeee! :)

 
Today is the biggest load-in day with regards to supplies.... with all bar/kitchen/decoration/liquor/meat/food going in. Tomorrow AM the kegs will be brought in and the Audio/Visual system will be going in as we dress the booth with banners/lighting.

Some pics from the past few days:

Booth under constriction - View from FBG Tusken Raider's booth as it's getting started.

Another view on break during the build

Three levels under construction. Top deck sealed with Pool cover for durable water seal.

A look inside after bar set. 3 Potties to the right for public.

Dedicated Team / Wives bathroom out back.

3 door commercial fridge being dropped at booth right now.

300 0.5L bottles of water to get us started

Some Booze...

Troy picking up some sides today

FBG Tipsy mixing up a giant cauldron of Red Beans to top the giant batch of BBQ Jambalaya he's making :wub:

40lbs of Rummy-Gummies that will be placed in shot-cups and distributed to the crowd.

AND ABOUT THOSE VIEWS......

View from the front of the lower deck last night....

From the top deck looking over the Mississippi

Looking right toward the skyline Tallest booth in the park, again.
(note, less than 10% of the festival is viewable from that shot... the VAST majority of the booths are in the other direction.)

 
Chaos/crunch time. Some hiccups during setup but the booth is up and carpeted, the bar and kegerator are loaded. The kitchen and electrical panel are being set up today. Smoker and porta potties are in place. Slowly coming together.

Tonight, load in and some light setup. I've got to meet with the Mexican team sponored by Bud Light and Weber to pick up some passes and make sure their refrigeration needs are taken care of. Our team is lining up 20 pallets for them and delivering to their booth so they can build a floor today.

Tomorrow all the kitchen/booth/bar supplies get loaded in. Meat and liquor get loaded in. Refrigeration and Electrical are set up. Kegs are loaded in.

Wednesday all day is getting everything finalized and in place... banners and lighting finished off. Everything done and in place for 5:00pm SPonsor dinner for 60.

6 months of planning and it's still chaos at the last minute due to mixups, and vendors straight out not doing their jobs.

Wheeeeee! :)
My flight leaves at 5:30 am tomorrow.....will be down to the booth for a late lunch!

 
Baloney Sandwich said:
[icon] said:
A look inside after bar set. 3 Potties to the right for public.
Why you have to show a picture of a black man sleeping on the job?
Man poor Dwight earned full credit for showing up with the worst hangover of his life after the Grizzlies win sat night. He needed to lay down for a min, then puked. Poor guy :lol:

Had most of the guys over tonight to load he key #### up. Guy with key #### on trailer is now drunk at home and threatening to quit and not meet me to take everything downtown at 6:30am over a misunderstanding (that doesn't involve me). I spent the last 90 mins talking him down. Hope he shows up :lol:

And we're off...

See ya at lunch sbonomo! :)

 

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