Three humble tradesman have found success after they saw a gap in the food market and decided they had the perfect business idea to fill it.
Haydn Graham, Glen Ellis and Ben Huppatz founded the BlackBear BBQ after they discovered a large and hungry market for U.S. Southern-style food in Australia.
Rather than set up in the restaurant-heavy inner city, the trio chose an industrial block in Blacktown, in Sydney’s west, for their first restaurant in 2017.
And word spear quickly among locals – and through other tradesman – that the boys were doing some of the best BBQ in Sydney.
Starting their journey in the heart of industrial Blacktown (pictured), the boys set up shop to serve all the hard-working tradies and locals of Blacktown
Haydn Graham, Glen Ellis and Ben Huppatz (pictured together) founded the BlackBear BBQ after the noticed there was a market for BBQ cooked food in Australia
Mr Graham said word of mouth has played a big part in their early success in becoming one of the southern hemisphere’s biggest smoke house BBQ places, and doing so in just one year
Mr Graham told Daily Mail Australia the biggest hurdle the team had to overcome was knowing what demand they would have for their product, which in turn would inform their supply levels.
But they were quickly deluged with hundreds of hungry customers – and business hasn’t stopped.
‘Trying to get enough food to cook for enough of the customers was a trick at first,’ Mr Graham said.
‘It’s really gratifying and its a reward for all the hard work, time and money that has gone into this,’ he added.
‘We are flooded with people every weekend.’
Mr Graham said the biggest hurdle the team had to overcome early on was knowing what demand they would have for their product which in turn would inform their supply levels
Mr Ellis said it was easy to see that people enjoyed BBQ food and creating a restaurant that provided it was a no brainer.
‘Cooking over fire, I think humanity is going back to the simple stuff,’ he said.
The friends discussed the idea over a few nights around the campfire and eventually all three made the leap of faith and left their day jobs.
BlackBear’s biggest selling point is its menu which consists of locally sourced produce, smoked in the traditional ‘low’n’slow method’ over ironbark for up to 15 hours.
BlackBear’s biggest selling point is its menu which consists of locally sourced produce, smoked in the traditional ‘low’n’slow method’ over Ironbark for up to 15 hours
The three friends gave up their day jobs as tradesmen and put everything into their business venture which they say has been paid off by the strong community support they receive
Seeing their growing success, the guys decided to get the word out there.
The team travelled to different food festivals around Sydney and saw a growing interest in the food they provided.
Mr Graham said word of mouth has played a big part in their early success in becoming one of the southern hemisphere’s biggest smoke house BBQ places, and doing so in just one year.
‘And now the challenge is more shops,’ Mr Graham said.
He said they had dedicated staff who love working for them, some even coming in on their days off to help out.
‘And I think that is something that people see happening,’ Mr Graham said.
‘They pick up on that vibe, we don’t run our kitchen like a Gordon Ramsay would.’
Since their opening BlackBear has received a healthy flow of positive reviews online for their large range of barbecue food (pictured)
Since their opening BlackBear BBQ has received a healthy flow of positive reviews online.
‘The pork belly is to die for, the brisket is good but a bit over seasoned for my tastes and the cheesy corn is amazing,’ one customer wrote.
‘We turned up late but still managed to get what we wanted with very friendly service. The food was delish (sic) except the coleslaw had coriander in it which i don’t like but my partner loved it another added.
They have opened their latest ‘pop up store’ at Sydney’s Moore Park and it will remain there until Cirque Du Soleil, which is yet to have its dates finalised.
‘We wonder how many people out there still haven’t heard of us, it is a daunting thought,’ Mr Graham said in reference to spreading the word.
You can find the BlackBear BBQ restaurant on Forge Street in Sydney’s Blacktown.
They have opened their latest ‘pop up store’ at Sydney’s Moore Park and will remain there until Cirque Du Soleil (pictured)