Consistency is key to success for acclaimed barbecue restaurant
It’s been decades since The Southern Gentlemen’s Culinary Society caught the attention of the barbecue world with a runner-up finish for its ribs in the 2000 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, to be followed up in 2002 with another second place in ribs and a gold medal in the whole-hog division.
But the same competitive spirit and attention to slow-smoked excellence survives today in the Whole Hog Cafe, the restaurant co-founded by the original Gentlemen — Mike “Sarge” Davis, Steve Lucchi and the late Ron Blasingame.
“The key to our success has been the consistency; that’s been the most important thing,” said Chris Maynes, president, who’s been aboard for 14 years. “We still have two of the original owners, those competition guys, checking in on things and making sure everyone keeps the standards up.”
Not everything about restaurants is the way it was in the early days, starting with access. The acclaimed barbecue restaurant now boasts multiple locations throughout the state, including eateries in Little Rock, west Little Rock and Bryant, as well as a Fayetteville location that’s a joint venture with the independently operated North Little Rock restaurant. Whole Hog has even dipped its toe outside of the state, bringing Arkansas barbecue to Cherry Hill and Medford, New Jersey.
But as for where it counts most — on the plate — things have remained stubbornly unchanged since the original Whole Hog started winning over fans from a small concession trailer on a Little Rock parking lot.
“We all share a passion for great barbecue with each other and with our customers,” Maynes said. “It all started with the competition barbecue before the restaurants, and that influence forced us to take things to a higher level, layering flavors with dry rubs, smoke and glaze we put on our ribs. Everything that it took to get there in competition, we try to replicate on a day-to-day basis in the restaurants.”
That said, Maynes did point to a couple of new menu items that are quickly catching the attention of diners, including a jalapeño cheddar sausage and collard greens.
“We’re not big on change around here, but the sausage is a really great product of pork, beef, cheddar and jalapenos that’s not superhot. You’ll taste a little heat, but it’s not going to be too much for the average person,” he said. “It was popular in the stores where they tried it, so we said, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’”
There is also a new partnership with Folds of Honor, entered into this summer. The restaurants are stocked with 32-ounce reusable plastic cups that bear the Folds of Honor and Whole Hog Cafe logos and are serving as a fundraiser for the veterans focused group.
“Folds of Honor provides scholarships to children and spouses of Gold Star families,” Maynes said. “Several of us here are veterans, and we felt it appropriate to support this organization. For every one of our special reusable 32-ounce cups we sell, we donate a portion back to the organization.”