In Praise of Mom&Pops

In my opinion, small business entrepreneurs are the bedrock of American culture.  They are the machinery cranking out jobs, innovation, and opportunity.  For me, the most endearing and the most vibrant small business is the Mom&Pop.  In the Mom&Pop business, the entire family, either passively or actively, is engaged in the operation and success of the business.  The turns of business fortune directly impact what is on the table for dinner and what the plans for the weekend are – let alone college tuition, retirement, and a heritage for future generations.  In the Mom&Pop, the urgency and expectancy of daily success are felt like no place else.

Writing barbeque restaurant reviews I’ve come in contact with some wonderful Mom&Pops like Smokin’ Guns, Roscoe’s, BobbyD’s, and PapaBob’s – to name so very few.  Actually, the majority of bbq joints that I’ve run across are Mom&Pop operations.  And you can kind of feel the trajectory of the business.  Pop piddling in the back yard with his smoker.  Mom in the kitchen making sides from old family recipes. A few folks come over in the evening and amid the laughter and celebration of rich friendships, someone says, “You know, you two oughta open a barbeque joint and sell this stuff.  It’s better than anything I’ve eaten in a long time.”  After hearing this a sufficient number of times, Pop turns to Mom and says, “We’ve been saving hard for retirement and we’ve got a good chunk of dough salted away.  What would you say to the idea of opening a joint and doing what we love to do anyway?”

Many times prudence or abundant caution takes over and those are the Mom&Pops that we never hear about.  But occasionally, Mom will say to Pop, “I don’t know, Pop, what if it doesn’t catch on and we lose all that savings?  What will we do for retirement?”  If you want to know what Pop said in response, ask your favorite barbeque restaurant owner what he said.  Must’ve been the right thing – the joint is open!

And so whether you ever darken their door, Mom&Pop are there working every day to keep the place open, to keep it clean, to order enough product but not too much, to get out word about the joint, to hire as few knuckleheads as possible, to treat surly customers with grace, to pay the utilities and rent, to count the till at the end of the day and regardless of what it amounts to… to go to bed with just enough courage to do it all over again tomorrow.  THAT is why I love Mom&Pops – because they live with more courage than most of us will ever understand.

My greatest joy in visiting barbecue restaurants is getting to know the owners, Mom&Pop, if possible.  I wish I could have videoed the conversation I had with Judy and then Bob, the Mom&Pop of Papa Bob’s BBQ in western Kansas City, KS.  Just asking a couple simple questions about their ‘Q lit them up like sparklers on the Fourth of July.  They were eager to share their story with people who seemed truly interested.

Just today (as I write), through email I’ve gotten to know Bobby D of BobbyD’s Merchant Street BBQ in Emporia, KS.  I was honest in my review that I didn’t have a great experience.  Bobby himself wrote me and talked to me about my meal.  He took to heart his “2 piggie” review and committed to “climbing the piggy ladder” of KansasCityQ.com.  Wow!  Does Clark Hunt call season ticket holders and promise the Chiefs will do better next year?  If a Hallmark card doesn’t state your anniversary thoughts just perfectly, does Don Hall stop the presses until the poets-of-paper mention the funny way your wife “yodels” when she yawns?  You know the answer.

Which brings me back to my topic.  My goal is a noble one – to eat as much barbeque as my cholesterol levels can tolerate and share my thoughts here at KCQ.  To recognize the value of Mom&Pops to the American way of life, I’m establishing the MPQ – the Mom&Pop Quotient, the degree to which the restaurant reveals and celebrates the folks pushing the rock uphill.  I’ll be noting the MPQ in my reviews.  The designation for MPQ rating is indicated by the number of candles in the window – because a candle in the window is how you know someone is home, waiting for you.  Furthermore, I am hereby establishing the Mom&Pop Hall of Fame.

The inaugural class of the KCQ Mom&Pop Hall of Fame are:

Papa Bob's Bar-B-Que (MPQ - 5 candles in the window)

BobbyD’s Merchant Street BBQ (MPQ - 5 candles in the window)

Roscoe's Barbeque  (MPQ - 5 candles in the window)

Smokin' Guns BBQ  (MPQ - 5 candles in the window)

Inductees, you have distinguished yourselves by your courage, commitment, and excellence.  Congratulations.  Best wishes for your continued success.  I’ll do my best to spread the word.