Today we’d like to introduce you to Roy Lotz.
Hi Roy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Austin, Texas and there were a few BBQ joints where my family attended while growing up, but most of them were either not that great or too far away. My father would cook steaks in the backyard over the classic Weber Charcoal Grill. I would get excited to see him pouring lighter fluid and lighting up the grill, so I could smell that charcoal fumes and the melting fat from steaks. When I graduated from Gallaudet University and moved back to Austin in 2012, I found that the BBQ culture in Austin blossomed really fast. I tried out Franklin’s Barbecue for the first time with my buddies and was in awe with how good it was. At that point, I realized that BBQ has changed since my childhood. From there, I was hooked and wanted to do it myself. I got myself a basic smoker from Home Depot (I was living in a first-floor apartment with a tiny fenced backyard. I was not supposed to have a smoker to begin with! I gotta start somewhere, right?) It was a good start, but it was not good enough because the smoke would leak through the thin metal. Later, I decided to get a custom welded backyard size smoker BBQ pit. I secured this pit from a guy out in the middle of nowhere–outside of San Antonio.
I was cooking tons of brisket and ribs (I gave some meat to my neighbors since I felt bad for them because I was cooking all night and for them to smell smoke for hours!). I invited my friends over to do tasting tests often. I was hard on myself since I raised the bar too high in a short time. My family and friends were impressed, but I was disappointed, so I kept on cooking and researching for the right cooking methods such as magazines, forums, and books. Also, I talked to some pitmasters who worked at different BBQ joints to get some advice and tips. I was asked to cook for one event which was hosted at the Deaf Club in Austin in 2015 and boy, was I nervous because I never cooked for a large number of guests before. It turned out that they were happy with the food. From there, I was encouraged to start my business and that was when I decided to start up Lotz of BBQ. While the business grew, it surpassed the capacity of my former BBQ pit and I had to get a bigger BBQ pit, a custom 500-gallon smoker trailer, from El Cucaracho Smokers based in Fort Worth Texas. Lately, my business has been going well. I have been doing pop-ups at different events as well as catering for private events.
Lotz of BBQ started out as a hobby out of an one-bedroom apartment and quickly grew. We only do catering and pop-up events, including delivery. As the bossman and pitmaster, I knew I needed to bring on additional staff who would help me grow the business. I brought on two friends who have restaurant experience, with one being a former restaurant manager to help refine the menu and to help fine-tune our process and operations.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It wasn’t always a smooth road. There were many obstacles faced along the way. The biggest obstacle was that Austin is already saturated with many BBQ joints, so I had to figure out how to compete with everyone else and make my BBQ relevant and unique. The next obstacle I faced was keeping my prices reasonable and competitive while dealing with the rising prices of ingredients. Even today, I’m challenged to provide a reasonable price for catering, where I thought my price was fair but the customer thought otherwise. On the flip side, when the COVID first arrived in Austin and people were canceling gatherings, we were forced to become creative. In one instance, we had already cooked in preparation for a pop-up event at a bar, and we decided to cancel the event. Faced with the food we had already cooked and swallowing the cost, we decided to take orders for delivery. We scrambled to create a menu consisting of package deals and quickly advertised through social media. We were completely sold out.
As you know, we’re big fans of Lotz of BBQ. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The uniqueness of Lotz of BBQ comes from the fact that Lotz is synonymous with lots or abundance. We do live up to that name by providing above average portions per serving and I admit sometimes I do give too much. Further, Lotz of BBQ can be remembered by its carefully curated, special seasoning blend and the use of select wood to give the bbq its signature flavor with good clean smoke. I am particularly proud of the fact that my brand is so simple, easy to remember and reflects a strong Texas heritage while entertaining new school styles. I do experiment with departing from traditional recipes for our side dishes in the spirit of mixing things up.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I’ve learned to maintain an open mind and be adaptable to challenges. Be willing to work with and collaborate with others and hire a good team. I could not have done this by myself. Have excellent customer service and serve with a smile.
Customer service is very critical. Early on when I was catering, I was not really pleased with how my brisket came out and I let my frustration show. There was a customer who was a businessman who saw me being flustered. He approached me and said “Don’t be so hard on yourself. The people like you. It won’t matter how good or awful your product is, the people will still like you. You are good to people. That’s very important.” My standard for quality can be very high and it can be hard when I don’t achieve what I expect. Nonetheless, I do my very best every time.
Most importantly, Do what you love to do. Where there’s passion, there’s motivation.
Contact Info:
- Email: lotzofbbq@gmail.com
- Website: www.lotzofbbqtx.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/lotzofbbq
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roylotz.bbq
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2RiH8hq2_I
Image Credits
Britni Stephenson Instagram: _britnipaige
