Grillstock In Administration?

[Smokin Monkey]

Think Grillstock have gone into Administration.

http://www.lshmachinerysales.co.uk/our-services/machinery-a-business-assets/view-current-businesses-for-sale?task=getitem&sale_id=439

[Wade]

Yes it looks that way. I wonder if it was the restaurants or the festival that caused it to fold.

[Smokin Monkey]

Looks like they had not paid all the Bills from Grillstock 2016, never mind 2017!

This is why I get paid before I deliver my equipment.

[Wade]

The trouble with getting that far behind is it then becomes increasingly more difficult to catch up - until it reaches a point where the house of cards suddenly crumbles. It is a shame that they are going under as they have done a lot of good over the years promoting good BBQ here in the UK. I hope whoever takes them over can carry on the good work they started.

[Smokin Monkey]

Looks like Grillstock is out of Administration! Only one restaurant in London to close. No news on the festival.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/business/bristols-grillstock-restaurants-festival-no-892183

[Eddie Buttle]

Well has the cup cake craze come to an end as the market been saturated to a point were people are now fed up with lack lacklustre food? I have read many reviews about Grillstock's food and they weren't great. I thought I would make my own mind up and while in Bristol for a family trip away we went for lunch. I wish I didn't bother, it was bad. I cannot believe they even had the balls to serve it up. A black burnt fried chicken burger, the vegetable burger that was a large breaded mushroom that was stone cold in the middle and saturated the plate with water, as for the main meats Ribs, pulled pork and brisket had no penetration of smoke and could of even been cooked in something other than a smoker.  I believe that Grillstock won't be the last and it will be very interesting to see who still around in 5 years time.

 

[Smokin Monkey]

26 minutes ago, Eddie Buttle said:

I believe that Grillstock won't be the last and it will be very interesting to see who still around in 5 years time.

 

I have to agree with you totally, went to Grillstock Festival last year, I had food from The Grillstock stand it was cold and tasted terrible.

Been to three BBQ joints, and not had a good meal in any of them. I think most of them are doing more harm for reputation of British BBQ than good.

[Eddie Buttle]

The young ladies at Hangfire are kicking out some bad ass BBQ in Barry, but sadly John Hargate had to end his business with the BBQ Shack in Brighton due to health. Loved pulling up in my 44 tonne lorry for my dinner, the food in both of these is and were outstanding.  I would like to visit Texas Joes in London, as for the rest I'm really not interested. I always believe that if you ALWAYS turn out great food your business won't have a problem!!

Edited December 11, 2017 by Eddie Buttle

[Wade]

I agree. I learned a long time ago that the quality of BBQ to expect from a restaurant is almost always going to be lower than what many of us produce at home.

It will always be a challenge for BBQ restaurants to produce the high quality of food we hope for 7 days a week, 8 hours a day at the prices people expect to pay for BBQ. For some, like John, where it remained a passion then it can be done however, especially when it becomes a multi restaurant business, it is probably too easy for it to becomes more like just a job to the manager and then the cooking loses that edge.

Over the past few years I have travelled regularly in the USA visiting some of the BBQ restaurants that have been highly recommended - and with very few exceptions they have all been a disappointment. Even here at the BBQ events (including Grillstock), where you hope to be able to buy great food from the invited concession vendors, what you often end up with is at best mediocre and sometimes just downright bad. There are always exceptions though and when we do manage to find them we need to make sure we enjoy them to the fullest extent.