Following the announcement of the company’s third location falling through, Little Miss BBQ still hopes to open new locations throughout the Phoenix area.
The popular BBQ spot previously announced it is opening its third location in the former home of IHOP and Honey Bear’s BBQ, but plans have fallen due to rising costs and planning snags, according to Phoenix New Times. Co-owners Scott and Bekke Holmes expected it would cost $900,000, but inflation has caused this projection to soar to $1.9 million. Now Little Miss BBQ is working on new smaller locations to join its sites already in Sunnyslope and University Drive.
“This project hasn’t really gone according to plan,” according to the company’s Facebook post. “When we bought the building, interest rates were 3.1%, our construction budget from the GC was $850-1m, and today, 20 months after buying it, interest rates are 6.6%, and the construction budget is up to a staggering 1.9 million! This means the project would be barely profitable, and if we dealt with a recession or meat costs keep going up, it puts us in a bad spot. Having the other location you own and your house as collateral for a spot that barely pencils out. We are changing strategies and feel that it’s going to be an awesome move for our team, the company, and for you.”
While the exact details regarding these new, smaller locations have yet to be revealed, customers can expect delicious smokehouse BBQ with a variety of meats available. The scrapped location wasn’t all for nothing, however. The Holmes’ are big fans of older buildings are always wanted to preserve them. After this experience, Holmes says he will build the structure from the ground up, pointing to the struggles of bringing older structures up to code.
“We were dedicated to the neighborhood, we loved the neighborhood, loved that building. Our team was excited about it,” Holmes tells Phoenix New Times. “You don’t want to let all those people down. It makes me really sad because I love using my imagination. I can see customers in that building, my team working in that building, and just the fun people are going to have. When you’ve put that much planning into the vision you’ve had in your head… and now your imagination is getting killed.”
