Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Hance.
Hi Josh, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always had a passion for mixing flavors that started when I was just a kid raiding the pantry looking for new spice combos to sprinkle on popcorn. I learned the ins and outs of the Quick Service world through McDonald’s and at one time managing one of the busiest stores in Michigan. From there, I took a break from the world of food looking for more of a 9-5 life. I studied and ended up in the IT field but food always called to me. I started entering competitive BBQ competitions on the KCBS competing all over the country winning more awards than I could count. I always loved the idea of owning a restaurant or food truck but the comfort of my steady job kept me planted to the ground. Then in 2017, my mom unexpectedly passed away. She was always my biggest cheerleader and as often is the case when loved ones pass away, I started some soul searching. Realizing life was far too short to put off our dreams, I started pursuing a life in a food truck. On July 19, 2019 we opened our window for the first time and on May 30th, 2020 I left my steady 9-5 job to pursue this full time. We’ve had consistent grown and in December of this year, we’ll open our first restaurant!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
If the road is smooth for businesses, they aren’t pushing hard enough or taking big enough risks! We’ve obviously had obstacles. The biggest was clearly the pandemic and following inflation. So much in the world of food (cattle and pork herds primarily) is still trying to recover. We were fortunate that we were running lean and mean as a new business and were able to squeak through. We’ve had ups and downs with supply chains, sometimes having to drive to 10 stores to find product to cook for the next day. We’ve definitely overbooked some catering on some days but we figured out how to manage it and now we do that volume without blinking. You have to challenge yourself and your boundaries to figure out where they truly are.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Sweet Racks & Smokin’ Butts BBQ?
We are a small batch BBQ food truck. We cook every night providing the highest quality BBQ we can. We offer a wide variety of entrees, sandwiches, and sides. Our most popular item is our Loaded Mac n Cheese (pound of mac, 1/4 pound of meat, onions, jalapenos, and bbq sauce) and offer award winning ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. I couldn’t be more proud that our logo, brand, and staff have become well known in the communities we serve with staff often being approached out in public by people wanting to talk BBQ. We have consistently grown our social media presence and have a very loyal following.
In addition to having the truck out daily selling to the community, we also offer catering for weddings, corporate events, holiday parties and more. Plus we have a new restaurant opening in December!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think risks are incredibly important. As long as they are calculated. They should be big enough to scare you and keep you up at night, but not big enough that they jeopardize what you’ve already built….although sometimes that is necessary. Sometimes you have to push all your chips into the middle of the table and see what happens. Those decisions shouldn’t come lightly and due diligence needs to be done to show feasibility. Then it’s off to the races. Either it works out and you are better off than you were before or it doesn’t and you’ve hopefully learned something from it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sweetrackssmokinbutts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetrackssmokinbutts
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/sweetracksbbq
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mmft
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sweet-racks-and-smokin-butts-bbq-hudsonville
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sweetrackssmokinbutts
