Today we’d like to introduce you to Keith Hall.
Hi Keith, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
As a very young boy, I loved spending time with my grandma and grandpa on their farm in southern Michigan. My grandpa taught me how to process my own deer and how to make sausages and jerky. They owned the first grocery store in their town. Though I enjoyed this time with them, I never dreamed it would lead me to my future.
In high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I grew up. I only knew I wanted to own my own business. After high school, I held a series of jobs in the trades, did a little office work and tried various professions that never felt right. When we got married, our first home had a grill attached to the home’s gas line. So I began grilling. After a while I started smoking different foods and experimenting with new things. I began being known as the designated griller/smoker at family and friend’s get togethers. I loved being able to bring something special to gatherings. I had friends and neighbors asking me to make meats for their kids birthday parties and graduation parties. Next thing I know, I bought a tank and a welder and I began creating my own custom smoker in my garage. My wife and I spent that entire summer coming up with our own homemade sauce recipes, recipes for rubs and all of our sides. We made a lot of friends that summer with all the taste testing we asked others to do! 🙂 After that we began catering. We soon grew to a point where we needed a large, certified kitchen and so began our first take-out location, The Grilling Company.
We started offering take-out BBQ but I soon began to want to get back to my very young roots and create sausages. By this time, both of my grandparents had passed away, so I began doing my own research and learning how to create sausages, brats, snack sticks, jerky, etc. Those items have now become staple items at TGC.
We opened our first location over 10 years ago. Almost 2 years ago, we expanded into a new location that is three times the size of our first one. We now offer take-out BBQ and have a fresh market where we sell all of our fresh meats, and so many great items.
A few years ago, while going through an old recipe box, we stumbled upon a worn card with my grandma’s handwriting. It was the recipe for “Grandpa’s Jerky”. No one in our family had had that jerky in decades. We knew we had to try it. Fast forward to 2025. Grandpa’s Jerky won the award for best jerky in Michigan, through the Michigan Meat Association and is easily one of our most popular items at TGC.
As a kid, I never would have seen myself doing this for a living. Now? I can’t see myself doing anything but this!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Owning a business can be quite a mind game. I have had some wonderful staff and amazing customers. I have also had struggles in those areas!! Things are never quite right. And when they are, I continue to push for more! There is NEVER enough money. There is NEVER enough time in the day. I have missed a lot of family time and probably lost friends along the way. But I have gained an amazing community support and my family and close friends have continued to stick by me through everything! On Christmas Eve this year, my wife and all 3 of my kids were at TGC. It may not have been where some families were on Christmas Eve. But we were all there together!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I love to create new things. My mind is ALWAYS working over time, coming up with new ideas, new menu items, new things to try. Some are a flop and some are simply amazing! I am most proud that I have stuck to my roots. After 10+ years, I still split all of my own wood for my smoker to slow smoke all of our meat. I am proud of being able to help others in the community, help families, sponsor little league teams and sponsor events. For the past several years, we have been the main sponsor for a huge event with Hospice of West Michigan. It is such an honor!
One of my favorite things about owning TGC is when families order their holiday meals from us. And they do so, year after year. They will tell us it is their family tradition to have The Grilling Company for their Christmas or Thanksgiving meal. I tear up every time.
We might be known for our brisket, or burnt ends. Or our sweet cornbread or cheesy potatoes. Or maybe Grandpa’s Jerky. But what we really strive for is to be the BBQ version of “Cheers”, where “Everybody knows your name and they’re always glad ya came”
We LOVE our customers!
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Every day is a risk. Any day could be our last. Or any day could be our greatest come-back! Opening a new location, 3 times the size of the first one, is the biggest risk I have ever taken. It’s been 2 years and I wonder every day if I made the right decision. Our whole world is wrapped up in this endeavor. But if I didn’t take this risk, where would we be? Not here, for sure. If we don’t take risks, we will never accomplish anything that is worth fighting for. And I will fight every day to accomplish our goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Thegrillingco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegrillingco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGrillingCompany
