Meet Jacob Viers | Owner & Operator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacob Viers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was inspired by eating Cherry Smoked Ribs at a former restaurant in Des Moines, IA called Woody’s Smoke Shack. After tasting a true barbecued rib the bells and whistles started ringing in my head. At the age of 23 spending the money on a full slab of ribs everyday wasn’t in the pocketbook’s best interest. So the desire to learn how to properly make a succulent rib began. The thought of a business only started to form when I moved to Colorado in 2013. That style of rib I was so fascinated with was nowhere to be found in Denver. With the experience I accumulated working for Texas Roadhouse and my love for BBQ I saw an opening! Denver was ahead of the game in comparison to Des Moines’ food truck scene. After strolling through Civic Center Park during Civic Center Eats the idea of the food truck concept popped in my head.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel what sets us apart from others is our cliche “southern hospitality- Guests first” approach. Everyone that walks in is greeted with a smile and asked if they’ve been here before. Which then prompts us to inform the guests of the menu and story or welcome them back! The road to where I’ve got so far hasn’t come without blood, sweat and tears. Running a BBQ food truck in the manner I started wasn’t for the faint of heart. As a matter of fact, you’ll need a LOT of heart! Keeping a clear head and eyes on the prize is the M.O. Perseverance. Founding and operating a food business comes with many obstacles but a lot of the obstacles will have a solution to overcome them. In my opinion, one needs to hit these challenges head on and learn to conquer them to be a successful operator. Realizing everyday will be different and may not go as you intended is the key to maintaining in this industry. It’s imperative in this world we live in to be flexible and change when the times may need you to.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Working at Texas Roadhouse was really where I began to learn the correct processes. I was about one year into my 8.5 at TRH when a managing partner change occurred. The difference between the accountability was night and day. The new MP came in and earned respect in the most impressive manner. Leadership was number one after the guests experience. The whole team witnessed increased sales and money in their pockets. The level of efficiency achieved was astounding rocketing that location into a top 5 out of 420 at the time. He is now a national brands C.O.O. after his relentless team building and leadership ability. He is truly someone to look up to and ask questions. Working at a leading store in a national brand set the standards for my own operation.

Fast forward to the beginning of the food truck. I’m in Colorado and just entering the food truck scene. Around that time a local brand emerged and the rib style I missed since moving from Iowa was found in Colorado! I was eating that food three days a week after working out. Needless to say, I began holding the owner at my table probably longer than he wanted to be simply off of BBQ and business conversation. We slowly became friends. The food truck is mostly down during the winter months and that’s when I asked for a position at his restaurant. It was a great learning process and kept my bills paid during the slower times of the year. During that time working at the BBQ shop I was able to pick his brain and take advice that would help me get to my next steps! “The more people who think and eat BBQ the better it will be for everyone who is in BBQ.” is his motto.

I owe a lot of my knowledge to trial and error but also another BBQ Chef I met at the 2018 Denver BBQ Festival. He had been a chef at the time for 25 years and doesn’t mind sharing his knowledge with someone he knows will take it and run! The BBQ community, as a whole, are all mentors if you reach out.

Website: www.seasonedswine.com

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