The BBQ Society

Gloucestershire has long been home to an incredible independent food and drink scene.

Gloucestershire has long been home to an incredible independent food and drink scene. One such success story is The BBQ Society, an award-winning brand that has transformed a love of slow-cooked meats into a thriving business.

Where it all began

The BBQ Society started just five years ago as a passion project during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. When husband-and-wife duo Ben and Sophie Williams found themselves furloughed from their respective careers, they saw an exciting opportunity to turn their love of BBQ food and joint experience in the hospitality industry into something special.

Starting up from their home kitchen in Gloucester, Ben and Sophie began making high-quality homemade BBQ sauces, sharing them with friends and family throughout the pandemic, who quickly became obsessed with the delicious and smoky flavours they were producing. The demand for more grew so rapidly that the couple decided to pair their sauces with a small menu of premium takeaway burgers served through Just Eat. Before long, their delicious BBQ food was so popular that they were producing more food than their tiny home kitchen could handle.

Taking a huge leap of faith, Ben and Sophie opened their first dedicated kitchen in Gloucester – and The BBQ Society was born!

As popularity continued to soar, the couple set their sights on expansion, eventually opening a second kitchen in Stroud in 2021. Five years later, The BBQ Society has become an award-winning Gloucestershire food business, serving up mouth-watering smoked meats, premium burgers, and a true taste of authentic BBQ.

What makes The BBQ Society so special?

The BBQ Society specialises in bold flavours, high-quality ingredients, and traditional smoking techniques. Each of their dishes is packed with passion, and a browse of their menu shows a range of indulgent options comprised of locally sourced smoked meats, premium burgers, and homemade sauces and seasonings.

Three core values underpin The BBQ Society’s success:

Authenticity: Every dish at The BBQ Society is made from scratch, and all meats are smoked in-house using a Cookshack smoker.

Quality: The BBQ Society takes great pride in only using locally sourced meat from trusted suppliers such as Ben Creese Butchery in Gloucester.

Passion: Ben and Sophie’s love for great BBQ food shines through in everything that they do, from the carefully selected ingredients to the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that they strive to provide.

Why Gloucestershire?

For Ben and Sophie, launching The BBQ Society in Gloucestershire was a natural choice. As Gloucester locals, they were determined to build a business they were passionate about in their hometown, where they are surrounded by the support of their friends and family and their loyal customer base. This, along with Gloucester’s strong sense of community and love for great food made it the perfect place for them to bring their vision to life.

Their commitment to local sourcing is a key part of their business philosophy, sourcing their high-quality meat from Ben Creese Butchery and seasoning for their dishes from Tubby Toms, another proud Made in Gloucestershire member.

Supporting local businesses is at the heart of what The BBQ Society does, ensuring that their food not only tastes incredible but also strengthens the county’s food and drink economy, proving that Gloucestershire is a true destination for food lovers.

Sustainable Practices:

Beyond delivering mouth-watering BBQ food, The BBQ Society is committed to operating sustainably. They make efforts to reduce food waste through careful portioning, support local farmers to minimise their environmental footprint and to sustain Gloucestershire’s fantastic farming community, and only use recyclable packaging in the production and consumption of their dishes.

Award-winning:

Since 2020, The BBQ Society has built a loyal following and gained professional recognition for their high-quality BBQ food, earning them a reputation as one of the best BBQ spots in the county, even winning at The Gloucester Foodie Awards in 2024.

With kitchens in both Gloucester and Stroud, their fan base continues to grow, serving thousands of satisfied customers each month.

 

Quick-fire foodie questions with Ben and Sophie Williams, co-founders of The BBQ Society:

• Who or what inspires/motivates you?
  Ben: We’re both very motivated, but we can be inspired by a range of things, such as a team member coming up with a fantastic new idea or seeing something on our travels that we would like to recreate and put our own twist on.

Sophie: Our customers motivate us! Their enthusiasm and kind words keep us pushing forward through the hard times.

 

• What is your favourite product in your line?
  Ben: Our Smoked Meat Box – nothing beats it. Think beef brisked, pulled pork, and smoked sausage with sides, pickles, and sauces.

 

Sophie: For me, it has to be our PBJ Burger, made up of a smashed quarter-pound beefy patty, cheese, sweet chilli jam, peanut butter, candied peanuts and streaky bacon. It is the perfect blend of sweet and savoury and is totally indulgent!

 

• How do you keep up with the latest food trends?

Sophie: We love experimenting with new flavours and drawing inspiration online from content creators on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. This also helps us to see what is trending in the food scene worldwide.

 

• How do you come up with new ideas/products/dishes?

Ben: We are surrounded by a fantastic team who are as passionate as we are, and who help us to come up with lots of weird and wonderful ideas.

Sophie: Our best new ideas often come when we experiment with new ingredients, and of course, when we listen to our customer’s feedback.

 

• What can we expect to see from you over the coming months?
  We’re always working on developing new product ideas – you can expect some exciting seasonal specials and maybe even another location in the future! We’ve also just rebranded our Stroud kitchen as a burger bar, which we are very excited about.

 

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