From Pop-Up to Consumer Packaged Goods | Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Micha Magid, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque talks about his transition to foodservice from mergers and acquisitions and how Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque is building a brand.

Magid shares how the brand started with his stepbrother Hugh Mangum’s pop-up version of Mighty Quinn's Barbeque at weekend food markets in Brooklyn. The success of the pop-ups led the three partners Mangum, Gourmos, and Magid to bring this concept to brick and mortar. Magid became an investor until the brand took off and then they left their day jobs to build the brand.

Magid says he thinks of Mighty Quinn’s more of a brand whose mission is to bring authentic barbeque to areas where it doesn't exist. Magid also talks about expanding, from the owner of corporate restaurants to becoming a franchisor. Seeing demand on the franchisee side, Mighty Quinn’s brought a differentiated restaurant concept to new markets. He also shares what additional opportunities they also identified.

The evolution of Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque began with pop-ups, corporate restaurants, franchises, and followed with consumer products business. Magid sees Mighty Quinn’s not really being in the foodservice business but really being more of a brand. They see consumer’s interacting with their brand through multiple different venues and channels.

Magid talks about going from having one restaurant location in the East Village of Manhattan to multiple units, noting a nod and glowing rating from the New York Times dining section that put them on the cover, Magid says, “it put us on the map in a really big way.” He adds, “after that review came out the whole world really changed for us.”

To hear more about Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque expansion plans including more stadiums, franchisees, and consumer products, listen to this episode on Emerging Brands podcast.