Wendels light it up with BBQ business

Terry Wendel loves barbecue so much that he estimates he grills at least 200 days a year.

Nothing dissuades him, his wife Cathy said, not even inclement weather.

“The seasons don’t slow him down, he barbecues right off the front porch during the winter,” Cathy said. “It’s not uncommon for him to be out there wearing his snow clothes.”

Now he’s turned his passion for barbecue into a business.

Wendel, a Fort Recovery resident, started Wendel’s BBQ Products LLC this spring. He sells barbecue supplies and, more recently, barbecue sandwiches out of a trailer. The idea to start the business came when Wendel was shopping for a barbecue cooker.

“I was actually looking for one for myself, a new unit, something that would be big enough to use to feed a neighborhood, pretty much, or just use for ourselves,” Wendel said. “I found a unit that I liked and it just happened to be that there was no dealers nearby so I questioned them on becoming a dealer, so we just started from there.”

The business had expanded to selling Wendel’s signature barbecue sauces and rubs when he decided to partner with Wayne Street Market to sell food during a May cruise-in. The barbecue turned out to be a hit and sold out, which inspired Wendel to expand again.

“We thought we’d try to venture a little more into it, and that’s when we bought the food trailer,” Wendell said. “We had a pretty big line when we ran out so we thought, ‘Well let’s try something here.’”

The business had its first official day Tuesday during the lunch hours in downtown Fort Recovery. Wendel said they sold out of 60 to 70 pounds of meat in a couple of hours.

The venture will be a family affair, as the couple’s four children will be helping out this summer. Kendrik and Reece, the older two boys, take orders, cashier and get the sandwiches ready, while younger siblings Mara and Chase are “the faces” of the company and help pass out chips.

“We told them if they help out we might go to Disney World someday,” Cathy said.  “That’s kind of our motivation.”

Wendel said he will be balancing out his new venture with quality time with his family and attending to his other jobs. He also owns Carpet Clean-Up and raises pigs and chickens.

“He doesn’t sit still very long, that’s for sure,” Cathy said. “He’s not the type to sit down, he’s always moving, doing something.”

Because the business is still brand-new, Wendel isn’t sure what direction it will head over the next few months. He anticipates being out a few times a week with the trailer, depending on the customers’ demands. He’s also gotten several inquiries about catering events.

“(We) just kind of want to see how the year plays out, see how it goes and kind of go from there,” Wendel said. “Keep a nice general balance and get it out a few days, and just kind of go with how the crowd reacts.”