Metro Roundup: BBQ Rents makes large-scale grilling more accessible
David Marshall started BBQ Rents in 2016 with the idea of allowing patrons to use the business’s grills and smokers for social gatherings. Customers can pick up the equipment in Chelsea a mile off of U.S. 280 and return it there, or BBQ Rents can bring the equipment and come pick it up later.
Marshall said the business has grown quickly and now offers options for cookouts and more.
“We bought our first smoker that spring [of 2016],” he said. “Each year our business has doubled, and we’ve added more trailers. We now have three types: a smoker combo trailer that also features a grill box and rib box; a large, double-chamber smoker we call our ‘BBQube’ for large-capacity cooking; and a straight grill trailer for direct cooking of meats like burgers, steaks, hot dogs, brats or shish kabob.”
The smoker trailers are reverse flow design, according to Marshall. This allows the heat and smoke to pass over the meat before it exits. He said it helps the meat taste better and also cook better.
Marshall said his first thought for a business wasn’t BBQ Rents, but after some research, Marshall knew what he wanted to do. He said he wanted to work at home and fill an under-served part of the community. BBQ Rents has delivered to Talladega Speedway, Montgomery and Anniston with some customers picking up grills and carrying them as far as Tuscaloosa and Pensacola.
Marshall said BBQ Rents offers a great service to the community.
“We offer an essential component to making a party or fundraiser successful with delicious food,” he said. “It’s really about people having a good time while cooking great tasting things to eat around a fire. This has been a connection that’s ‘in the genes’ of all people in all places throughout time. There’s some elemental magic in it. Real meat, slowly cooked and smoked on a wood fire, served to people you love, is a positive experience that can’t be imitated and begs to be repeated.”
Patrons use the smokers and grills for events including family reunions, large parties and corporate lunches, but the business has options for smaller gatherings as well. BBQ Rents will even clean the grill after the party has ended.
Marshall said he wants to build relationships with the people in the community and as he does, that is what keeps him interested in running his business for the Shelby County and Birmingham area.
“We’re literally a mom-and-pop business, and we’re local,” he said. “I love being both of those. We want everyone we do business with to feel they were respected, valued and cared for when their party is over. If there are any surprises in their experience, we want them to all be positive. We don’t treat anyone with less courtesy and regard, or provide less quality equipment or service than we’d want for ourselves. We know we’ve succeeded when they call us the first time as customers and the second time as friends.”
Equipment available, rates and more are listed on their website, bbqrents.com.