McCray's Backyard BBQ and Seafood is serving up ribs with a side of rich history — and now CEO and pitmaster Derrick McCray wants to take the mom-and-pop restaurant nationwide.
McCray, 60, says his businesses' roots go all the way back to 1934, started by his great-uncle Jay Harvey.
"Uncle Jay brought my father up in the barbecue business and made him a barbecue extraordinaire," he tells CNBC Make It. "He was the barbecue man. And he was pretty much the only black restaurant business in his area during that time."
The West Palm Beach, Florida-based BBQ joint stood through significant historical eras from segregation to the civil rights movement. And though the pain that came with being Black in the segregated south was palpable, the family restaurant served as a safe place for people to gather for a good meal and fellowship, McCray says.
"I can remember Jesse Jackson, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, all those people coming to my home and to the restaurant because my dad was one of the leading civil rights activists here in South Florida during that time," he says. "We had a lot of bomb threats and death threats from the Klan and all kinds of stuff."
It seemed like the family business could withstand anything, but one event "tore the fabric of the community apart," McCray says: the drug infestation. Declared the "war on drugs" by President Nixon in 1971, the epidemic hurt the health and profitability of McCray's Backyard BBQ and Seafood.
Since taking the helm, McCray has dedicated a huge chunk of his adult life to restoring the family business financially, upholding the same principles his dad and uncle built it on. But it isn't the career path he always had in mind.
Here's how McCray ended up taking over the restaurant, how he's staying true to his roots and his hopes for the future of McCray's Backyard BBQ and Seafood.
From football to BBQ
In the early 80's, McCray was a student and football player at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) studying business management. His mother was a huge advocate for education and urged him to make the most of his college years.
But the life of an athlete proved distracting — partying and bad decisions ended his time at the university earlier than planned. Fortunately, he learned how to hustle while there.
McCray and his friend would "go to Winn-Dixie and buy about 100 hotdogs, get some chips and some sodas, and go knock on everybody's dorm door saying, 'Hey, you hungry?,'" he says.
The pair would also host parties while still attending FAMU, and later start their own magazine called the Black Pages for some extra cash.
After being "kicked out of school," McCray got another chance at playing pro-football. He was picked up by the United States Football League to play in Dallas, Texas.
"I was partying too much, drinking and doing stuff. I wasn't being consistent. I was trying to be in the streets," he says. "And I didn't pass the drug test out there so they told me to go back where I came from. It was a devastating blow to me because I knew I had the talent to play, but my off-the-field activities during that time caused me to not make it in something I love doing: playing football."
It was a major wake-up call for McCray, and ultimately led him back home to take over the BBQ business.
Staying true to his roots
A lot has changed since McCray's Backyard BBQ and Seafood got its start 89 years ago, but when it comes to the food, mostly everything's stayed the same.
"We cook the same way we've cooked for years … with open pit wood only," McCray says.
"That sets us apart because it's this sort of science to what we do. It's an old art form that's still alive with us that, now, we've modified it to where we can produce 10,000 pounds of ribs a day," he adds. "We take cooking ribs to a whole other level."
His signature barbecue sauce was passed down from his Uncle Harvey, while the desserts at McCray's BBQ were largely passed down from his grandmother.
Sticking to the recipes and cooking-styles of his elders proved to be the right decision. The restaurant brought in $1.58 million in revenue last year. And after expenses, McCray brings in about $230,000 per year.
Guests from presidents to musicians have raved about their BBQ, McCray says, and the business has been a vendor for the Super Bowl every year since 2007, with the exception of 2021.
"They usually bring us in to serve up to 12,000 people and we serve all the diplomats, celebrities and business people from around the world that come and they always love McCray's," he says.
Keeping the legacy alive
McCray says he wants to take his family's business nationwide, and is currently raising capital to open his first franchise location.
But beyond the brick-and-mortar business, he wants to equip the next generation with the tools and training to keep McCray's Backyard BBQ and Seafood alive.
"I'm always trying to see how we can expand this 89 year history to another 100 years while I'm still here, and a major part of that involves the youth," he says. "[Young people of color] need to know that there are other ways to make money than drugs, rap music and sports,"
McCray says he makes it a point to hire young Black and Hispanic employees to teach them everything from how to cook to how to run a business, so they can have a chance at "creating generational wealth."
He's also taught his two sons the ropes and hopes they'll continue the McCray's legacy when he's gone.
"It's in my DNA to keep moving forward," he says. "I don't see a reason why the McCray's can't be like the Rockefellers or the Posts or other big families that have secured generational wealth."
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