Brother Jimmy’s BBQ
Establishments: Six high-energy barbecue/Southern food restaurants and a Jimmy’s Burger Shack in Manhattan, a franchise in Puerto Rico and an outlet at Yankees Stadium
Headquarters: New York City
What He’s Done: Lebowitz managed and then purchased the two-unit Brother Jimmy’s in 2000. He retooled the concept as the spot for Southern food and hospitality in New York City. The motto: Put Some South in Your Mouth—is the “’cue” that you can get St. Louis-style ribs, Carolina pork and Texas brisket.
Why We Like Him: Lebowitz, 42, has not only succeeded in replicating a concept but also a mood and a culture. “We’re creating an experience of boisterous, Southern
hospitality, about stepping out of the city of New York,” he says. Hiring and training his staff to provide that experience is the conduit, notes the entrepreneur—and it must work, because when the Yankees went shopping for a barbecue concept for their showplace stadium they picked the place their players often go to themselves.
What’s Next: Having just signed an agreement for three franchise units in Florida, Lebowitz is looking for more experienced area developers while at the same time
checking out leases for new company-owned units from DC to Boston.
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