Fast-casual is about to get a local heavyweight in the form of Carve Barbecue, a new venture from Southern Concepts Restaurant Group. The Colorado Springs-based company also operates Southern Hospitality Southern Kitchen (formerly Bourbon Brothers) in Polaris Pointe, among other restaurants, but is betting big on the barbecue segment. Its first Carve is a 2,500-square-foot restaurant at 1000 S. Colorado Blvd. in Glendale. Five more are planned for the Denver area, the Denver Business Journal reports, with more in Arizona, Boulder and Colorado Springs planned.
“We are building a lifestyle brand based on the highest quality barbecue possible, and taking a very measured approach to becoming part of the community and developing a brand,” CEO Mitchell Roth says in an investor statement.
Roth describes Carve as “‘Authentic Barbecue for the Modern Consumer,’ meaning there will be no corners cut in the culinary process,” he says. “For example, we will smoke our briskets for 13 hours and our burnt ends for 17 hours, but still accommodate the busy schedule and special dietary needs of today’s consumer.
“More than 80% of the menu is gluten free, including gluten free sauces, made in house, and gluten free buns and street taco tortillas. We have innovated around classical barbecue sides and will be introducing new, healthy sides to be paired with our meats, such as seasonal veggies, sweet potatoes, baked beans, coleslaw and potato salad.
“Finally, today’s consumer is tired of overly processed meat and ingredients from factories rather than farms. Carve Barbecue will exclusively serve the highest quality proteins and ingredients possible, including all-natural black angus and Duroc pork from Creekstone Farms and Cobb Hubbard chicken from Red Bird Farms, among others.”
The format will be familiar to fans of Chipotle, the DBJ writes, with an assembly line ordering format offering seven different meats served in a sandwich, a salad, tacos or by itself. Four sauces follow — “including a mustard vinegar sauce that combines two styles of North Carolina barbecue and a proprietary cherry-accented Kansas City-style barbecue sauce,” the paper writes — and sides like Caesar slaw or beef baked beans.
Also find root beer sweetened with organic cane sugar, beers from Avery and Odell brewing companies and “Carolina-style pulled pork, Memphis-style ribs and Texas-style brisket,” reads a press release. “Carve also smokes chicken, turkey, Kansas City-style brisket burnt ends, and two kinds of links from local grinder, Polidori Sausage.”
