Today we’d like to introduce you to John Murphy.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started when I was about 9 yrs. old. Simply starting the grill on my mom’s Weber kettle grill. My father was a legend when it came to blowing smoke. I have always chased his taste with it came to smoke foods. Simply practicing more and more at a young age, I built this urge to want to cook. Like if I don’t cook, I get very antsy lol. As I started to develop a skill set, I got more serious. In 2009 I drove to Ennis Texas, and purchase ” BO” my first 250-gallon smoker. I was what we call a weekend warrior where we went and sold food on only the weekend. I and BO held a great relationship until it I couldn’t keep up with the demand and needed a bigger smoker. In 2019 I meet a wonder ex-marine in Fort Worth Texas Name Willie James”. I then negotiated in purchasing his 32-foot fully enclosed barbecue trailer and ford f550. That’s when things got serious.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road to getting fully established has been far from easy and is still a struggle. The 3 hardest things were learning how to make real money by selling food, getting a fully registered license and permitted, and finally overcoming myself. Learning profit and loss real-time and keeping a great product. Bbq is not a food that you can simply cook on the spot like a hamburger and fries and have an instant product. Once that item is out, it will take many houses until that item is ready again. So, learning how much to have prepared and keep a great product is hard. You must ensure that you have all your paperwork in order for your LLC, insurance, sales tax permit, food handlers’ card, food manager card, city permits, and state license. Just the sheer amount of paper and money needed to produce this paperwork can be overwhelming. I have had some great help from loyalty tax services with helped me a lot of my paperwork. Also, family and friends in the business. Lastly was overcoming myself and trusting myself and my product. So many times, I’ve talked myself out of doing certain stuff
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about 3 Kings Bbq?
We specialize in craft bbq produced by family and led by God. Hence my hashtag #godfamilybbq. Most people always ask why did I choose the name 3 kings bbq. I was raised in the church my mom was the lead musician for years. So, to clear up the name 3 kings it’s not 3 people. It’s based on the story of the 3 wise kings that followed the star they lead them to Jesus. Also, all good things come in 3’s. My 3 blessings are following God, my family, and bbq. I honestly believe that sets me apart. When you come to my trailer to eat you are not just handled a box of food and sent away. You are greeted by family and mostly we are in the trailer laughing or singing or having some conversation and you are made a part of it.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Everything that is made on our trailer nothing is store-bought.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.3kingsbbq.com
- Instagram: @3kingsbbqtx
- Facebook: @3kingsbbqtx
- Twitter: @3kingsbbqtx
Image Credits
Cass Gilstrap
Ashli Hinds
ShaKierra Gates
