With barbecuing on many folks’ to-do lists this Fourth of July weekend, Potomac resident Jeff Korns tops even the most seasoned grillmeister: He flips burgers and other food on his car.
Korns and partner Mike Jewell of Olney — both of whom run other businesses full time — started their specialty catering company, Carbecue, in 2004. Korns was looking for a new use for a 1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle that he had promised his wife he would restore.
‘‘It was either get rid of it or restore it,” Korns, 53, said of the car, which his wife was driving when they met in 1983.
The bottom line: Carbecue hit $46,000 in sales last year and expects to reach $60,000 this year as a part-time gig. The business caters from 40 to 50 dinners, parties, picnics and other events each season, with the busiest times generally from April to July and from late August through November.
‘‘We’re as busy as we want to be,” Korns said. ‘‘We turn down as many jobs as we take.”
This holiday weekend is particularly popular for most barbecue aficionados, with 69 percent of American grill and smoker owners firing up, according to a survey by the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.
The Memorial Day weekend is the second most popular grilling time, with 56 percent of grill owners cooking. Labor Day weekend is next at 50 percent.
Moreover, some 17.4 million grills were shipped to North American households last year, up from 17.3 million in 2006 and 15.0 million in 2005, the Arlington, Va., trade group said.
Korns said he plans to organize an annual neighborhood picnic this weekend, and his company has two other events.
Having minimal overhead and being able to pick and choose jobs are great assets, said Jewell, a longtime veteran in the food and beverage industry who previously owned several restaurants, including Mustang Sally’s in Wheaton.
‘‘It’s always a fun event,” said Jewell, 44, who now owns Art and Mirror Hanging, a Montgomery County framing business.
Conversion process
Korns had dismantled the Beetle around 1998 in hopes of remodeling it. He stored it in the rafters of the Battery Warehouse in Rockville, which he owns.
However, between work and family, life got busy for Korns. The project languished.
Then, several years ago, Korns sought to convert a 275-gallon fuel oil tank into a barbecue. At first, he was looking to buy an expensive trailer to haul the heavy tank, but then his eyes fell to the Beetle.
‘‘Finally, one day I thought, would the grill fit in the car?” Korns said.
Carbecue was born.
Korns was one of Jewell’s customers who became a friend. ‘‘When he put the grill in the car, he went through his list of potential partners, and I was No. 1 on his list,” Jewell said.
‘‘It was my idea,” Korns said. ‘‘But Mike saw the potential and has been with it since the beginning.”
Along with a third employee, the partners usually tow three grilling vehicles to various charity events and parties. Those have included an alumni bash at the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, a Mother’s Day celebration at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., an event for the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, and numerous graduation parties.
Rockville resident Jill Finci recently hired the Carbecue team for a joint graduation party for her daughters — Jennifer, 21, who graduated from the University of Maryland, and Erica, 17, who graduated from Richard Montgomery High School.
‘‘I thought my guests would enjoy something unique at the party,” Finci said. ‘‘Everyone thought it was clever and thought the food was good.”
Carbecue’s slogan, ‘‘There ain’t nothin’ like it,” may be right. Korns said he sometimes surfs the Internet for signs of potential competitors grilling from a car and has not found anything like it.
‘‘Everybody loves the car because it’s an original,” Korns said. ‘‘People are just like, ‘It’s a grill in a car!’ There is the kitschy factor and the coolness of that.”
Word of mouth of the uniqueness factor has helped grow the business, but people also come back for the food, Korns said. Carbecue serves classic barbecue fare such as hamburgers, ribs and hot dogs, as well as higher-end grilled food: prime rib, beef tenderloin, lobster and shrimp. The company can also grill turkey breast, tofu, ham, Italian sausage, lamb and entire pigs.
‘‘We do excellent food,” Korns said. ‘‘The first time they have us for the car; the second time they have us for the food.”
Korns said he plans to maintain the company as a side business for the near future, but expanding the concept in the form of Carbecue-themed restaurant could be in the works down the road.
‘‘I think it would be sort of novel,” Korns said.
‘We’re in full gear’
Other caterers report mixed business this season.
Nate Ferkovich, co-owner of Big Nate’s BBQ in Frederick with his wife, Michelle, said he is taking only a few catering orders this year while focusing on opening a stand at Baker Park, where the city has scheduled its fireworks show.
Ferkovich said the event, where he sold roughly 80 slabs of ribs last year, is one of his biggest.
‘‘A lot of people go out looking for us,” he said. ‘‘With just how big that event is ... we’re in full gear.”
Tom Caulfield, owner of Chubby’s Barbecue in Emmitsburg, said Fourth of July, like other national holidays, is one of his busiest days.
‘‘It’s been a very busy week — barbecue has gone through the roof,” Caulfield said. ‘‘It’s become a national obsession. The Fourth is a huge weekend for us.”
Caulfield, who opened the restaurant in 2002 with his wife, said he suspects that this year’s higher demand for catering backyard parties may be because more people are staying home this year to save money. More than 86 percent of Americans plan to travel less than 50 miles from their homes or vacation in their own backyards this Fourth of July, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
With six catering events through the weekend, Caulfield is prepared to churn out dishes for upward of 300 people — with either a half-pound of pork or brisket and two side dishes planned for each — while keeping his restaurant open.
Business is not booming for all caterers, however.
Demand is falling off at Texas Ribs & BBQ in Clinton, but it manages to break even through catering parties for housing developers, said Mark Rohlf, general manager. The company responds to four requests weekly.
Niche caterer Uncle Sonny’s in Landover is already behind in its rent from a drop in business, as its customers are struggling, said owner Charles Crank.
‘‘People are not spending like they used to,” Crank said.
Companies that rent party equipment and accessories are also cutting costs, limiting how far they will drive to deliver products, said April Carey of Mikco’s Cool Bounces in Suitland. Carey limits her trips to 30 minutes instead of her previous 45 minutes. She has also had to start charging for long drives.
Staff Writers Rebecca McClay and Lindsey Robbins contributed to this report.
