Slows Bar BQ, a popular Detroit smokehouse, may soon be increasing its footprint in Michigan.
The award-winning restaurant shifted ownership to a recently incorporated parent company called Slows Holdings, officials announced this week. Founding chef Brian Perrone, managing director Terry Perrone and catering director Josh Keillor teamed up to form the new ownership group, which takes a controlling interest in the Slows empire.
The Cooley family sold their shares in the company to Slows Holdings as part of the restructuring. Phillip Cooley and Brian Perrone founded the restaurant’s flagship sit-down location at 2138 Michigan Ave. in the historic Corktown neighborhood.
The Cooleys will maintain ownership of that location and the Slows To Go, the restaurant’s fast-casual kitchen that opened in 2010 at 4107 Cass Ave. in Midtown. The eatery will continue to operate out of both locations, but will now lease space from its former partners.
The impetus for Slows’ recent moves is to accelerate growth, company officials indicated in revealing their plans Thursday.
“When we started Slows, our goal was to create a fun restaurant that would be kind of a neighborhood joint with great food,” Brian Perrone said in a press release. “We built an iconic Detroit brand with an incredible base of loyal supporters and frequent guests. Our goal is to continue to grow that community throughout Michigan and build on our reputation and tradition of great barbecue and fun experiences.”
While Slows closes out one chapter in its business legacy, it’s entering into a new partnership with Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue, a New-York based BBQ franchise with locations at Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden and throughout the Empire State. Mighty Quinn’s also boasts four sites in New Jersey, one in Florida, a new restaurant opening soon in Maryland and they even have a diner in Dubai. Slows is a nationally recognized brand that’s been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and other prominent media outlets.
The restaurant went to a new level after it was featured on the Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food” in 2008. It became known for signature dishes like the Charlene, a succulent pulled pork sandwich, and the Yardbird, a smoked chicken sandwich doused in mustard sauce. The Yardbird was named a finalist for the Travel Channel’s “Best Sandwich in America.”
But Terry Perrone said Mighty Quinn’s is already at the level he and his team are trying to reach.
“The idea is that Mighty Quinn’s is further along in the expansion than we are — I think they’re at 15 or 16 locations,” Terry Perrone explained. “They own some of their stores and they franchise some of their stores. Now we’re the pilot for a third type of expansion for them, which is a strategic investment partnership.”
Slows maintains control of its business, but Mighty Quinn’s co-founder/co-CEO Micha Magid will join its newly formed board of directors. Patrick Renna — the former president of Burger Fi — also became one of Slows’ board members and will lend advice on how to grow their roster.
It’s an alliance fostered by Slows’ business advisor Ross Pascal, who introduced them to Mighty Quinn’s team.
“What we get from these guys is a know-how to scale because up until now, what we’ve been is a Detroit mainstay and a place that people from Detroit take pride in,” he added. “This allows us to focus in and build something where we can actually open multiple units.”
Slows opened its first restaurant in September 2005 on a mostly abandoned block along Michigan Avenue. Since then, it has been a staple in Corktown, a traditionally Irish community with roots that date back to the 1850s. Many local observers credit Slows and other businesses in the area with helping resurrect portions of Detroit’s oldest extant neighborhood from urban blight.
In 2015, Slows beefed up its portfolio, adding a new outpost at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market and launching its food truck. The brand also features a catering service, has a stand at the Huntington Place Convention Center and has a presence at the University of Michigan Main Hospital in Ann Arbor.
Terry Perrone said the separation from the Cooleys was amicable. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Keillor and the Perrone brothers saw a demand for their food and brand that prompted them to begin exploring the idea of buying the company with plans for expansion. The new ownership team intends to add a second food truck to handle an increased demand. They will also focus on new dine-in and carry-out locations in southeast Michigan.
“Our former partners have other businesses and wanted to direct their efforts toward those other projects,” Terry Perrone said. “We spent a good deal of time working toward a split that worked for everyone and we’re confident we can say that we succeeded. The Cooleys have the real estate, we have the business. So they’re our landlords and we plan to be their tenants for a very long time.”
