Billy Sims BBQ is an American

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many pa ...

founded by former professional football player,

Billy Sims Billy Ray Sims (born September 18, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for five seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1984. Sims played college football fo ...

and his business partner, Jeff Jackson. In 2004, Sims and Jackson opened the first Billy Sims BBQ location in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

. The brand is supported by 54 locations operating across nine states. Billy Sims BBQ is a fast casual dining restaurant.

History

In 2004, Sims and Jackson opened the first Billy Sims BBQ location in The Farm shopping center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sims is the 1978

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner and a former

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. He partnered with Jackson, who had previously worked in sports marketing prior to meeting Sims in 1999, to launch the Billy Sims BBQ brand. The company was operating in six different locations when Sims and Jackson expanded their operation by opening Billy Sims BBQ up to franchise opportunities in 2008. By 2012, the company was operating 20 locations in Oklahoma, as well as two in Missouri near Jackson's hometown, and one in Michigan. In 2014, the Billy Sims BBQ brand had expanded into a chain of 45 franchised operations in seven states and was recognized in

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

’s 2014 Top Restaurants List.

Operations

Billy Sims BBQ locations serve nine kinds of meat that are smoked on-site daily. The meat is smoked over pecan wood and the menu includes a selection of ribs, brisket, pork, chicken, turkey, and

bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. Various sides are also available and include items such as potato salad, barbecue beans, and corn-on-the-cob as well as others. Many of the Billy Sims BBQ restaurants are centered on Sims’ association with the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

and

with themed menu items and decor. The restaurants revolve around other football themes and include references from various local teams and associations based on each one's location.. Billy Sims BBQ has 45 franchise locations operating across

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, and

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The company's newest location and first in Wisconsin, opened in Fall of 2019, owned and operated by Clay Covert. The restaurant is located in West Bend, a small city north of Milwaukee.

References

{{coord, 36.10745, -95.97512, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-OK, display=title Restaurants in Oklahoma Restaurants established in 2004 Barbecue restaurants in the United States 2004 establishments in Oklahoma Restaurant chains in the United States Companies based in Tulsa, Oklahoma Restaurant franchises American companies established in 2004

History

Operations

See also

References