Welcome to and inside Look at the Barbecues Galore Staff Cook-Offs.
Every year our stores across Canada sharpen their skills, fire up their grills, and compete in our Friday Staff Cook-Offs. It is part friendly competition, and part training grounds.
By the time you come in for advice on smokers, sauces, or accessories, our staff have already tested it, tasted it, and cooked with it. Â
WHAT THE COOK OFFS ARE ALL ABOUT
Every other Friday throughout the winter, a new team from each store steps up to the plate and creates a full BBQ lunch for their store based on a weekly theme. One week it might be ribs. Another week it might be game day snacks or a smoky holiday meal. Whatever the theme is you can bet our teams lean all the way into it.
We hope you enjoy some of the photos below as we share our cooks in action:
This year we added something new:Â Mentorship. Every cooking team must include both a junior and a senior staff member. That means seasoned pitmasters are teaching the next generation how to flip, baste, sear, smoke, and plate like pros. It also means the next time you ask a staff member about charcoal versus gas or which rib rub hits hardest you are getting honest real world knowledge from someone who has actually cooked with it.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR YOU
Sure, the food smells incredible. Yes, the competition is fierce. But the real winners are our customers.
1. HANDS-ON PRODUCT EXPERTISE
Our teams are required to cook with the same sauces, spices, tongs, brushes, thermometers, and tools we sell. They learn exactly how each item performs long before recommending it to you.
2. REAL RECIPES YOU CAN ACTUALLY RECREATE AT HOME
Every dish submitted includes a recipe. Many of them end up inspiring social media content, in store conversations, and those helpful tips our staff love to share.
3. BETTER ADVICE, BETTER COOKS, BETTER BBQ
When staff learn from each other, everyone wins. The junior team member you chat with might have learned the perfect way to reverse sear steak just this morning. The senior staff member might have perfected their brisket technique from mentoring a teammate. You get the full benefit of their practice.
4. AUTHENTIC PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
We photograph everything. Action shots, close ups, sauce drizzles, sizzling grills, and the final plate. These visuals turn into the real BBQ content you see on our social channels and help you picture exactly how our tools and products work in everyday cooking.
OUR WEEKLY THEMES THIS SEASON
Here is the schedule of what our teams are grilling this year:
If you think these sound fun - just wait until you see what our talented teams come up with. Every Cook-Off includes a customer voting optional on our social channels. Your favourite dish earns extra points for that store which means your likes and comments help decide the winners.
VOTE: Want to join in on the fun?
Follow us on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube to catch each week's entries and cast your vote.
