Cleveland food truck owner grows business with help from business access advisor

Carter’s BBQ is now an award-winning operation with plans to sell packaged seasonings and sauces

Before his barbecued food won an award, before he was featured on a YouTube series and before he purchased a commercial smoker and food truck, Darren W. Carter was a guy who worked full-time at a steel mill in downtown Cleveland and had a passion for barbecuing meat for his family and friends.

“I would post pictures of my food on Facebook and Instagram, and it got to a point where people kept commenting how they wanted to try it,” Carter said. “Someone said they would pay to eat it, and we decided to put that to the test.”

Carter and his wife, Theresa, put together a dinner of his ribs and her side dishes, and sold all 70 plates they prepared.

“We did another dinner and it sold out again,” he said. “Then it started growing from there.”

The Carters continued selling their food at church dinners and other events. After much research, Carter decided he needed a smoker and trailer so the couple could sell their barbecue at food truck parks and other locations.

“I attempted to get a traditional loan through a different bank and they denied us,” he said. “I still have that letter framed on my desk in my basement because I knew we’d find a way to do what we wanted to do.”

The Carters turned to a crowdfunding loan platform and got money to make down payments on the equipment they needed. They also worked with the city of Cleveland to get a license and in May of 2022, the Carter’s BBQ truck had its grand opening.

“We did well the first year; people want to check out the new kid on the block,” Carter said. “We had to turn down a lot of gigs because I was still working at the steel mill and doing the barbecue part time.”

Carter suffered an injury while working at the steel mill and was unable to work either job for several months, which put a strain on their finances.

He contacted Norlynn Story, a business access advisor for U.S. Bank who he had met through the church they both attend years earlier. The Carters have a business account with U.S. Bank as well.

“We’ve done quite a bit of work together to help him understand the cost structure for his business and how it can be profitable,” Story said. “I also advised them on how to get a Minority Business Enterprise certification, which can open up a lot of opportunities for them.”

Story also connected Carter with the Ohio-based Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI), a Community Development Financial Institution designed to serve as a one-stop resource center for entrepreneurs regardless of their background, gender or race.

“Building bridges to opportunities for an inclusive economy means using our strong, 161-year history and deep commitment to partnerships to connect clients to the resources and capital needed to succeed,” Story said.

Through ECDI, Carter was able to refinance the crowdsourced loan at a much better interest rate and payback schedule, he said.

“My wife has also taken advantage of their mentorship program,” Carter said. “With ECDI, we’ve gotten business planning advice and other resources.”

The Carters also connected with the Empower by GoDaddy program in partnership with ECDI, which also provides resources to entrepreneurs.

As part of Empower, The Carters were featured in Made in America, a YouTube program that highlighted their journey.

“That was a great experience,” he said. “Now we’re immortalized on YouTube.”

In addition to serving cooked food, the Carters are selling barbecue seasoning blends and sauces people can use at home. Story encouraged the Carters to diversify their revenue streams by selling those products online.

“At the moment, we’re blending them and bottling them by hand,” Carter said. “But we found a company that will mass produce it for us and we’re working on getting it into retail stores and selling it on our website.”

As the business has grown, Story and the Carters have stayed close.

Story accompanied the Carters to the Taste of Black Cleveland showcase, which Carter had applied to twice in previous years before being accepted in 2024.

“We were just excited to be able to be in front of all those people and have them sample our food, thinking the best-case scenario would be that someone would like it and check us out again,” he said.

They ended up winning the award for best food truck/caterer.

“They called our name and I just froze; I was in disbelief,” he said. “It was Norlynn who pulled at me and told me to go up to the stage.”

Carter’s BBQ has since been booked at a few events by people who attended the Taste of Black Cleveland and reached out to the Carters.

“It’s paying dividends,” Carter said. “I love it.”