Business Spotlight on Bar-B-Q Boutique

Located in Cedar Park, Bar-B-Q Boutique uniquely ignites taste buds with spice rubs and marinades inspired by global culinary traditions. The shop opened in April 2024 and offers ready-to-cook products for your barbecue and grill along with ready-to-eat wings, drumsticks, and thighs. Whole rotisserie chickens cut into pieces and appetizer trays with shrimp, fish croquettes, or cheese and crackers are also ready to take and go.

The owner and the vision behind the boutique, Manashi Das, began working in the culinary world in 2007. She received her associate degree in culinary arts in 2014 while living in Seattle. Her catering business also launched that year, and her food and service quickly earned clients from major corporations such as Amazon, Nordstrom, and Big Fish. When her husband, Rubal, had a job opportunity in 2021, they moved to Austin, where they began planning the boutique.

“People here like to venture and try new food which opened my vision of the Bar-B-Q Boutique,” said Manashi. “I wanted to create something in between a full-service restaurant and a business with products that you can take and cook at home.”

When she was ready to find funding to build the boutique from the ground up, she looked to Texell’s Commercial team for guidance. Although Manashi is also a realtor and is familiar with the lending process, she knew starting her business would be more complicated since it involved contractors.

“We needed the entire team to tackle it,” Manashi said. “Camille [Texell Commercial Support Specialist] was very proactive. And they educated us, because this is the first time that we took on a mortgage for a business.”

Manashi explained she wanted to prepare meat that’s ready to grill so that customers can see what they’re getting. They list all ingredients and carefully source the meat. The products don’t contain preservatives, artificial colors, or additives. Instead, Manashi wanted to bring back “lost” spices that may be difficult to find.

“I list each spice we use and the benefits each has,” said Manashi. “We have a lot of emphasis on quality. I’ve trained my staff that if there is something here which you think you will not eat, then you are not serving it. Don’t try to cut corners.”

The boutique currently has five part-time and two full-time employees. Each is an expert on what they do, whether it’s butchering the meat, mixing spices or marinades, cooking grab-and-go products, or packaging. To protect her process and products, Manashi said each person knows their job, but no one except the owners knows all the steps.

“I want to secure my product because I want to make it a brand,” Manashi said. “I want to create a franchise.” She hopes to open two more locations in other areas of Austin. While delivery is available for the cooked products, she hopes to offer it soon for all products. She also plans to bottle and sell her spices and marinades.

Bar-B-Q Boutique is located at 13920 Ronald Reagan Blvd. in Cedar Park. Visit barbqboutique.com to view the menu and hours or place an order.

If you need help to start or expand your business, Texell’s Commercial team can walk you through the process. Visit Texell.org/Business or call 254.774.5161 to get started today.

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