BBQ Grill

LUCILLE’S SMOKEHOUSE

BAR-B-QUE ALERT

Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que is named after a ​fictional African American woman from the south

Is the Long Beach, California-based Hofman Hospitality Group

proud of its branding strategy? Why did Lucille’s owners stop ​explaining their namesake in 2020?

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“The landscape is still shifting, but ​Hofman, now chairman of the Hofman ​Hospitality Group board, is comfortable ​stepping back from day-to-day ​operations and instead advising the ​next generation.


Even with two dozen locations, the ​business is still a family enterprise. ​Hofman’s oldest son Brad is now the ​president of the company, and his ​daughter Ashley is the brand manager.


His son Ryan, a mechanical engineer, ​is the director of construction and ​design, and youngest son Dirk ​manages alcohol sales.”


January 18, 2022

California State University Long Beach


Lucille’s Smokehouse ​Bar-B-Que: About Us

“That’s what folks said about the barbecue Lucille ​Buchanan grew up eating in her Grandma’s lunch shack, a ​tiny little nothing of a place on a back road in a small town ​way outside of Greenville. But Lucille didn’t know any ​different. She hadn’t traveled more than about 30 miles in ​any direction. It was just Granny’s cooking. And Lucille ​loved it…”

“That’s what folks said about the bar-b-que Lucille ​buchanan grew up eating in her grandma’s lunch shack, a ​tiny little nothing of a place on a back road, outside of a ​small town. But lucille didn’t know any different. It was just ​granny’s cooking, and she loved it


She loved the special spice rubs and savory wet ‘mops’ ​and sauces that Granny had perfected over the years. She ​loved all the fixin’s, like buttermilk biscuits, cheese grits, ​and slaw. Most of all, she loved the Bar-B-Que—cooked ​nice and slow in the gentle smoke of hickory wood, until ​the meat became sweet and succulent and so tender it ​would fall off of the bone if you so much as looked at it.


But a few years down the road, Lucille began to wonder if ​there might be something more to life—and food—that ​what she knew from hanging on her Granny’s apron ​strings. So she packed up her suitcase and set out to ​taste-test her way through the South. Countless pit stops ​later, though, Lucille figured that the folks back home had ​been right all along: Granny’s cooking was the best. And ​there was nothing like it this side of Dixie.


So when she finally decided to take off her wandering ​shoes and settle down, what did Lucille do but open up a ​lunch counter of her own, bringing the best of Southern ​Bar-B-Que to Southern California. And just as you’d ​expect, folks started talkin’…”

“Picking up culinary inspiration from some of the best bar-b-que ​shacks in the south, we developed a thriving concept around ‘serving ​the best bar-b-que with the finest southern hospitality.’


And it wasn’t long before folks declared it a saucy success. Of course, ​even the best bar-b-que tastes a little better with some music to go ​along with it, which is why no visit to Lucille’s is complete without a ​stopover in the bar, known as the Flying Pig Lounge, for some ​southern libations and foot-stomping fun!”

“The fictional namesake character, ​Lucille Buchanan, an African-​American woman from the South” -

“The company has a bio on Lucille ​on its Website, but she and her beau ​are fictional characters.”

“So we found ourselves a bit ​discombobulated after learning this ​heartwarming character is fictitious.”

Lucille’s Smokehouse ​Bar-B-Que: About Us

“Picking up culinary inspiration from some of the ​best bar-b-que shacks in the south, we developed ​a thriving concept around ‘serving the best bar-b-​que with the finest southern hospitality.’


And it wasn’t long before folks declared it a saucy ​success. Of course, even the best bar-b-que ​tastes a little better with some music to go along ​with it, which is why no visit to Lucille’s is complete ​without a stopover in the bar, known as the flying ​pig lounge, for some southern libations and foot-​stomping fun!”

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