From Layoff to Legacy: How Charlie Eblen Built a BBQ Empire | 2025 Create Conference

I will never forget the moment when my wife opened my office door and knew that we were no longer employed. It was the best worst day of my life. We had no idea what we were going to do. I didn't know how I was going to support my family. She looked at me about a week later.

Sure.

I'll never forget it. And she said that, just go do what you want to do. Go do what you love. Go start your own restaurant. Stop depending on everybody else and start depending on yourself. And 5 years later, I'm sitting here talking to you.

We are live here in Nashville at the Create Conference, and I'm honored to have none other than Charlie Eblen here with me now. Charlie, you're used to radio, so I want to introduce you to the cameras. This is going to be recorded live here.

Thank you. Yes, I appreciate you. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate you very much, my friend.

I think the one of the most enjoyable podcasts I've ever been on is your podcast.

Well, we're just kind of laid back and authentic and just kind of talk a whole bunch of stuff the whole time we're there.

So one of the most interesting things that I found is Coming from restaurants, I lived within my 4 walls. My idea of getting out and bringing in customers was taking food out to the local businesses and telling them, I'm Matt, come over and get a sandwich.

Oh yeah.

I think of barbecue as just being the local heart and soul of the community. I mean, that's your slogan, right?

Oh yeah. Building community.

Building community. And all of a sudden you've got a podcast, right? You're on ESPN Radio.

Yes, sir.

Why are we seeing this emergence of restaurateurs becoming their own, I don't want to say brand, but media companies?

We have a good friend by the name of Sean Walsh who always says that the Field of Dreams movie was wrong. Kevin Costner was wrong. If you build it, they won't come. So if you're not out telling your story, nobody's going to tell it for you. And even if they do tell it, they probably don't tell it the right way. So you have to go tell your story. So 3 years ago or so, Sean kind of pushed me off the cliff and we started doing a ton of social media. We really started diving into the podcasting side.

Let's, let's go back to that. How do you even meet Sean?

On an Instagram Live is how I met Sean.

What is Charlie Eblen doing on an Instagram Live 3 years ago coming out of the pandemic?

I will tell you that I didn't know what I was doing. I had like 27 followers on TikTok. I had, you know, same thing on Instagram and Facebook was for me to keep up with my high school buddies. You know, I just, I was not a social media guy. You know, I played around on LinkedIn for business, but I never did any of it. When the pandemic happened and I lost my job and started my own brand and my own company, I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to be able to impact the community in a meaningful way. I wanted to be able to find other restaurateurs, other leaders, other businessmen, women to come and be able to tell their stories and highlight what kind of a great community that we had.

So I think a lot of people feel that way and they want that, but it's hard to take that first step. It's hard to get on that Instagram Live.

It is. And one of the things that I had to figure out really fast was I had to get over myself. And I had to— one of the best lessons I learned was people love authenticity. They love you for you. You know, if you're gray-headed and got a big beard— well, I don't have a beard anymore, but you know, you are who you are, and people enjoy meeting real authentic people. So I found in a very quick amount of time that just getting on camera and talking to myself— at least that's what it felt like— was what people enjoyed seeing. They loved hearing the story because it was true. It was me. It was authentic. It wasn't some rehearsed thing, right? You know, I told you the other day, right? I'm doing a pitch later on today and I haven't rehearsed anything. I tried and it was awful. I was stuttering over myself. I hated it. It was just garbage.

It wasn't real.

So no, and I couldn't tell you My pitch is in less than an hour or so, and I have no idea what I'm going to say.

Well, that's the other one that's so interesting is you used to have to be in the room to give the pitch. Today, you're giving your pitch to the world.

Yeah, it's absolutely amazing. We started our show, it has steadily grown. We partner with Toast, our primary technology partner of our restaurant and our podcast. Amazing company that does amazing work and supports us fully. Because of that, we've continuously grown our show. We're now on ESPN Network, ESPN Radio. Next year, we're probably going to double the amount of time we're on the radio. So we're, we're over a million impressions every month of how many people hear, hear and see our voices. Right.

So it's insane.

It's absolutely amazing. I'm blessed beyond belief to be able to do what I love and be able to tell stories for a living.

So let me get this straight. 3 years ago, you had 26 followers on Instagram.

Yeah.

You do a live reel and you wake up 3 years later, you've got a show sponsored by the leading POS. You're on ESPN Radio and you're here.

Surreal.

Create pitching. What are you pitching, by the way?

So we want to grow the brand. So I want to build a flagship standalone restaurant. 2 more locations that are currently just like I have right now, smaller retail locations, a couple of food trucks. The more we have, the more revenue we do, the larger impact we can make in people's lives. We just got done doing a big barbecue fundraiser for a 9-year-old little boy that has a brain tumor, Mason Asher. We sent him to Disney World.

Oh, yes.

He got to build a lightsaber. And Matt, I will tell you, there's not enough money in this world for me to tell you the feeling that I got when I— when we told that little boy that he was going to Disney World. It's, uh, it's absolutely incredible.

I think that's the other one that, um, gets lost sometimes, the real and genuine. Getting on TikTok and posting a dancing video is one thing. I mean, yeah, you're going out and sending somebody with cancer to Disney World. Like, that's real. That impacts the community, and that resonates today.

Yeah, we believe that we are going to be the Nike of barbecue.

All right, you got to walk me through the Nike analogy.

Right. So if you know anything about Nike and Phil Knight, they started the company to be the streetlights for runners at night. He wanted to make clothing that helps people perform better. So we started a barbecue restaurant that wanted to build and grow our community. And we're going to do that with undeniable hospitality, storytelling, and the perfect plate of barbecue.

So the real takeaway here is if you're a restaurant, don't adopt just do it as your operating motto. That would not make you the Nike of barbecue.

No, no. It's not about emulating them as far as a business model. It's more about how can we— it takes a village to raise a child. It takes a community to build a business. So if I expect my community to come support me, then I have to pour everything I have into them.

Charlie, I got to tell you, I mean, we've known each other for years now. One of my favorite people. I've seen your barbecue constantly online. I've never had the opportunity to have it. There was soul in that food. I mean, like, if the 4 walls could talk within that building, like, It was real. And that all started in what, a food truck?

So in 2020, when I lost my job, we started a food truck. Yeah. 26-foot trailer. It was 144 square feet on the inside of it. Yeah. It's pretty cool.

Can you take me back to that moment? Similar experience. I had my one corporate job. I launched Clear Cox out of getting laid off my one corporate job. Take me back to the moment. What was it like?

The day of was terrifying. We're in a global pandemic. I got let go, didn't know what we were going to do.

Do you remember that moment when you had to walk in the front door?

I was actually at home in my office.

Walk out of your door.

But I will never forget the moment when my wife opened my office door and knew That we were no longer employed. It was the best worst day of my life. We, we had no idea what we were going to do. I didn't know how I was going to support my family. Didn't know what steps to take. Didn't know which way to go. She looked at me about a week later.

Sure.

I'll never forget it. And she said that, just go do what you want to do. Go do what you love. Go start your own restaurant. You've done it for 30 years. You love it. You're good at it. Stop depending on everybody else and start depending on yourself. And 5 years later, I'm sitting here talking to you.

Talking to me. You're sending people with cancer to Disney World. You're on the radio. I mean, I don't know what it is about really becoming uncomfortable and being in a place where you have to adapt or die. But that's where the growth happens.

Look, I don't have a backup plan, man.

No.

We started this and I had a little bit of money in my savings account and we got the food truck and we've struggled ever since. I probably make 4 or 5 times less amount of money than I made when I was in the corporate world, but I couldn't be any happier. The impacts that we're making in the world is incredible. The show's taken off. The restaurant's amazing. We put our heart and soul in every ounce of food that we serve. You know, it's the handshakes, the hugs, the laughs, the tears are what this is about and how we're going to continue to make an impact every day.

So what I want to know is this. Paint me the image of the next SingleTree Barbecue. What's it going to be? What's it going to feel like?

So you're probably looking at about an 8,000 square foot building total.

Ambitious.

Yes, sir. So about half of that is going to be a patio, large stage, massive 200, 300-inch TV behind the stage. So you can have more of an event center. Attached to that will be a huge smokehouse, probably about 1,000 square feet, 1,200 square foot smokehouse.

I can only imagine your smokehouse is going to get some love.

Yeah, it'll be, it'll be, it'll be the heart and soul.

Take care of the Pissmaster.

You know, the dining room will be large. It'll probably be, you know, 2,500, 3,000 square feet.

Community tables? Are you going to go single, 4-tops?

Both. So in my head, I have a lot of picnic table kind of deal, right? But I also have the 4-top booths if you want to go sit and have dinner with your family. But, you know, large open concept, roll-up doors, being able to see outside, heated, cool patio. To where you can use it most of the year, you know, have large events, live music on the weekends, you know, and just some great fires, amazing food, and even better people.

I think even more interesting, what is Singletree in 5 or 10 years?

A lasting, extremely positive impact that my grandfather would be proud of.

Why your grandfather?

That man spent 28 years in the Army. He spent the rest of his life as a federal judge. All he ever did was serve. I have 2 things. This ring, which is his class ring from when he graduated college in 1948— 1949, excuse me. And my restaurant that is named after his farm. So it means more to me than anything else.

Man lives on well past his days.

Yes, sir.

I think he's in good hands, Charlie.

I hope so. We're trying.

You're an amazing friend. You're a great restaurant operator. I appreciate you coming on.

I appreciate you, brother. Thank you very much.