Regional Growth: Why Food & Beverage Businesses Are Expanding in East Central Indiana
East Central Indiana is known for its strong entrepreneurial spirit, which is supported by a skilled workforce, strong industry presence and supportive business environment. These economic pillars allow local businesses to expand their presence and business offerings. Three businesses recently tapped into the region’s potential and opened additional locations in the area.
Maintaining Charm
Richmond-based Firehouse BBQ & Blues is housed in Richmond’s original Fire Station No. 1, which was built in 1860. The company recently decided to expand its operations to Dunkirk.
“We have been open for business since 2011, bringing great barbecue, music and fun to the Depot District for over a decade,” says Nick Arbogast, co-owner of Firehouse BBQ & Blues. Arbogast, along with co-owner Dustin Garvin, is a strong proponent of giving back to the community, as the community’s support helped these partners expand.
“We do benefit nights for local organizations, we gave away over 300 free family meals when the government was shut down, and we donate to a variety of different groups throughout Wayne County,” Arbogast says. “One big driving force for our growth is our catering business. That was really a game changer for us.”
Arbogast says the low cost of living in the region, which helps lower overhead business costs, has helped the company succeed and set its sights on continued expansion. The owners’ goal is to grow the restaurant to five locations, approximately an hour away from the original location in Richmond.
“We love the small-town communities that rally around and support one another. Our goal is not to become a corporate restaurant,” Arbogast says. “We want people to come in and have the experience of knowing the owners and building relationships.”
Finding Their Niche
Bad Dad Brewing Co., located in Fairmount, recently opened a new location in Richmond. Derek Howard, along with his dad, Barry, and brother, Patrick, own the brewery.
“Our brewery started a lot like others did, with our dad homebrewing,” Derek says. “Initially, my mother had a restaurant, Grains & Grill, which, oftentimes, had long waits. We had extra building space and decided to capitalize on our passion of beer. We bought a small five-barrel system to start brewing and acted as a sort of waiting area for the primary restaurant.”
Initially, Bad Dad Brewing Co. didn’t offer food in the brewery; however, that changed when Derek moved back from New York City and decided to bring a style of pizza that he loved during his time in Brooklyn. The brewery operation expanded in 2020 with the addition of a 15-barrel brewing system.
“Our taproom has always been a magnet for pizza lovers around Indiana,” Derek says. “Korak Ladd, our partner at the Richmond location, was the initial chef who brought my vision of serving pizza to life. When an opportunity arose, we jumped at investing in Richmond, which seems like a great place that lacked scratch pizza and craft beer.”
Expanding Horizons
Obi’s Barbecue, which has a location in Marion and recently opened another location in Hartford City, is owned by Jeff and Michelle Richardson. After acquiring his first smoker, Jeff developed a deep appreciation for this method of cooking.
“I started building recipes for my own rubs and sauces,” Jeff says. “In 2015, I started doing a few caterings and vending. I purchased a food trailer and did a few more events in the area, which led me to enter a Shark Tank-style competition in 2019, where I had to do a presentation in front of about 200 people and a panel of five judges. I was chosen as the winner of the contest for the location I’m in now in Marion.
Because there are not a lot of full-service barbecue restaurants in the area, people traveled from near and far to Obi’s Barbecue, so when Hartford City reached out to ask him to open a restaurant in that city, he and his wife felt it would be a great opportunity.
“Being embraced by the community makes the difference,” Jeff says. “Also, having great food and a great staff makes the difference. You can’t have one without the other.”
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