Summer is synonymous with grilling, so Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions is the perfect business to spotlight for the summer season. For any current or aspiring BBQ, grill, or outdoor cooking enthusiasts, Proud Souls is your go-to if it smokes, grills, sears or roasts outdoors. They carry all the top brands of outdoor cookers, accessories, fuels, spices, rubs and premium-quality meats. They even have an Award-Winning Competition Barbecue Team who offers cooking classes to perfect your BBQ game. Continue reading to find out what we recently learned from Tony Roberts, Chief Barbecue Officer (CBO) and Founder, about this Downtown Littleton business.
Who is Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions?
Proud Souls isn’t unique to Downtown Littleton, but of its four locations, Tony feels that the community in Littleton is the most accepting and supportive, stating that “it’s fun to recognize customers out on the street.”
Tony started this journey in competitive barbecue competitions and is a competitive pit master. He realized Denver was lacking a store that provided grills/smokers/expertise/seasonings/etc. So, in 2016, the first Proud Souls location opened in the Highlands neighborhood. Four year later, Tony and his team opened the Downtown Littleton location in May of 2020, and then over the next 2 years, they were able to expand and opened locations in Kansas City, MO as well as Winter Park, FL.
The Proud Souls Barbecue leadership team consists of:
- Tony Roberts, Founder and Chief Barbecue Officer — based in Denver and primarily works out of the Downtown Littleton location, but travels often to all 4 stores
- Dan Casey, Owner and Chief Outdoor Living and Events Officer
- Chris Webb, Chief Operations Officer
- Adam McNelley, General Manager of the Downtown Littleton location
What makes Proud Souls Barbecue unique?
Aside for its unique retail concept, everyone that works at Proud Souls has a passion for BBQ and cooking outdoors. Naturally, it’s one of the first criteria in the interview process. Both passion and expertise are essential components for all employees, which translates into the customer experience. Customers can ask any question on the subject matter, and all of the employees are equipped to provide more than sufficient information. Proud Souls considers all of its employees to be professionals in the space and they separate themselves from big box and online retailers by getting to know their customer base and providing education. Whether folks are coming in for party planning or they’re looking for the perfect gift, Proud Souls takes pride in walking people through their stores and providing top notch customer service.
How and why Downtown Littleton?
Tony has always loved the look and feel of Downtown Littleton. When considering a second location in the south suburbs, a lot of client base coming up from Littleton influenced the decision, and Tony loved the idea of being in an “old town” versus strip mall. He hired a realtor and within 24 hours the realtor called and said that the perfect place was available. The space was being used as a personal car storage facility and when Tony walked in, he immediately fell in love with it. The building was his within 24 hours.
The building was purchased in October 2019 and the Proud Souls Littleton location officially opened in May 2020. This was during the COVID-19 pandemic when several types of businesses, including restaurants, were temporarily closed. Luckily, Proud Souls was permitted to open with their grocery license. They considered themselves “one of the beneficiaries of the pandemic” because people weren’t able to dine in restaurants and were not only cooking at home, but exploring with grills and smokers.
What do you want people to know?
Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions is open 7 days a week and offers cooking classes. The classes are typically 30 attendees and last around 3 hours long. Be sure to book these classes in advance because they will sell out! They also sell gift cards and have classes available online.
Upcoming Events
Swing by every Saturday for live cooking demonstrations during the summer from 10am – 2pm and save the date for their Oktoberfest Party on September 14th!
