Rib Crib

Rib Crib is an American restaurant franchise specializing in hickory-smoked barbecue and smoked meats. The brand was founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1992 by Bret Chandler, who began with a smoker, a small converted-house restaurant, and a barbecue recipe developed through practical experience and competition. Its original menu offered customers a choice of five meats and two side dishes, establishing a straightforward barbecue-focused format rather than a broad full-service restaurant concept. The brand's defining proposition is the preparation of barbecue through slow smoking, with ribs serving as its signature offering. Rib Crib's menu also includes other smoked meats, sandwiches, and traditional side dishes. The company presents barbecue as an approachable, casual dining experience built around smoke flavor, generous portions, and familiar regional-style accompaniments. Its restaurants generally combine counter-service or casual full-service conventions with a themed barbecue atmosphere. Chandler continued refining Rib Crib's recipes by entering barbecue competitions and learning from other pitmasters. The concept expanded from its first Tulsa location to six units within five years, demonstrating early demand for the format and providing the basis for a franchised restaurant network. By 2005, Rib Crib had appeared on Restaurant Business magazine's list of the 50 fastest-growing restaurant chains. The publication reported a 25 percent increase in sales during 2004 and noted that the company was planning a co-branded experiment with KFC. That co-branding initiative was implemented in Marshfield, Missouri, pairing Rib Crib barbecue with KFC fried chicken. The project reflected an effort to test whether two familiar American restaurant categories could operate together in one location. Rib Crib also received workplace recognition in 2006, when Chain Leader magazine listed it among the best places to work, citing cash incentives for employees as one contributing factor. The brand's public profile has been reinforced by customer and media recognition. A 2016 Consumer Reports winter survey placed Rib Crib among the better nationwide chains for food taste and quality, menu variety, value, service, and ambience. Local reporting and community references have also associated individual restaurants with charitable fundraising and donations to Tulsa-area organizations. As of 2025, Rib Crib operated more than 50 locations across eight U.S. states and continued to smoke barbecue on-site daily. The available reference material does not identify a publicly traded parent, current chief executive, ownership group, or exact corporate structure. Rib Crib is therefore best characterized as an active, U.S.-focused barbecue restaurant franchise whose identity remains centered on smoked ribs, pit-style meats, and casual dining.

Rib Crib began in 1992 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when Bret Chandler opened a small barbecue restaurant using a smoker, a converted old house, and a developing recipe. The initial concept was deliberately focused: customers could choose from five meats and two side dishes. Rather than positioning itself as a general-purpose diner, Rib Crib centered the operation on smoked barbecue and the appeal of food prepared through a recognizable pit-smoking process. Chandler continued to develop the brand's barbecue methods through participation in competitions and by exchanging knowledge with other pitmasters. This practical process helped shape the company's emphasis on slow-smoked ribs and meats. Within five years of the first restaurant's opening, Rib Crib had grown to six units. The expansion established the brand as a multi-location restaurant business and created the foundation for later franchising. The company received growth-chain attention in 2005. Restaurant Business magazine included Rib Crib among its top 50 growth chains and reported that the brand's sales had risen by 25 percent in 2004. The same account described plans for a co-branded venture with KFC. The project was subsequently carried out in Marshfield, Missouri, combining Rib Crib barbecue with KFC fried chicken. This was a strategic experiment in operating two complementary but distinct restaurant propositions together. In 2006, Chain Leader magazine named Rib Crib among the best places to work. The available account associated that recognition in part with cash incentives for employees. The award-related coverage provides evidence that the company was not only expanding its restaurant footprint but also developing formal approaches to employee motivation. Rib Crib later received broader consumer recognition. Consumer Reports' winter 2016 survey placed it among the better nationwide chains for several measures, including taste and quality, menu variety, value, service, and ambience. These categories align with the brand's intended combination of food-focused differentiation and accessible casual dining. The brand has also appeared in local community coverage connected with charitable donations and fundraising by individual restaurants, including activities involving Tulsa-area organizations. Such activity complements Rib Crib's local-restaurant presence, although the available sources do not establish a single nationwide charitable program. By 2025, reference material described Rib Crib as operating more than 50 locations in eight states and smoking barbecue on-site every day. Its continuing identity rests on the original core proposition: hickory-smoked ribs and other meats served with traditional sides and sandwiches in a casual restaurant setting. Publicly available reference material does not specify the current owner, parent company, executive team, or detailed franchise structure. Those corporate details remain unconfirmed.

• 2025

  More than 50 locations in eight states

  [1]Rib Criben.wikipedia.org

  Reference material described the active chain as having more than 50 locations across eight U.S. states.

• 2016

  Consumer Reports survey recognition

  [1]Rib Criben.wikipedia.org

  Rib Crib was recognized in a Consumer Reports winter survey for multiple restaurant attributes, including taste and quality, variety, value, service, and ambience.

• 2006

  Workplace recognition

  [1]Rib Criben.wikipedia.org

  Chain Leader magazine included Rib Crib among its best places to work, citing employee cash incentives among the contributing factors.

• 2005

  Listed among top growth chains

  [1]Rib Criben.wikipedia.org

  Rib Crib appeared on Restaurant Business magazine's list of the top 50 growth chains.

• 2005

  KFC co-branded test location

  [1]Rib Criben.wikipedia.org

  A combined Rib Crib and KFC restaurant was established in Marshfield, Missouri.

• 2004

  Sales increase reported

  [1]Rib Criben.wikipedia.org

  Restaurant Business later reported that Rib Crib's sales increased by 25 percent during 2004.

• 1997

  Early expansion reaches six units

  [1]Rib Criben.wikipedia.org

  Within five years of its founding, Rib Crib had expanded from its original restaurant to six units.

• 1992

  First Rib Crib opens in Tulsa

  [1]Rib Criben.wikipedia.org

  Bret Chandler opened the first Rib Crib restaurant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, beginning with a smoker, a converted-house location, and a focused barbecue menu.

A casual American barbecue franchise focused on slow-smoked ribs and meats, approachable value, traditional sides, and an informal pit-style dining experience.

• Barbecue entrees · 1992

  Slow-smoked ribs

  Ribs are Rib Crib's signature food and the clearest expression of its barbecue identity. The brand emphasizes slow smoking and hickory smoke, presenting the ribs as a pit-prepared centerpiece rather than simply a grilled meat item.

• Barbecue entrees · 1992

  Smoked meats

  The original restaurant offered customers a choice of five meats, and the broader Rib Crib menu continues to be organized around smoked barbecue. These meats extend the offer beyond ribs while preserving the brand's slow-smoking preparation method.

• Sandwiches

  Barbecue sandwiches

  Rib Crib serves sandwiches as part of its traditional barbecue menu. They provide a more portable and casual format for the brand's smoked-meat proposition and broaden the menu beyond plated ribs and combination meals.

• Side dishes · 1992

  Traditional barbecue sides

  Traditional side dishes accompany the smoked meats and help complete Rib Crib's casual barbecue meal format. The first restaurant began with two side options, while later restaurants offered a broader menu of familiar barbecue accompaniments.

• 2005Rib Crib–KFC co-branded restaurant

  Marshfield, Missouri, United States

  Rib Crib tested a co-branded restaurant with KFC, combining Rib Crib barbecue with KFC fried chicken in a single location.

  Outcome. The Marshfield location is documented as having operated as a test of the combined barbecue and fried-chicken proposition. The available material does not establish the initiative's longer-term rollout or financial outcome.

  Source
• Local charitable fundraising and donations

  Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States · Other local U.S. markets

  Reference material points to Rib Crib restaurants participating in local charitable activity, including donations to Tulsa charities and fundraising connected with community organizations.

  Outcome. The available references document local participation but do not provide a consolidated campaign name, national scope, or quantified outcome.

  Source

• 2005

  Pursue a KFC co-branding testStrategy

  Background

  Rib Crib was growing and had been recognized by Restaurant Business as a top growth chain. The company explored whether barbecue and fried chicken could attract complementary customer demand in one restaurant.

  Action taken

  Rib Crib implemented a co-branded location with KFC in Marshfield, Missouri.

  Aftermath

  The available material records the test location but does not confirm a broader rollout, the commercial results, or the current status of the arrangement.

  Source

1. 1Rib Criben.wikipedia.org