Meet Cierra Collins of CMC Backyard BBQ

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cierra Collins.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Barbecuing has always been a passion of my father’s, Coy. He always wanted to start a food truck and eventually make our way to opening our own establishment. When we moved to Katy, three years ago, my dad knew we were financially stable and able to finally go out and buy our food trailer.

We purchased the trailer in February of 2015 and began working on everything we needed to be able to legally sell food out of it. When the trailer was purchased it was just the outer shell. We completely built the inside ourselves. After a year of getting the food trailer exactly the way we liked and getting our permits, we were finally fully functioning and operational.

Our first year was more of a giving year for us. We did many pro-bono events to get our name and our taste out there. Now in our second year, we have done many catering events as well as food truck events. It has been hard work, but it has also been a lot of fun. CMC Backyard BBQ is a family affair. My parents and I run the business side of the matter, but when it comes to helping out, my siblings and many of our relatives are there to help.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The main struggles came in the beginning. Building the trailer was smooth, but obtaining all of the permits and certifications needed was a challenge. My mom sat through all of the classes needed to be fully operational, which took about six months.

I went to many county offices figuring out how to get permitted in those counties so we could sell there. It took a lot of time and patience to get all of this going, but it was well worth it!

CMC Backyard BBQ – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
CMC Backyard BBQ is family owned and operated. We also cater different events and with a larger event, we bring in help, who are also relatives. CMC Backyard BBQ specializes in serving barbecue. We are known for our delicious aromas that come from the trailer and our biggest seller is an item called BBQ Fries. We always get complimented on the taste of our food. Many people say that they usually put barbecue sauce on their barbecue, but with ours, there is no need. We take an extreme amount of pride in this compliment.

What sets us apart from others is truly our pricing. We are a small business so there is no need for a larger overhead, but we serve great food. We understand that many think you get what you pay for, but we love being that business that doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg but still tastes delicious. We love working with other and getting the job done to the best of our abilities and have everyone leave with a smile.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
– My father deserves the majority of the credit. This has always been his dream and he knew what needed to be done to get there. He is very business-minded but lets me do the majority of the talking. My mother deserves a lot of the credit as well because without her tackling the classes we would not be where we are today.

– The main person that deserves credit is my Great-Uncle Richard. He is the one that taught my dad how to barbecue and was his biggest supporter when he decided he wanted to buy a food trailer. To this day he makes sure that my dad is doing fine and sees if he can still teach him a thing or two.

Contact Info:

• Address: 152 Katy, TX 77492
• Phone: 936-499-4477
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cmcbackyardbbq

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