Veteran-owned restaurant brings Southern BBQ flavors to Dane County
U.S. Army Veteran Andrew “Grill Sergeant” Bajakian and Brandon “Tex” Bay started Primal ’Cue, a Southern BBQ restaurant operating out of the Sun Prairie Ice Arena at 836 Grove Street in Sun Prairie, in 2020. Bajakian participated in Wisconsin Small Business Development Center at the Wisconsin School of Business (SBDC)’s Entrepreneurial Training Program to develop his business plan for Primal ’Cue. After working with the SBDC’s Accounting & Projections Clinic, Badger Consulting Club, and SBDC business consultant Amy Bruner Zimmerman, Bajakian and Bay launched their restaurant in 2020 and continue to expand their offerings.
A passion for Southern BBQ
In 2011, Bajakian was serving in the U.S. Army and stationed in Georgia, when his adoration of Southern BBQ flavors inspired him to buy a small home smoker. As he indulged his BBQ hobby, Bajakian did research online and consulted with neighbors and local BBQ enthusiasts to learn more about the culinary tradition of BBQ. When Bajakian and his wife Courtney moved to Madison to be closer to family, Bajakian found himself disappointed with the BBQ options in Southern Wisconsin and decided he wanted to bring something new to town.
Bajakian enrolled in Madison College’s Small Business Entrepreneurship and Culinary Arts programs in 2015, aiming to learn more about cooking and hone his business skills. He became friends with instructor Brandon Bay, who shares Bajakian’s love for BBQ. Bay has 37 years of experience in the food industry, in cooking, serving, bartending, and management roles, and remembers helping his father smoke and grill meats on a PK Grill as a child.
Bajakian and Bay were equally enthusiastic about the idea of bringing authentic Southern BBQ to the Madison area, and Bay encouraged Bajakian to develop a concept and menu for what became Primal ‘Cue.
One of Bajakian’s instructors at Madison College suggested he enter the Madison College Challenge, a competition for aspiring small business owners. Entrepreneurs present their plans to a panel of professionals and college instructors. Andrew’s dedication to, and fine-tuning of, his business plan helped him win the competition.
“That win validated the concept of Primal ‘Cue and made me even more determined to make it happen,” Bajakian says.
When Bajakian graduated from Madison College in 2018, he worked in various food industry establishments to build his knowledge of the business side of the culinary world.
In 2019, he ran into Bay again, now working in the kitchen of a local brew pub. Now, they had similar work schedules and still shared their vision of bringing Southern BBQ to Madison. After a particularly challenging workday, Bay approached Bajakian after work and proposed that they launch Primal ’Cue together. Bajakian was ready to take the leap.
To solidify their commitment to their restaurant, they ordered a custom smoker from Kentucky that week. The next month, they catered their first event, serving 140 people and receiving rave reviews. Primal ’Cue grew exponentially after that, fueled by word-of-mouth recommendations. Bay and Bajakian used Facebook for social media marketing and expanded their operations to include two mobile smokers. Primal ’Cue became a sought-after choice for corporate events ranging from 100 to 5,000 attendees.
Bajakian joined the SBDC’s Entrepreneurial Training Program and built out Primal ‘Cue’s business plan. Later, support from the SBDC’s Accounting & Projections Clinic, Badger Consulting Club, and SBDC business consultant Amy Bruner Zimmerman allowed Bajakian and Bay to open the restaurant in a bricks and mortar space.
Primal ’Cue celebrated its four-year anniversary in June 2023 and now has restaurant space in Sun Prairie.
“We believe our space further establishes Primal ‘Cue as a beacon of authentic Southern BBQ in Dane County,” says Bay. “We look forward to where we go from here.”