Owners of new Rexburg restaurant turn negative social media comment into clever marketing tool

REXBURG – A caller Rexburg edifice opening wrong nan aged JB’s, which closed successful June aft 51 years of business, is slated to unfastened successful a fewer weeks.

Sparks BBQ will unfastened successful mid-October astatine 150 West Main Street, serving up a assortment of smoked meats and sides.

RELATED | JB’s successful Rexburg closed successful June. Now this edifice is moving in.

News of nan restaurant’s opening has elicited a slough of reactions connected societal media, including 1 antagonistic remark nan owners are having nosy with.

Dave Chambers precocious posted connected Facebook: “I’m betting they will beryllium gone bye (sic) April.”

Soon after, a motion pinch Chambers’ remark appeared successful beforehand of Sparks BBQ, on pinch a remark from nan owners: “Hey Dave, extremity by successful April. We’ll bargain you lunch!”

The speech betwixt Chambers and Sparks BBQ was captured connected societal media by Chamber’s sister and posted successful nan “I Love Rexburg” group, wherever it amassed a small complete 700 likes successful a matter of days.

In a speech pinch EastIdahoNews.com, Chambers says that while it was his intent to operation group up pinch his comment, he’s impressed pinch really nan owners person handled it.

“Let maine beryllium clear, I wish Sparks BBQ zero bad luck and dream nan champion for them,” Chambers says. “Hats disconnected to Sparks for making this a nosy rumor erstwhile nan state needs a fewer laughs.”

Jacob Muller, co-owner of Sparks, says he’s besides enjoyed turning nan banter into a imaginative measurement to beforehand nan opening. He’s assured nan edifice will beryllium successful.

“If you look astatine our way grounds and nan mixed acquisition of each our partners … I tin committedness you we’ll do well,” Muller says. “We for illustration to person nosy pinch it and crockery it backmost a small bit.”

Muller owns nan building pinch Matt Smith and Chris Sparks, from whom nan edifice gets its name.

Sparks BBQ storefront astatine 150 West Main Street successful Rexburg. | David George, EastIdahoNews.com

Sparks is nan resident “smoker” whose unsocial recipes and techniques person been successful improvement for 7 years.

“I bought my first smoker arsenic soon arsenic I could spend one,” Sparks says. “My relative and 2 of our friends would ever nonstop nutrient pictures and stock what we recovered pinch each other.”

As nan group began cooking, it became a competition.

“One of america would navigator a bully portion of meat, and of people we would brag astir it pinch each other. It was conscionable fun, and I sewage really passionate astir it,” he says.

Smith besides ain Pizza Pie Cafe, which functioned arsenic a shade room for Door Dash and nutrient transportation apps for a while.

RELATED | New business successful Rexburg offering barbecue nutrient from a shade kitchen

Smith has opened 26 different restaurants complete his career, including Red Rabbit Grill successful nan portion crossed nan thoroughfare from Spark’s.

Years of acquisition successful nan edifice manufacture has stretched his efforts betwixt Arizona, Utah, and Idaho, but his scheme moving guardant is to attraction connected building businesses successful Rexburg.

“I’ve ever wanted to person 5 restaurants successful town,” says Smith. “It’s a batch easier than having them successful Arizona. It’s truthful difficult to woody pinch things … pinch it truthful acold away.”

Smith initially hired Muller to negociate nan Red Rabbit. Muller’s efforts accrued gross astir six times over, Smith says, and Muller came connected arsenic a 3rd partner.

The trio are excited to unfastened Sparks BBQ and bring different action to group successful Rexburg.

“We really want to bring a value merchandise and value work to Rexburg, and it’s thing that we’ve done before, and we want to do it again,” says Muller.