Hugely popular BBQ restaurant in Northampton town centre celebrates 10 years in business – and reveals their secret to success

The Smoke Pit, based in The Ridings, is celebrating a decade in business this month (January).

Brothers Matt and James Ingram, from Northampton, started The Smoke Pit back in 2015, which has a 4.5 out of five star rating from 2,000 Google reviews.

The brothers also own Hops and Chops in St Crispin’s, a Smoke Pit food van in St James, and Mission Chicken, which is opening at the former Buddies in Dychurch Lane.

In a Facebook post, the brothers said: “Wow, what a ride it’s been. A whole decade of slinging BBQ, serving up good vibes, and surviving just about everything the world could throw at us. We’ve had our fair share of challenges—global pandemics, economic rollercoasters, and everything in between. But through it all, one thing has kept us going: YOU, our amazing, loyal customers. Without you, we’d just be a bunch of pitmasters standing around a fire with nothing to do. Seriously, you’re the reason we get to keep doing what we love. For that, we’re beyond grateful.

“Looking ahead, we’re not going anywhere. This town means everything to us, and we’re excited to keep being a part of its future. With ventures like Mission Chicken on the horizon, we’re just getting started.

“Here’s to 10 years of smoky goodness, amazing people, and plenty more to come.”

Reflecting on their journey and what drove them to start the business, James told Chronicle and Echo that catering was always something the brothers wanted to do.

He said: “We both worked for big companies [as chefs] in the past, and it felt like we were numbers. Part of the reason for setting up was to give other people opportunities as well and to become part of a more personal place to work. It’s been nice to have a personal touch. Independent businesses are the key to that; without them, everyone is sort of a number in a big cog.

“Catering is always something we wanted to do. We never thought we’d end up owning our own restaurant. It’s great. It’s more rewarding than you first think. It’s better than I ever thought it would be. I recommend it to anyone, if they can find their niche, to give it a go.”

Revealing the secret to their success, James said: “Try to keep up with trends. We’re not mainstream trendy, but we try to keep up with things that people might want from us beyond what we already do. For example, different cocktails—they’re a good draw. Also, giving the guys [staff] their own sort of scope, letting them have their own input instead of being told by us what to do – it brings the best out of people. Sometimes we’ll have a dish on the menu one of the guys has thought of and trial it.”

Reflecting on the tougher times, James said: “The pandemic was a huge hit for us. It was bad for everyone. Hospitality got hit really bad. The cost of everything going up as well—it’s been tough, but you try and work around it. It’s not easy, but it’s a challenge we like to keep on top of.”

Looking forward, he said: “We’d like to be here until the end of time! But we’ve got no set plans going forward—we’re just kind of taking it as it comes. We’d like to do some more, but we don’t want to go crazy and open too much! We want to try and keep things original, so I’m not sure we’d ever do anything like The Smoke Pit again. We’d rather do something different so everything has a different sort of character to it.”

James finished by thanking those who have contributed to The Smoke Pit’s success. He said: “We’ve also been lucky to work with some incredible people over the years. To every single staff member who’s worn The Smoke Pit apron, whether it was for a summer or a decade, thank you. You’ve been the heartbeat of this place, and we wouldn’t be here without your hard work (and your ability to keep smiling through the dinner rush!).”