Barnyard Foods: Building an empire together

Published 12:10 pm Sunday, November 17, 2019

1 of 7

Miller MacDonald, Beaman Hines, Donna Barber, Megan Crane, Noah Hux and Lexi Daniels. Courtesy Barnyard Foods

Sous chef John Turner, executive chef Jim Smith, Megan Crane and Jack Plott. Courtesy Barnyard Foods. Courtesy Barnyard Foods

Simply Southern Kitchen in Harbinger includes a menu close to Beaman Hines’ heart. The menu has recipes from the chefs and people he grew up around. Danielle Puleo photo

Shipwrecks Taphouse & Grille was opened in April 2019 and offers locally sourced seafood with a fun atmosphere. Danielle Puleo photo

The staff of Shipwrecks Taphouse & Grille in Kitty Hawk. Front row: Jan Woolridge, second row: John Taylor, Jackie Plott, third row: Haley Daniels, Kelsey Smith, fourth row: Donna Barber, Madalyn Roberts, top row: Craig Powers. Danielle Puleo photo

Three event homes by Blair Meads and Reliant Construction were purchased to accommodate receptions and special events for Carolina Catering and Events. Danielle Puleo photo

Barnyard Foods has purchased three event homes by Blair Meads and Reliant Construction for weddings hosted by their catering company, Carolina Catering and Events. Danielle Puleo photo

If you have ever eaten at Sooey’s BBQ, Simply Southern Kitchen, Sandtrap Tavern or the newly opened Shipwrecks Taphouse & Grille, you have been to a Barnyard Foods affiliate. Barnyard Foods was started by Beaman Hines, president and CEO. From its simple beginnings, the company has grown into a food and beverage giant within the Outer Banks community over the past twenty years.

According to Madalyn Roberts, marketing director of Barnyard Foods, the vision for the company all started with its owner. “Beaman is a sixth generation Outer Banks native that grew up in Stumpy Point,” she said. In his youth, Hines worked in the Stumpy Point snack shop/grocery store owned by his grandparents, Jasper and Louise Hooper. “He worked really hard. That’s where Beaman got his work ethic,” Roberts said.

In 1988, Hines opened a fire safety and restaurant equipment company to supply local restaurants with the necessary apparatus. From there, Hines started Barnyard Foods with their first family member: Sooey’s BBQ. The original Sooey’s opened in 2000 in Nags Head and is still there today. The restaurants expanded into the town of Duck and Corolla, and just opened its newest location, Sooey’s Dockside, in the Wanchese marina.

Get the latest headlines sent to you

Within the last four years, Barnyard Foods has opened three different restaurants (Simply Southern Kitchen in Harbinger, Sandtrap Tavern and Shipwrecks, both in Kitty Hawk), and a catering and event service. Needless to say, the staff has been pretty busy. “We love it though,” Roberts said on how hectic everything has been. “If we didn’t love what we do, we wouldn’t be here.”

Roberts started with Barnyard Foods two years ago and has grown with the company. “When I interviewed, I just felt like it was right. I felt like this is where I needed to be,” she said. Roberts helped to re-brand and launch Carolina Catering and Events last November. Three new event houses to cater weddings and other special events were built and project managed by Reliant Construction.

Despite how crazy their schedules have been, Roberts said things have calmed down after opening one “monster” of a restaurant. Earlier this year, Shipwrecks Taphouse & Grill had to be completely gutted out and remodeled prior to opening. Donna Barber, general manager of Barnyard Foods, was there everyday to make sure things went right. Not only did it take time to renovate the floors, ceilings and everything in between, but the team had to battle an ongoing stigma.

“We basically had to fight the public view,” Roberts recalled. The restaurant that was strictly a sports bar in the past has now turned into a locally sourced seafood joint with lots of music, drinks and food. The staff took nearly six hours one day to sit down and create a diverse menu for Shipwrecks. “It was a great learning and bonding experience,” Roberts said.

Barnyard Foods has done a great job of bringing people in, but it has also chosen to give back to the community. Every month, the team picks a “charity of the month” to sponsor. In November, celebrity bartenders will come into Shipwrecks to promote an adoption event that will take place on-site. The staff will hold 50/50 raffles on Football Sundays with proceeds going towards the SPCA.

There is an abundance of manpower and hustle that goes into the day-to-day activities of Barnyard Foods. Thankfully, the team gives a communal effort 24/7 to pull it all off. “Not one person can build Rome,” Roberts said. “It’s really nice to have one another to lean on.”

On the horizon are various projects that the staff is working on, but for the time being they are learning to walk instead of run. “We grew really fast and now were trying to reevaluate to fine-tune everything to perfect it,” Roberts said. So far, the brand has provided five staple companies that are thriving here in the Outer Banks with more to come.

READ ABOUT COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS HERE.

ALSO OF INTEREST: