Mark and Mike Malbon grew up on one of the largest hog farms in the Virginia Beach, Virginia, area. “We were sending 100,000 hogs a year to market. At one time we had more hogs than residents in Virginia Beach,” Mark Malbon said. “It was the largest hog farm this side of the Mississippi.”
The brothers eventually transitioned to the convenience store business, bringing their experience with whole hog catering (when the entire hog is cooked at once) with them. Their property, which they built in 1995, is named Malbon Bros. BBQ and sells gas, convenience store staples and plenty of barbecue.
C-Store Catering
As the food business grew, customers wanted the whole hog experience brought to them at weddings, family gatherings and more. The Malbon brothers gave the people what they wanted and a lucrative outside catering business grew out of the c-store.
The brothers have it down to a succulent science. “We do them in hog cookers with propane,” Malbon said. “The cooker is like an old oil drum and we cut it in half, put hinges on it, and add axles and a tongue so it can be attached to a truck and hauled to events. We can cook a 200-pound hog in eight hours.” The brothers also outfitted one of their cookers with wood boxes to offer smoked barbecue.
“When you lift the lid, it’s got a rack and you lay the hog in there, close the lid and light it,” he explained. “Some people cook hogs belly down. We cook them back down; it holds the grease and keeps it moist.”
On the Go
In their stores, the grab-and-go box has become a customer favorite, Malbon said. “We’ve got barbecued chicken, brisket and ribs.” In addition, Malbon Bros. offers a meal that consists of a pound of barbecue, a half-pound of coleslaw, and four ounces of sauce. “We figure it will make three to four sandwiches,” Malbon said.
The most popular menu item in the store is the Boss Hog. “This is a half-pound of barbecue. The Piglet is four ounces of barbecue and the Top Hot is six ounces of barbecue, with slaw and fries,” Malbon said.
For sides, Malbon Bros. offers mac and cheese, mac salad, potato salad and string beans. “We also make our own coleslaw,” Malbon added. “And we buy cans of beans, and add molasses and cooked pork to it. Our beans and mac and cheese are two of our biggest sellers when it comes to catering.”
The operators of Malbon Bros. BBQ brought their childhood experiences on a hog farm to the c-store industry—creating a successful catering business and community hub. The restaurant will sometimes cook a whole hog and charge customers $9.99 for all-you-can-eat barbecue.
If you have great barbecue, you need great sauce—and Malbon Bros. created two signature sauces. “Our best seller is the Billy Sauce. It’s a ketchup-based sauce. The Tilli’s Sauce is a vinegar-based sauce.”
Malbon Bros. was making the sauces in house but ended up unable to keep up with demand. Now, the restaurant has an outside vendor that makes them. Both sauces, along with a store-bought sauce, are at every table.
A Sense of Fun
Great food at a good price, customer service and a sense of fun—Malbon Bros. offers all of this.
In addition to an outside dining area, the store sometimes has a two-piece band come and play. Customers are invited to hang out with their families and play cornhole.
The restaurant will also cook a whole hog and charge customers $9.99 for all-you-can-eat barbecue. “They can come in the store, get a six-pack of beer, sit outside and eat. It’s designed to get people who’ve never eaten here to come inside the store,” Malbon explained.
He invites area vendors to come out and sell their products at these events. “Other vendors come out. We don’t charge them. Sometimes, two maybe three vendors show up. This is just to get a variety,” Malbon said. “I’ve found that the more traffic you can put on the lot, the better it is for everyone. Customers can eat barbecue and then have shaved ice from a vendor. Lindy’s Wings comes out. He does a phenomenal job. I advertise it on social media, it doesn’t cost me a penny. People are buying gas, they’re buying stuff in the store.”
“The $9.99 is a loss leader, but sales all go up,” he said, adding, “A lot of people have never seen a whole hog on a cooker and have never watched someone debone it, prep it and serve it. It’s a show.”
Malbon sees being locally owned as a competitive advantage: “We’ve been cooking barbecue for more than 50 years. Me and my brother are here everyday. I know all the customers.”
There’s a feeling of comfort here—the aroma of meat slowly smoking to perfection. It kind of feels like your backyard. Customers have all the advantages of great barbecue, without having to clean up.