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"We both have fantastic businesses and great food."Ĭlarke said if he hears a customer badmouthing another barbecue place in the area, he'll ask them to leave. "We don't like dealing with that," Wagner said. BBQ businesses share knowledge, customers "So we got the idea to open a restaurant."įat Cowboys specializes in Texas cuisine, featuring grilled and smoked meats with minimal sauce, traditional side dishes, and additional menu items including hamburgers, hot dogs and smoked wings. "We realized that it was quite expensive, so we wanted to start charging our friends," said Wagner. He got his start in barbecue at home, where he and his wife, Amber Wagner, would routinely throw parties and events for friends and family - she cooked the side dishes, he prepared the main course. Wagner was born and raised in the Binghamton area and owns a moving company and crate rental company in addition to Fat Cowboys.
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"My food might not come out the prettiest on the plate," he said, "but I can guarantee your taste buds will be dancing." The result is what Clarke calls "backyard, sloppy face barbecue."
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Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Clarke honed his culinary skills from his grandmother in Georgia and his grandfather in Florida. She taught him how to put together side dishes, he taught him how to smoke meat. "I just decided after that it was time to do something different," Clarke said, "something that I love."
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“We don't believe in competition," Clarke said. "We believe in the community."Ĭlarke worked at United Health Services for eight years as a physician practice supervisor and in the IT department before being furloughed and transitioning to working full time on Big Zues. They buy T-shirts representing their restaurants, share their favorite meals on social media and collaborate on promotions that send customers between the two barbecue spots. That friendship has turned the two business owners into each other's biggest cheerleaders, with a focus on driving customers to support local businesses in the area instead of being pit against each other. "When we see each other, it's like we've known each other for 20 years." "We're the same person at heart," said Wagner. Then Clarke tried a meal at Fat Cowboys and Wagner did the same at Big Zues.
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Garrett Wagner had opened The Fat Cowboys Fireside BBQ in Port Crane in March 2021, four months before Jesus Clarke opened Big Zues BBQ in Binghamton in July.Īs fellow barbecue lovers, the pair started commenting on each other's Facebook pages, complimenting the menu items each offered.
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