Would you believe you could get a great-tasting barbecue in under 30 seconds at an event? With the help of technology, local restaurant owners have accomplished that feat.
When Charlie Eblen decided to open Single Tree BBQ, he knew he was not just in the food service business, he said. Single Tree BBQ is veteran-owned and operated with a location in Murfreesboro, as well as a food truck and catering company. Eblen believed that using technology within the hospitality and restaurant industries could improve the customer experience and would lead to making a positive impact in the community.
Partnering with Toast has allowed Single Tree to increase the speed of service by allowing the staff to take orders at the tables using handheld devices. Toast is a cloud-based restaurant management software company that provides an all-in-one point-of-sale system (POS).
With almost 30 years in the restaurant industry, Charlie has done it all, from washing dishes to developing menus. Now, he serves as the owner-operator of Single Tree BBQ.
Eblen decided to run towards technology, not away from it, at his restaurant.
“We’re trying to do anything and everything we can to innovate and do more with the hospitality tech industry,” he said.
Last year at the Homesteads Apple Festival in Crossville, through the innovation of partnering with Toast, Charlie saw how technology could enhance his customer service.
“At the festival, my average time from the time you hit pay on the device to the time you got your food was 27 seconds, compared to the previous years at the event, where it was an average of five and a half minutes,” he said. “So, the ability to use technology to increase that hospitality and the speed of service and execution is the easiest thing in the world to decide on.”
The trend of restaurants using technology is not a new thing. Restaurants partner with delivery companies like DoorDash or Uber Eats to make their menu more accessible at consumers’ homes.
Have you visited a restaurant where you could scan a QR code to view their menu, use a provided buzzer to let you know when your table is ready, or place your order at self-order kiosks? Many restaurants have implemented these and other features in efforts to use technology to improve the customer experience.
Eblen’s community impact even extends to helping other restaurant owners with technology. He introduced Toast to another local restaurant and helped walk them through incorporating the platform with their business needs. In another establishment, he encouraged them to add their own point-of-sale system to increase their revenue.
When asked how other restaurant owners can enhance their use of technology, Eblen said, “They have to have an open mind.”
The restaurateur has also incorporated Atmosphere on several TVs at Single Tree BBQ with ads he designed. Those ads are also visible at other locations throughout Rutherford County on TVs that subscribe to Atmosphere, the largest streaming TV platform built for businesses.
Single Tree BBQ’s name comes from the family farm Eblen remembered visiting when he was younger. He wanted to honor the legacy of his grandfather, who owned Single Tree Farm and whom Charlie credits for his service to the community and “making a meaningful impact in people’s lives.”
The Single Tree name “reminds me of how hard my grandfather, how hard my father, how hard my mother and everybody has worked to teach me,” Eblen said.
Single Tree BBQ is not just a great BBQ restaurant. With their mission to be the “Nike of BBQ,” they aim to make a lasting impact in the community. When asked what the “Nike of BBQ” means to him, Eblen said, “We’re going to accomplish our mission by building and helping grow our community through undeniable hospitality, storytelling with our podcast, and Instagram, Facebook and social media, and delivering the perfect line of barbecue at the same time every single day.”
In a way, implementing technology has allowed Single Tree BBQ to improve on building personal relationships with its guests. By using the handheld ordering devices, the servers actually get more time to spend at each table, helping to ensure a wonderful customer experience.
Charlie Eblen with Byron Glenn
“I think you have to use tech to build a better hospitality platform and not remove the human part,” Eblen said.
Technology for many can be overwhelming, but Eblen encourages restaurant owners to ask themselves “what problems are you having in your restaurant?” and then looking for new technology solutions to adopt in order to solve those challenges.
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Visit Single Tree BBQ Tuesdays through Sundays at 2805 Old Fort Pkwy., Murfreesboro.
You can follow Charlie Eblen and Single Tree BBQ on Facebook and Instagram @singletreebbq, on X @eblencharlie and on streaming platforms as Single Tree Nation.
For more information, visit singletreebbq.com.
