By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
What started as a dare and a challenge has turned into one of the Seattle area’s most recognizable Black-owned food trucks.
Today, Charles “C. Davis” Davis, owner and founder of C. Davis BBQ, serves thousands of pounds of Texas-style barbecue each week across Seattle and Renton while building a business rooted as much in community and consistency as in food.
Davis first arrived in Seattle from Tampa, Florida, in 1989. More than two decades later, in 2011, Davis launched the Texas-style barbecue food truck that has since developed a loyal following throughout the region.
“[My entrance into BBQ] kind of started off as a dare and a joke. I was watching Pitmasters and a guy had dared me that I couldn’t do it, and I think a week later I ordered a small smoker, got it permitted a couple months later, and on the first day I opened up I sold out,” said Davis. “But I really didn’t know what I was doing and how to price out the meat. I kept doing it once a month, and then eventually it kind of grew from there.”
As the business continued growing, one conversation at the Bite of Seattle in 2017 helped elevate C. Davis BBQ to another level.
Davis said former Seattle Seahawk K.J. Wright stopped by the food truck during the event and quickly became a fan of the barbecue.
“He actually loved my barbecue, and I had asked him if he could put me on with the Seahawks, and he said, ‘Yeah, I got you, no worries.’ I didn’t hear from him for a month or two, and then I saw him again at Seafair and mentioned it to him again,” said Davis. “Then about a month later, I got a phone call, and it said Seattle Seahawks on my phone. I thought it was a joke, but I answered, and they said ‘K.J. asked us to give you a try’ and the rest has been history.”
That opportunity eventually brought Davis and the food truck inside Lumen Field, where C. Davis BBQ operated for five years serving Seahawks fans, players, and team staff.
“I started out in the stadium, [in two different places at Lumen Field], and also feeding the players, administration, and the owner suites a couple of times,” said Davis. “Then, the health department changed its rules about bringing in already-cooked food into the stadium.”
Even after those policy changes, Davis continued catering meals for Seahawks players and administration at the team’s training facility.
As C. Davis BBQ became more successful, Davis said the business also became more about relationships, consistency, and community support.
“The biggest challenge was getting to the point of where I needed to be, but then [along the way] figuring out what meant more,” said Davis. “Giving back to the community, being more consistent, perfecting my product, and customer service.”
That philosophy became especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when uncertainty threatened food truck businesses across the region. Davis said the early days of the pandemic forced food truck owners to quickly rethink how to survive.
“I panicked. I was the first food truck to go into the neighborhoods and still see that I could make a living. I then ended up reaching out to other food trucks and told them this is the way to go,” said Davis. “And that kind of helped them. I also started giving a few dollars here and there to help the other food trucks stay in business.”
What started as small acts of support eventually expanded into larger community outreach efforts. Davis partnered with organizations including the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and Community Passageways to help provide meals to families throughout the pandemic.
“I just continued to bless others and be a part of a bunch of nonprofits to help feed people for free,” said Davis. “Between the Urban League, K.J., some of the Seahawks, Community Passageways, and money out of my retirement, I raised over $500,000. We focused on single-family homes, and we fed them. I fed thousands and thousands of people.”
“The Urban League helped me tremendously, and I’m grateful for them,” Davis added.
Today, Davis continues operating at a demanding pace, often smoking meats overnight before serving customers for hours at locations throughout the region.
“I have a massive following. I sell anywhere between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds a week, in less than four hours every time that I am open,” said Davis. “We smoke the meats overnight, anywhere up to 18 hours, pull up, grab a trailer, go to a location, and set up to open to the public. It is just a process that starts over the next couple of days.”
Although Davis brings Texas-style barbecue to Seattle, he is hesitant to compare himself directly to other barbecue businesses in the area. Instead, he focuses on authenticity, quality, and customer experience.
“I don’t like to say that. But I will say that I keep perfecting my product. And I believe that I know real Texas-style barbecue from beginning to end. All my rubs and woods get shipped in from Texas. I don’t cheat in the process, I do it from beginning to end,” said Davis. “I pride myself on customer service, and I give extra portions. I give people way more than what their money is worth, because more importantly, customer service is very important to me.”
Despite the success of the food truck, Davis said watching friends struggle with the costs of operating traditional restaurants has made Davis cautious about opening a brick-and-mortar location.
“I have thought about getting a brick-and-mortar place. A couple of the Seahawks players and I were going to do it, but then that didn’t work out. But I am glad that we changed our minds,” said Davis. “The overhead by itself is just too expensive. [Looking at the future of my business] I personally love what I do, so I am just going to do it until the wheels fall off.”
