Southern Pride introduced digitally controlled smokers in 1997 and saw them accepted by the industry in 2000. Since then, “our business has grown by double digits,’’ Marketing Director Jack Griggs says. He says chains expanding barbecue into new regions is propelling the growth.

Still, some operators aren’t buying into the digitally controlled units. Golden Rule, a barbecue chain out of Alabama with 20 restaurants in the state and neighboring Georgia, is sticking with the open pit run by a trained pit master. “I think that sets us apart. We’re not doing anything in the new style,’’ says Todd Becker, director of franchise relations and marketing for the chain. Expansion plans for the chain include a move into Tennessee shortly.

At Famous Dave’s, the pit master is also critical. While the company does rely on some modern technology, “it’s not idiot-proof. [Slow cooking] is still a craft,’’ says Lane Schmiesing, vice president of marketing.

And even at those concepts where technology is embraced, the role of the chef remains important. Recipe testers are needed to select the wood that’s used to impart that unique barbecue flavor; choices range from green hickory to alder and pecan. And the cut of meat that goes in the smoker can affect the flavor of the finished product, too. Q-Shack owner Meyer is particular about fat content. He looks through the meat that his supplier sends, and pieces without the right marbling are fed to his staff.

Operators uniformly agree that the key is to approach barbecue much like Subway approaches the sandwich—provide choices and let the customer decide. Most concepts planning regional or national expansion use the “make it in front of you” strategy. Slo Joe’s keeps its sauces warm and on the line, while others put multiple bottles of sauce on tables or package it for take-out orders. Almost all of the contenders plan to carry pork, beef, chicken, and meal-portioned baked potatoes to avoid the veto factor.

Shane’s Rib Shack, a Raving Brands concept, is paying particular attention to female customers. They’ve cut back the smokiness quotient of their barbecue to appeal to women, who, research suggests, don’t care for a heavily smoked taste. And Shane’s is also offering non-barbecue options. “People can only eat so much barbecue,’’ says Chris Morocco, executive partner with Raving Brands.

The Q-Shack also makes concessions for its female customers. The store’s bright interiors could be those of a sandwich shop; nothing suggests tobacco spit or grease. And one of the most popular items on the menu is a chopped, smoked meats-topped salad.

At Dickey’s, an emphasis on family packs of to-go food bring in more female customers, Dickey notes. “We’re heavy on drive-thru. It’s about meal replacement,’’ he says.

But there are still roadblocks to barbecue that don’t exist for hamburgers or sandwiches. Barbecue can be messy, notes Paul from Technomic. “Can you really eat ribs in the car?’’ Restaurant consultants say it is eaten disproportionately by men, and then there is that whole regional thing. Do you write off sections of the country—the Carolinas or Texas, for example—assuming they won’t cotton to a nationally sanitized taste? Alternatively, do you push ahead with your own taste and hope it becomes the de facto nationwide standard? Customize regionally?

Boddie Noell Enterprises, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, opened its BBQ Ribs & Co. restaurants for the same reasons others are getting into it—an untapped market for barbecue and better equipment options that make it doable. And there was a pragmatic reason: The company saw some softness in fast-food and wanted to enter the quick-casual game.

Like others in its segment, BBQ Ribs & Co. is all about choices. Its menu incorporates three distinct North Carolina regional styles: vinegar-sauce basted Eastern style; Western style, with its tomato sauce; and the somewhat more obscure Lexington style that includes a loose chopped tomato relish-like dip. There is also chicken, seafood, and ribs on the menu.

But unlike some of its competitors, Boddie Noell, the largest Hardee’s franchise group in the U.S., has no plans at this time to take its barbecue concept national. Instead, the firm is concentrating on North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. This despite the rave reviews its barbecue gets from people like Mike Mills, the National Barbecue Association president. “They’ve got it down,’’ Mills says.

Boddie’s decision is not for lack of someone with national restaurant building experience. Hilton Eades, a Brinker International veteran who helped build the Macaroni Grill concept, is in charge of BBQ Ribs & Co.

Raised in North Carolina, Eades knows about how touchy people can be about their regional differences, and he’s not sure that offering a variety of meats and sauces on the side will truly cross the regional divides. “You can’t be all things to all people in barbecue,’’ Eades says.

But some of his competitors certainly are eager to try.