All Episodes

May 9, 2025 12 mins

Ever wondered what's really hiding beneath those crusty grill grates? Ron Bain, owner of Bar-B-Clean North Atlanta, reveals the secrets to extending the life of your outdoor cooking investment. After a 30-year corporate career, Ron and his wife Michelle took the entrepreneurial leap to become the first Bar-B-Clean franchise owners in Atlanta, bringing specialized grill cleaning and repair services to local homeowners.

The eye-opening conversation explores why expensive stainless steel grills actually require more maintenance than cheaper alternatives. "That $2,000+ grill will rust and corrode and be rendered useless if it's not taken care of," Ron explains, recommending professional cleaning every 40-50 uses. His team's meticulous process involves commercial steam cleaners, angle grinders with wire wheels, and powerful degreasers to restore grills to their former glory.

Ron shares invaluable advice for homebuyers and sellers regarding outdoor kitchens, warning that home inspectors typically overlook these expensive investments. "There's been a lot of heartache with folks purchasing new homes with outdoor kitchens only to find out the grill is actually useless," he notes. His practical maintenance tips include scraping both sides of grates and lining drip pans with foil to prevent corrosion.

The conversation reflects both the challenges and rewards of small business ownership. As Ron puts it, "When you have your own business, you wake up every morning unemployed" – a reminder of the daily hustle required to succeed. Yet his passion for helping customers preserve their investments shines through. Ready to give your grill the care it deserves? Contact the Bar-B-Clean team at 470-239-6720 or visit their website to schedule your service.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, StaceyPoehler.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning everyone .
I'm excited to be talking withRon Bain.
He is the owner of a localcompany called Barbecue Clean
North Atlanta.
Welcome, ron.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Hello, good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good morning.
So why don't you start off bytelling us about Barbecue Clean
North Atlanta.
Welcome Ron.
Hello.
Good morning Good morning.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
So why don't you start off by telling us about
Barbecue Clean?
Yeah, barbecue Clean is acompany that started in Southern
California like 10, 12 yearsago.
That began to franchise heavilya couple of years ago and I'd
had a 30-year corporate careerin sales that I was but I had an
entrepreneurial itch, let's sayI was looking for to have our
own business for my wife and Iboth, and so we worked with the

(00:52):
franchise consultant for goshmany months.
We looked at all kinds ofopportunities and BarbieClean
just stuck out to us first, onesto buy in Atlanta, and we
really liked the business modeland we love the, the value it
brings to our customers and itjust Michelle and I both.
Just that's the one for us andit's been a lot of fun.

(01:13):
We've been a steep learningcurve over the last year but
we've really enjoyed it and madea lot of great connections with
our clients and customers.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Great, great.
So explain a little bit moreabout what you do and what a
client can expect, and what aresome of the different services
that Barbecue Clean is providing.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
Primarily Barbecue Clean started just on cleaning
alone.
We clean grills.
Our process takes about two anda half three hours.
It's very involved.
We use a commercial steamcleaner and various tools to get
it as clean as possible.
A commercial steam cleaner andvarious tools to get it as clean
as possible.
A grill, over time will stain.
The stainless steel will stain,so we can't necessarily make it
always shine, but it will beclean to the touch.

(01:53):
That's our commitment.
But other than cleaning, we do alot of repair work and we've
found that is definitely aneeded service because, just
like any appliance, things breakand it's a unique category.
So that's a big part of ourbusiness.
And then the other part is wesell grills.
So sometimes we'll be atsomeone's built-in kitchen.

(02:14):
The grill needs to be replacedand we can find a grill that
fits that existing cutout.
So that's another part of ourbusiness.
And then we do a lot of work onsmokers, big green eggs,
treggers, all kinds of repairwork as well as cleaning.
And then the last thing servicewe have is a diagnostic visit.
A lot of times people aren'tsure if it's worth repairing the
grill or cleaning the grill.

(02:35):
Something's wrong with it andfor $125, we'll go out and do a
complete assessment of the grill, the condition, the gas flow,
everything.
And then, if the customerchooses to move forward with us,
$75 of that goes back as acredit towards whatever service
is needed.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Got it, got it.
That's great.
And how about you yourself?
Do you like to grill, and whattype of grill do you use?

Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yes, we do so.
It's funny.
That's one of the things.
I guess that stuck out to uswhen we bought Barbie.
Clean is we redid our deck afew years ago and we love to
entertain and we love to haveour outdoor space, and so we've
built an outdoor kitchen on thedeck and I've got my green egg,
I've got a Napoleon grill, Ihave a Blackstone and I have
another grill upstairs.

(03:22):
Obviously, we love to grill andcook outside, and I think my
favorite thing is footballseason and having my buddies
over and be grilling away whilewe're watching games outside.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Nice, and what are some of your favorite things to
make?

Speaker 3 (03:34):
Oh gosh, I went through so many stages when I
got the green egg.
I use it for all kinds of pork,shoulder or whatever wings.
Recently I've really gotteninto my Blackstone.
I love cooking on Blackstone Ifeel like the Waffle House fry
cook, but we've tried all kindsof things, from briskets to
fajitas, to steaks, of course,and we're carnivores.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Awesome, awesome.
And what else do you guys liketo do for fun when you're not
working?

Speaker 3 (04:04):
Michelle and I our whole family are big into tennis
.
We're originally from the West.
We've lived here 17 years now,but we never played racquet
sports.
We moved in the neighborhoodand I got tired of people asking
me whose tennis team are you on?
They're like I don't playtennis.
You got to play tennis, so wegot into it in our gosh.
Our mid early forties, my wifeand I both, and our girls, grew

(04:25):
up playing tennis.
We love it.
In fact, our the Barbie Cleanslegal business name is Add In
Enterprises.

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Nice, I like that.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
You're the connection there.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
So are there any myths or misperceptions that you
think are out there aboutcleaning grills or just the
industry in general?
Or for kitchens, I would saythis.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
Yeah, so you know, obviously learn a lot about
grills over the last year morethan I ever could imagine, but a
lot of, I would say.
Most of our customers have tojustify our service.
They've spent some money $2,000and up on a grill and the
actual higher end grills theyare.
It's more important, even moreimportant to keep those clean

(05:10):
and maintained versus a cheapergrill you might buy at a home
center.
It's just because they're madeout of stainless steel, which is
great material for you to cookon, but stainless steel will
rust and great material for youto cook on, but stainless steel
will rust and corrode and berendered useless if it's not
taken care of.
And so that's really why ourservice is needed For a deep
cleaning like we do.

(05:30):
We say every 40 to 50 cooks.
You should have a deep clean.
Either you do it yourself oryou hire a company like ours.
Otherwise, a couple things aregoing to happen.
Number one the components, theburners, igniters, all that
stuff won't operate as well andit won't last as long.
They'll end up eventuallycorroding.
Even worse than that is becauseyou can replace the parts or it

(05:56):
can be quite expensive, but ifthe firebox itself starts to
corrode, that's where you got areal problem.
The worst thing that people cando with the grill is to use it
throughout the summer, fall, andif you don't really use it in
the winter and it just sitsthere dirty all winter, that's
the worst thing you can do withthe grill.
Number one varmints, critterslike that, but also it will.

(06:20):
That's where a lot of damage isdone with the grill.
Number one varmints, critterslike that, ick, but also it will
.

Speaker 2 (06:25):
That's where a lot of damage is done to the grill is
when it's sitting there dirtyduring the winter.
Yeah, sure, I'm sure.
It sounds like you had a longcareer in the corporate world
and have been able to sort oftransition to being a business
owner.
Have there been any strugglesor hurdles along the way that
you've faced that you feel likethis has challenged you and
you've grown a little bit sincestarting Barber Clean.

Speaker 3 (06:47):
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, yes, I know any businessowner would tell you there's.
It's every day.
A friend of mine told me andit's true is like when you're
your own, have your own business, you wake up every morning
unemployed.
You gotta go.
You wake up every morningunemployed, you got to go.
You got to go and hustle andfind your customers.
It takes time.
We're on a good growth path,about as expected, but it takes

(07:09):
a couple, two, three years tobuild up your clientele, and so
I knew that, going into itBeyond that, there's just been a
gazillion challenges, but welearned from every one of them.
We had a new grill that weweren't familiar with.
That brand had ran into thatissue.
Then we got to go find thetechnical support people and
learn.
It's been a steep learningcurve but we really enjoyed it.
We really have Awesome, awesome.

Speaker 2 (07:33):
Maybe can you just talk.
I know you mentioned that itstarts with the steam clean, but
maybe just walk us a little bitmore through the process so
people can understand why ittakes two and a half hours the
service if they're not home.

Speaker 3 (07:46):
But if they're home we can walk the customer through
a diagnostic checklist of thegrill what's the gas flow like,
are all the burners operating,what's the corrosion, et cetera.
We walk through all that andassess what kind of work needs
to happen on the grill.

(08:06):
That's the first part.
Then we literally there's not alot of, there's not rocket
science to clean a grill.
There really isn't.
It's just it's dirty and it'stime consuming.
But we scrape all the loosestuff down in the firebox, we
vacuum that out, then we use anangle grinder with a wire wheel
on it, stainless steel wirewheel.
It gets those really toughcaked on areas and then we put a

(08:29):
very heavy duty degreaser inthere and let it sit.
We then scrub that, we wipe itdown and then we finish up
actually with the steam cleaner,because that steam cleaner what
it does is it helps get in allthe little nooks and crannies,
but it also sanitizes thatinside that grill because we had
that nasty degreaser in there.
And then we use for the gratesand the burners, depending on

(08:51):
the grill, whatever componentscan come out.
We use that angle grinder andwire wheel on that as well to
get all that nasty stuff off,and so it takes a few hours to
get it done.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, and do you offer any products or recommend
any products or tools thatpeople should use weekly when
they use their grill and how tomaintain it a little bit better?
The results last a littlelonger so two things I'd say.

Speaker 3 (09:18):
The easiest one people ask all the time like how
can I keep it clean?
The only way you keep a grillclean is don't use it, because
it's just it's going to getdirty.
But what customers shouldalways do is not only scrape the
top of the grates but everyonce in a while turn those
grates over and scrape that aswell, because it gets gunked up
on the bottom.
A lot of times that's where thecorrosion will begin to start,

(09:42):
on the bottom, because they'renot looking at that.
So scrape both sides.
The other thing I would say isthe drip pan.
Just put some aluminum foildown on top of your drip pan.
It lasts a lot longer that way.
You just every once in a whilethrow away that foil with all
that grease and grime and itdoesn't sit on that drip pan and
again start corrosion.

Speaker 2 (10:01):
Got it.
Got it Anything else that youhaven't had a chance to share
about Barbecue Clean, that youwant to make sure our listeners
know.

Speaker 3 (10:09):
I would say that one of the things that we've had a
lot of customers call us afterthey purchased a home with an
outdoor kitchen and there's endsup being a lot of issues with
the grill that like, is thereupset Because the home
inspectors, for whatever reason,they don't look at it.
I would say, if you're lookingat buying a home with an outdoor

(10:30):
kitchen, make sure you havesomeone like us come take a look
at it.
Do a diagnostic to understandwhat's come along with the
property.
Or, if you're going to sell ahouse, same thing Get it to the
grill up to snuff as well beforeyou sell, because it's been a
lot of there's been a lot ofheartache with folks purchasing
new homes with back outdoorkitchens and to find out that

(10:51):
the grill is actually useless.

Speaker 2 (10:53):
Got it.
That makes a lot of sense, gooddeal, and I know folks are
going to want to reach out andget their grill clean before the
summer starts, so can you shareyour contact info and how folks
can book an appointment?

Speaker 3 (11:05):
Absolutely so the best there's a, because every
grill is a little bit different.
Ideally, someone would call usand my wife, michelle.
We call her the Barbie queenand she's fantastic and loves to
talk to our customers.
Call us at 470-239-6720.
That goes directly to Michelleand she will walk somebody

(11:26):
through a process as they answerthe questions.
We've got a bunch of questions.
We have to understand how toquote the project and then get
you on the calendar.
We're starting to get busy asthe weather warms up, but our
typically we try to get someonescheduled within seven to 10
days.
Okay, we've got three guysrunning full time right now.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
Okay, and do you have a website that folks can check
out as well?

Speaker 3 (11:48):
It's at wwwbar-be-cleancom.
Forward slash North NorthAtlanta.
Perfect barbiecleancom.
Forward slash North Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (12:01):
Awesome.
Thank you so much for joiningus today, ron.
I think I learned a lot, and Ihope everyone else did too.

Speaker 3 (12:08):
Thank you, stacey, I appreciate the opportunity.

Speaker 2 (12:10):
Yeah, it was great.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast Milton More.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPMiltoncom.
That's GNPMiltoncom, or call470-664-4930.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Cold Case Files: Miami

Cold Case Files: Miami

Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides.  Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer  Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.