Bubba's Boneless Ribs: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

Former NFL athlete Al "Bubba" Baker spent 13 years playing football in the NFL before retiring to pursue his other passion, barbecue. His dream led him to opening up the once longstanding Bubba's Q restaurant outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and as the years went by, Baker was inspired by his wife, Sabrina, to figure out how to make barbecued ribs less messy.

After 20 years of trying, Baker figured out how to remove the bones from racks of barbecued pork ribs, creating a rib steak that could be eaten with a fork and knife, rather than using your fingers. Furthermore, Baker's invention left the meat intact, unlike competitors, removing the bones only after the ribs cooked to provide some extra flavor. His de-boned rib idea took off so much that he started marketing Bubba's Boneless Ribs to the masses with microwaveable Bubba's-Q products sold in grocery stores. In order to increase distribution of his product, Baker went to the investors on "Shark Tank" looking for a deal.

Bubba's Boneless Ribs appeared in Season 5, Episode 11, originally airing in December 2013 and featuring sharks Mark Cuban, Kevin "Mr. Wonderful" O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, and Robert Herjavec on the panel.

Although Baker impressed the billionaires with his tasty, two-minute microwaved boneless ribs, the sharks needed more than just flavorful barbecue to invest in Baker's year-old business. While they enjoyed eating the product, they were even more impressed with Baker's patents, one for the process and another for the product, preventing anyone else from making boneless ribs in the same manner. 

When Al "Bubba" Baker appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2013, he was seeking a $300,000 investment for a 15% stake in Bubba's Boneless Ribs. It was the first time the show was presented with a food product that had a patent, which impressed the panel. With a company valuation of $2 million, however, Kevin O'Leary was unimpressed with reported annual sales of $154,000, yet he was reminded of Jeff and Josh Cohen from Season 1, the duo behind Voyage Air Guitar, who licensed their folding neck patent to Fender guitars, a business decision that enticed O'Leary to make them an offer.

O'Leary did the same for Bubba's Boneless Ribs, offering Baker the $300,000 he was seeking in exchange for 49% equity, contingent on getting one of the nation's largest meat manufacturers to license the patents. Agreeing that the money is in licensing, not manufacturing, Daymond John also made an offer, pitting the $300,000 request for 30% equity in the company, and essentially trying to outbid O'Leary.

Robert Herjavec and Barbara Corcoran bowed out, believing that they couldn't best the offers on the table. Mark Cuban was the last one to pass, telling Baker that the business needed to grow before he'd want to invest, leaving Baker to decide whether he wanted to go in a different direction and license his patent as the sharks were pushing him to do, or leave empty-handed. Ultimately, he trusted the panelists, and went with John's offer.

Unlike some deals made on "Shark Tank" that ultimately fall through, Al "Bubba" Baker and Daymond John went into business shortly after the "Shark Tank" appearance. Joining together a few weeks after the episode aired at the end of 2013, the two were interviewed by News 5 in Cleveland, where they spoke about the business' initial success.

Even with the deal he took, one that included licensing agreements, Baker continued to manufacture his rib steaks, generating sales online through the company's website and wholesale operations. Sales spiked after the Bubba's-Q website went live, leading the company's meat co-packer to produce up to 15,000 units daily. The line expanded to sauces and additional types of meat beyond ribs, which Baker and John have promoted on social media in subsequent years. As well, nationwide supermarkets like Acme and Walmart picked up the line.

According to CNBC, things were still promising as of 2017, when Baker reported $16 million in sales just three years after appearing on the show; John called the deal "potentially my biggest deal ever." And, thanks to a contract with CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, Bubba Q's boneless ribs were distributed to 3,000 of its franchise locations for its newest menu item, the Baby Back Rib Burger. In fact, it's been said CKE Restaurants ordered one million pounds of Baker's products.

After years of success, in 2019, things took a turn after Al "Bubba" Baker accused shark Daymond John and his company DF Ventures, as well as Rastelli Foods Group (the meat co-packer since 2015), of trying to take over Bubba's-Q and siphoning profits. In an L.A. Times article, Baker alleged that he only received 4% of the $16 million revenue that John and Baker had reported in previous interviews, and said that John changed the details of their "Shark Tank" deal to $100,000 for 35% equity.

John and Rastelli Foods Group countered, accusing Baker of defamation, and filed several lawsuits. According to the L.A. Times, in July 2023, a New Jersey federal court seemed to side with John and Restelli Foods Group, issuing a permanent restraining order against Bubba, Brittani, and Sabrina Baker that prohibits the family from disparaging John or the Rastelli Foods Group after the judgement found neither party breached their contracts. 

Baker was ordered to remove all social media posts that discussed the plaintiffs and was forbidden from speaking about his business dealings with John or Rastelli with all media outlets in the future. The judge also ruled that Baker's comments breached a 2019 settlement agreement with Rastelli as well as their confidentiality agreement, which prohibited all parties from disclosing confidential information.

In 2019, the Bakers' southern-style barbecue restaurant in Avon, Ohio, Bubba's-Q, closed after 13 years of business. Unfortunately, it also seems that the lack of profits and lingering ill-feelings from the defamation lawsuits have caused Al "Bubba" Baker to lose interest in his other businesses entirely.

Instagram pages for Bubba's Boneless Ribs and food trucks don't seem to be verified and aren't being updated at the time of publication. Though some restaurants and food businesses shifted away from brick-and-mortar retail during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for online sales and marketing instead, it seems that Baker's online store and consulting website are no longer functioning either. While Bubba's Boneless Ribs secured many retail partnerships for its product, research has led us to conclude that production for these offerings have ceased. Combine this with Baker's FruityQue sauces no longer being available for purchase, and all signs point to the celebrity athlete moving away from barbecue.

Creating a food business of any type, from restaurants to manufacturers of frozen foods, is one of the most difficult enterprises a person can undertake. Most of these businesses fail thanks to the sheer amount of organization, production, and distribution required to keep them afloat. Between Baker's dissatisfaction with sales and the public drama of defamation lawsuits between the company's founder and investor, the former NFL star was likely forced to look for new opportunities for his personal brand.

While many food entrepreneurs hit hard times after their business fails, Al "Bubba" Baker is one of the few who has a major brand identity in another field: football. Baker's return to the game as a commentator is sure to excite Lions fans who may miss his ribs, but undoubtedly welcome the thoughts of one of the best defensive linemen in their team's history.

Al Baker's daughter, Brittani Baker, may not have a history in sports to fall back on, but she has certainly found a way to pivot her experience with Bubba's Boneless Ribs into a successful career. The Baker daughter now offers her services as a hospitality consultant. She works with Los Angeles restaurants to improve their operations, streamlining efficiencies and retaining staff, while also leveraging tech-based solutions to improve their volume and gain new customers. The entrepreneur also works with SpotOn, a software developer selling tailor-made payment systems and restaurant management systems to reduce the amount of headache associated with what she knows is a difficult business.

While Bubba's Boneless Ribs as a business seems to be laying low, either rebuilding itself for a reentry into the food space or quietly fading away into obscurity, its co-founders are doing anything but. The company always relied on the brand associated with Al Baker, earned from a career in the NFL, and Brittani Baker's expertise as a co-creator. Now it seems that each of them have returned to what they know best, football and food business management.