Got Beef? Designed by Big Fat Daddy's In Off Season

These board shorts were a big hit at the Gay Pride Festival.

Wayne M. Schafer, or Big Fat Daddy himself is gearing up for the new season of fairs, festivals, and catering.  Operational in several states, he's been selling his famous "texas style bbq" that evolved from his "famous Baltimore pit beef."   Just what does a seasonal caterer do when it's not BBQ season? You would be surprised.

He designs clothing and housewares.

What?  Going back to the early pit beef days, the Schafer brothers were known for beef and their big fiberglass giant cow that sat on the side of Route 40 in pit beef row. His now wife Cindy, painted "got beef?" on the side the rest was history.

The cow turned bull, who would often appear in articles or on people's Myspace accounts, in news reviews and sometimes rolling off into traffic; or eyes lit at night would draw people to stop and take pictures.  He was, at one time, his own local celebrity. Customers wanted the bull on merchandise, and so the got beef ? process was born.  Brian says, "I remember in 2000 I swore we sold more shirts than we did pit beef sandwiches. The bull was a phenomena and my brother and I could not figure out why. We then started selling Got Beef? stuff on the road."

Cindy, now Wayne's wife was friends with both brothers for years, and would do a lot of art and design for them.  Early on they tried ceramic mugs but found these were heavy, breakable, and hard to take on the road so they switched to plastic. Trying to get ethical manufacturers in the USA was difficult and costly.  "Ultimately the items we order are built to last. "

Wayne is now designing items for the 30th year anniversary, 1982-2012.  He said, "The 30th year anniversary designs have to morph with the times.  Old designs were basic and we liked them, but it's time to kick it up a notch.  It's time to get rid of the old basic designs and morph them into something great..."

Tired of basic....

The tank tops and booty shorts were both good sellers, ordered by Brian originally, yet Wayne wants to get away from basic.

Wayne's come up with some designs for his 30th year, incorporating the "pit crew" with "got beef". He says, "Everyone I meet at fairs and festivals always wants to come and cook with me for a day. I'm thinking sell some shirts with pit crew on them, and they will love them."

He has a few designs in mind, and will be retiring lots of items and simplifying the items he sells. "People don't want to choose between my polos, button ups and tshirts. To heck with it. Tshirts are so much easier to deal with."

Update: 30th year designs later emerged at  Pork in the Park... and Wayne is thinking about trademarking since he's been selling got beef so long........