Recteq Fest, the free, annual festival held by the national grill retailer — headquartered in Evans — drew a swarm of barbecue-lovers, Saturday, filling parking lots designated for the event along Columbia Industrial Boulevard, in front of Gold’s Gym on Evans to Locks Road and U.S. Battery along North Belair Road.
The festivities, which kicked off at 11 a.m., included free barbecue, a cash bar, an outdoor showroom and store, cooking demonstrations, facepainting, a play area fortified with colorful inflatables and a roster of live bands.
Recteq owner Ray Carnes estimated this year’s fest drew some 10,000 attendees, “probably a little less than usual,” he said, as fallout from Hurricane Helene limited this year’s parking options, “but next year it’ll probably be the biggest, because we’re going to have everything perfect.”
The grill manufacturer launched Recteq Fest in 2019, offering free food to locals as a way to give back and as thanks for the CSRA’s support over the years. Recteq’s considerable following seeded the event’s growth, with visitors often coming across the country and as far as from Canada.
“There were cars all the way out to the road, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going on on a Saturday back here?’” said Carnes, recalling his surprise at the overwhelming turnout of the first Fest. “‘We’re not going to make it to my car! Customers aren’t going to be able to get in!’ And [my wife] was like, ‘Ray, I believe they’re for you.’ We got back there, sure enough, they’re there for Recteq Fest. So it really just was humbling and surreal.”
Carnes founded Recteq with Ron Cundy in 2009, originally branded as Rec Tec, after his used car lot had gone out of business. Launching a new enterprise selling special grills was an idea that he had been “kicking around for years and years,” and there were struggles even after the company started. Carnes notes the first year, Rec Tec only sold about 90 grills.
“The day you need to try to become an entrepreneur is today,” said Carnes. “Give it a shot. Even if you fail, you can’t ever look at that as a failure. You look at that as ‘I learned some stuff,’ and you do it again. You’ve got a wealth of knowledge.”
Skyler Andrews is a reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
