Ready to respond: Inside 1 Marine’s journey from the barracks to barbecue

The Crucible.

Brandon Lowery remembers it well. There he was, an 18-year old wannabe Marine in basic training. In order to graduate, the sheltered teenager had to endure a 72-hour grueling test of willpower. The Crucible was one meal, strenuous physical activities, all the while being mentally pushed to the limit.

"The mentality is to never give up," Lowery recalls with a laugh, thinking back at how grueling yet satisfying that experience ultimately was. "It pushes you to the brink but you still have to keep it together and work with your team."

In a far less extreme sense, Lowery utilizes this same mentality on a near-daily basis: as director of Operations for iServ LLC, for which he oversees 27 Sonny's BBQ's, more than 1,600 employees and 100 managers, Lowery puts his nose to the grindstone and executes his job with precision near every day.

"The mentality of not giving up is the same," he says, comparing his experience as a Marine to that of his now-long and much-accomplished career to date in the restaurant business. "We have to get our customers served and satisfied no matter what," Lowery adds. "Whatever obstacles are in our way, the focus is always on lifting each other up, uniting as a team and fighting through any obstacles to provide the best experience in addition to positively representing Sonny's and the community."

Yes, his background in the military has proven invaluable to Lowery during his time with Sonny's; as the soft-spoken, yet determined man says, he learned a great deal about leadership while logging time in the service. A direct report to Marines following high school and eventually a member of Operation Iraqi Freedom while serving, Lowery is adamant that the skills he learned in the Marines have decidedly transferred over to his time in the hospitality sector.

"I learned a lot about leadership and development and teamwork," he says of the several years he spent in the Marines. "I think the biggest mission of Marines is we're only as good as the weakest link. It kind of transfers to restaurants today: if someone comes and they have bad service, that's what's known of your restaurant. So you're only as good as your newest employee.

"I think that's why I transferred well to restaurants. The military is kind of seen as chaotic; they throw a lot at you. Restaurants can be very much that way too. Especially post-pandemic. So there's not a lot that can be thrown at me that I haven't seen or is going to overwhelm me."

After stints at a slew of other restaurants including the Florida-based Miller's Ale House, Lowery finally arrived at Sonny's. It was at Miller's where he met Brandon Manly, the then-COO of Sonny's BBQ. He instantly took a liking not only to Manly but more importantly to the cohesive family like environment he heard about at Sonny's. "There was a really good culture there," Lowery says. "You just got the feeling that it was a place where you could really grow and do some great things. Being around that sort of environment, and given the chance to be a part of it, was something I really wanted to do."

To that end, Lowery was hired at Sonny's — first as a location general manager, and in the years since, he's occupied nearly every position in leadership leading up to his current role as Director of Operations. Right from the start, however, Lowery says he immediately got to work absorbing all that the barbecue chain had to offer. It was a not unfamiliar environment for him, he says: having grown up in North Carolina, Lowery was readily accustomed to the barbecue way of life.

"In North Carolina there's a massive barbecue scene," he says thinking back to his home state. "It was just a part of life there: all my life, at least once a week, we were eating barbecue. I mean, my dad even built smokers and cooked whole hogs."

Now, while no longer an active member of the military, Lowery has continued to make it his mission to support and give back to his band of brothers and sisters. It's why at Sonny's he's made a concerted effort to host events that benefit veterans. One example, he notes, is Vetsgiving, an annual event held at the VA Hospital in Baldwin Park, Florida wherein 50-60 homeless veterans — some of whom may be dealing with PTSD, addiction, or a variety of other life obstacles — come and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with their fellow vets.

"It's a way to give back to the community that I really love," Lowery says. "The saying is 'Once a Marine, Always a Marine.' So we take care of our own."

Lowery also details other Sonny's programs that benefit veterans which he's spearheaded, including an event held at the Sanford chamber in Seminole County where 150 veterans are served hot meals. Sonny's is also working this year with the Maitland Civic Center to host a Veterans Day-specific event.

"We're just really trying to be active in the community and do as much as we can," Lowery said.

Above all, he sees his trajectory from a Marine to working in the restaurant industry as a lesson in how to inspire others.

"We hope the attitude of working as a team trickles down," he says of the expected mentality when working at Sonny's. "We have more of a focus on not whether you can do the job yourself but whether you build your team up to do it.

"Sonny's was the first company I'd ever been around where decisions were made around the people. The focal point is always: What can we do for our people? How can we give them a better work-life balance? How can we develop them? How can we teach them and show them we care?"

And as Lowery sees it, his work in this regard is just beginning.

Because much like in the Marines, his mentality in the restaurant business is to never let any obstacle stand in his way of success. Because at Sonny's, "that's what really defines the culture."