Rock-your-socks-off BBQ experience, with Tunify

Black Smoke is a BBQ restaurant in the heart of Antwerp. It successfully combines American influences with a Belgian touch, both in terms of meals as well as its look.

You’ll enjoy—in the words of the restaurant—a ‘rock-your-socks-off BBQ experience’. And where there’s rocking... there’s Tunify!

Several years ago, founders Kasper Stuart and Jord Althuizen found their inspiration for Black Smoke on a visit to the so-called ‘Barbecue Belt’ in the United States. With Kasper’s experience as a horeca entrepreneur and Jord’s expertise as a barbecuing world-champion in the mix, they had a recipe for success.

In the restaurant, you choose from 2 methods for preparing your meat. The first is the classic grill, similar to how you would barbecue at home. The second option is the smoker, where your meat is slowly cooked in a wood-fired smoker. For this, the chefs use different types of wood that add extra flavour to the meat.

Bar, restaurant and rooftop

Black Smoke has more to offer than just the restaurant according to Assistant Manager Tim Van Wuytswinkel: ‘The BBQ restaurant is on the third floor. We also have a bar on the first floor. But as soon as weather permits, we close the indoor bar and open up the rooftop bar on the sixth floor.’ Thanks to this combination, you can go to Black Smoke for a total experience, from cosy aperitifs to dancing on the roof.

‘We really want to offer people more than just a delicious BBQ meal,’ explains Tim. ‘We do that through live performances and club nights, and through our service. Last year, we won a Hospitality Award from the industry magazine Venuez.’

Tunify Green to warm up the crowd

Tim has been a dedicated Tunify user for years—and he’s not the only one. 2 other businesses that are part of the same group, Brasserie Appelmans and The Dirty Rabbit, also swear by Tunify. And Black Smoke even has a double subscription. ‘We often play the same music in the restaurant and on the rooftop, but sometimes we want to create different atmospheres in the different rooms,’ says Tim. ‘We used to do that with an iPod, but now we rely on our second subscription.’

From talking to Tim, it’s immediately clear that both subscriptions are used intensively: each of the 3 Tunify formulas play a role in the restaurant. ‘We usually switch between the atmospheres of Tunify Blue and the playlists in Tunify Orange. On Saturday nights, the Tunify Green agendas are ideal. Because you see what kind of music is coming up in the following time blocks, you can build up perfectly over the evening to the moment that the DJ takes over.’

Unbelievably broad and up to date

Tim is also enthusiastic about how user-friendly Tunify is: ‘Switching between the 3 players is child’s play thanks to the colours of the different players. If I ask the people behind the bar to set up a certain list from Tunify Orange, they immediately know what I’m talking about.’

‘Various colleagues have also made their own playlists,’ continues Tim. ‘As a result, we’ve discovered how unbelievably broad and up-to-date the music range is. New hits appear on Tunify super-quickly, and the same applies to the most diverse genres. That was an extra argument for replacing the iPod from the rooftop bar with a second Tunify subscription.’

Are you ready to discover floors 1, 3 and 6 of Black Smoke? Start now with a virtual tour!

Rock-your-socks-off BBQ experience, with Tunify

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