Ex-NFL player Al Baker had a successful barbecue restaurant in Ohio, but hoped to launch his boneless ribs business nationwide and expand a branded line of sauces and rubs. He went on reality show “Shark Tank' and cut a deal. Then the story gets sticky.
After Baker complained to John about Holzapfel, he said, the panelist responded: “I’m not asking you to kiss him. You know, this is business.’”
Baker patented his boneless ribs. They could be eaten with a knife and fork and reheated in the microwave. John said it was “absolutely untrue” that the Bakers did not know Fox was his attorney, or that they were not informed of his role in the ribs venture.as president of Shark Sports Management, John its chief executive. According to its website, the former corporate attorney has been a licensed NBA agent since 1995 and serves as the general counsel of John’s Shark Group, as well as his personal attorney.
In June 2014, the Bakers said, Holzapfel closed out the bank account and sent them a check for $8,000. “The company is now a strong 100 million dollar brand and growing at 100% each year. I think the potential for our rib is even bigger,” he wrote in an email reviewed by The Times. “We were getting $20,000 and $25,000 checks. We thought this was only going to improve,” Brittani said.Baker began selling Bubba’s Q boneless ribs on QVC, appearing at least once a month. During his segments, he said the product often sold outAccording to the Bakers, Fox was involved in nearly every aspect of the business, such as sending sales projections.
In April 2017, things took a positive turn. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s launched a limited campaign to sell a Baby Back Rib Burger, using Bubba’s Q de-boned ribs at 3,000 franchises nationwide — a deal worth $5.8 million. The Bakers were ecstatic, believing this was finally going to propel them out of the red and into some serious money.
When Rastelli proposed another deal with an international sandwich chain, Baker refused to move forward until his questions were answered about the Carl’s Jr. deal and other accounting issues. However, Brittani said the reports were incomplete and that Rastelli executives rebuffed her request to fly to New Jersey to learn the software system. The company sent her an email, which was viewed by The Times, canceling her training, citing confidentiality concerns.The case went to arbitration and mediation in 2019. As part of a settlement, the Bakers were to receive a larger share of gross profits, and Rastelli agreed to pay them $100,000 in 12 installments.
“Rastelli Foods Group is one the nation’s leading high-quality food suppliers. We’ve built our professional reputation on a culture of ethical behavior and upholding our agreements,” he wrote. “As such, we are again dismayed by the Bakers’ ‘allegations,’ which are untrue.” The Bakers say they shied from legal action because of the cost required to hire a forensic accountant and a lawyer in New Jersey.Others shared similar complaints about John and “Shark Tank.”
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