Tailgate N Go Update | Shark Tank Season 11
The Johnson family loves camping, but hates forgetting important kitchen tools at home. So, they created Tailgate N Go, a portable kitchen for camping and outdoor recreation. The sharks had a healthy debate about the product during the
Shark Tank Tailgate N Go Update
- Entrepreneur: Ron, Taylor, and Kobe Johnson
- Business: Portable outdoor kitchen
- Ask: $250,000 for 10% equity
- Result: $250,000 for 20% equity + $50/unit royalty
- Shark: Matt Higgins
Necessity drove Ron, Taylor, and Kobe Johnson to create the Tailgate N Go, a portable outdoor kitchen that packs everything you need in a single 360-degree package. The family are avid campers and were tired of losing kitchen items and not having what they needed on hand.
Immediately, the Tailgate N Go was born. These boxes pack all of the essential kitchen conveniences in a modular design, so you can set up a kitchen while you’re camping, tailgating, or doing any other outdoor activity.
During the pitch, the family let the product speak for itself. They also boasted the two provisional patents they have on parts of the boxes. They’ve also sold over 100 units in the first year and a half in business. However, as the sharks started to ask questions, the entrepreneurs revealed that they have a remarkably high production cost.
The units themselves are pricey, ranging from $1,000 to $1,500. The cost to make them is over $700 per unit.
Mark Cuban praised the family for working hard for the American dream. However, he was out because he doesn’t camp. Lori Greiner followed suit, along with Daymond John who didn’t want in because of the high production costs.
Kevin O’Leary made an offer to blend the idea with his ‘chef wonderful’ brand. He offered the Johnsons $250,000 as a line of credit at 10% interest for a 10% stake in the company, but with a requirement of $100 in royalties for each unit sold in perpetuity.
Unfortunately, they turned down Kevin’s deal, taking issue with the line of credit model. They didn’t walk away without a deal, though. After haggling over the counteroffer, they managed to get Matt Higgins to go in with them for $250,000 for 20% equity, plus a $50 royalty on every unit sold.
But how is the company doing now? Find out in our Tailgate N Go update.
Sales for the Tailgate N Go portable kitchen boxes were bumped up by their appearance on
In the few months after this episode aired, Tailgate N Go made about $400,000 in sales, a 60% increase over their pre-show sales. While COVID-19 has hindered their ability to go to trade shows, the company is still going strong even though they are charging a bit more for their boxes now.
Make sure to check out our other company updates from Season 11 Episode 5:
Before you go, take a look at the other company updates from Season 11 on our Season 11 products page.
