With desperate BBQ comes desperate measures!
In a sad attempt to both A) win an award for his average-at-best “world famous” cuisine and B) help make people forget about his attempt to over-bill, over-charge and over-ripoff Oklahoma taxpayers by potentially millions of millions of dollars, Brent Swadley is trying to apparently buy his foggy bottom way into 405’s Magazine's “Best of 405” awards.
Yep, that’s right.
We have the evangelical grifter who poses as a godly BBQ pitmaster trying to buy credibility and recognition in an advertorial pay-to-play publication that poses as a legitimate magazine!
Okay, that was a bit mean.
I’ve had Swadley’s way too many times in my life, and it’s probably not fair to god to refer to anything regarding Brent Swadley, especially the food, as “godly.”
Plus, it’s probably not 100% fair to label 405 Mag as an authentic pay-to-play publication. Although that’s sometimes the case, they dabble in advertising extortion more than anything else.
For example, they’ll print a “special” publication of the metro’s “best” doctors or lawyers or realtors or young professionals or bankers or, lol, even “influencers,” and then goad the winners’ employers to smack down money for an ad to congratulate and thank the winner.
The “Best of 405” is like that, only more extreme.
In addition to entrapping advertisers into buying ads encouraging people to vote, my Ogle Moles have told me the rag even promised some advertisers they’ll automatically be named as finalists in certain categories!
I guess that’s how we get places like Swadley’s nominated for Best Breakfast:
Instead of Best “Breakfast,” Swadley’s probably should have been a finalist in the Best “I didn't even know they served breakfast” category!
Seriously, what Flap Jack – outside of Brent Swadley and the guy who sold him $120,000 smokers for our state parks – goes to Swadley’s for breakfast? I’ve lived in Oklahoma my entire life and have literally never heard anyone say at any point in time “Hey, let’s go to Swadley’s for breakfast.”
If you think Swadley’s being nominated for Best Breakfast is funny, look who’s up for Best Chef:
I'm not a certified therapist or anything, but Koltan should go ahead and print that photo and place it on his bathroom mirror so he’ll be reminded why he has Imposter Syndrome each day!
Who in their right mind would nominate Swadley’s kid as the metro’s Best Chef, much less vote for him over Jeff Chanchaleune or Andrew Black? Ma Der may be the best restaurant this town has ever seen, and its chef is up against the son of the guy who’s best known for dry brisket and excessive consulting fees!
You would think Koltan Swadley being nominated for “Best Chef” would make the people at 405 Magazine rethink their nomination process, or make them question the validity of these awards, but, of course, they don’t seem to care as long as the Swadley’s advertising check goes through.
That’s the whole point of these things, right – for the publication to make money, and for the award winners to buy credibility?
Plus, 405 Mag apparently has more important things to worry about than journalistic integrity.
For example, one Mole told me they recently threw a big fancy birthday party for their Editor-in-Chief around the same time they laid off employees.
I guess that means even pay-for-pay publications that take money from infamous BBQ grifters aren’t immune to the difficult economics of modern-day publishing.
Anyway, I guess if you’re bored hop over to 405 Magazine, play along with the sham, and vote for your favorite in these obviously tainted by ad dollars and who knows what else categories.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
