Carson's BBQ & Catering — Restaurant in Bloomington

Easily the worst "barbecue" I have ever tasted. I can not even call it barbecue because I do not think it ever saw a puff of woodsmoke or even a grill. We ordered a sampler platter (pork ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken, turkey ribs, and "brisket" substituted for ribeye). The pulled pork was unrecognizable as pork, and a lot of dry rub had been added AFTER cooking to mask the off flavors. The ribs were tough, chewy, and surprisingly flavorless. The chicken and turkey were dry and bland. The "brisket" was overcooked pot roast; on the way out, I spotted a large chuck roast from the grocery on its way to the kitchen, so the "brisket" that Jeff called his "premium meat" and charged us extra for was not even brisket, but literally the cheapest cut of beef in any grocery store. Nothing had any hint of a smoke ring or smoky flavor that necessarily characterizes barbecue; everything tasted like it came out of a crock pot or a microwave. Several smokers surround the building, but I guess they are just there for show. Most of the sides were similarly bad. The mac and cheese tasted ok but was mushy. The green beans had the taste and texture of canned green beans but with extra salt. The cole slaw was disgusting, with the odd sickly sweet flavor that you might remember from Flavor-Ice popsicles or Little Hug drinks. Service was also poor. Despite being literally the only customers in the place, our food took over 20 minutes to arrive, and the 3 or 4 employees hanging around ignored us during that time. After we had already been eating for several minutes, Jeff told us he was out of cole slaw and that what he served us came from somewhere else (what kind of restaurant does that?); he promised to make some of his own for us and bring it out, but it never appeared. I do have a positive comment - the cornbread and the barbecue...

I had Carson's BBQ cater my wedding. I got a call that he was running a few minutes late, which wasn't a big deal. The food arrived 2 1/2 hours behind schedule after several of our guests left, so we ended up with way more left overs than what was planned. When asked about why it was so late, there was every excuse in the book. First, he didn't know he was going out of town when he had the address for several weeks. Then it was that he had the wrong address, and the list goes on. We eventually had to send someone to meet him and escort the food to the venue because he was lost. There was no attempt to make up for being so late and I called and left a message for someone to call me back in regards to that issue. I never got a return phone call. Terrible customer service, which is a shame because the food was delicious. I felt it was a bit overpriced, but it was good. I would not recommend Carson's to anyone looking for someone to...

This rating is for the service and atmosphere only. Was looking forward to trying the food, but didn't even make it that far due to the smart mouth and comments from the woman at the front within 30 seconds after walking in the door. Her name is Pam, and it sounds like I am not the only one to have been on the receiving end of her rude, condescending remarks. Due to her multiple cutting responses, we walked right back out the door.

For additional reference, we went there right around 5pm and there was no one in the store, and absolutely no justification for how poorly she treated 2 people who had been nothing but polite to her. Very much hoping that the owner reads these comments and realizes that there needs to be adjustments if they want customers to feel welcomed and interested in buying food. Until that happens, heed the rest of the reviews and stay away...