Sauceman's — Restaurant in Charlotte

I normally don't write reviews, but felt compelled to write about some of my visits to Sauceman's for constructive purposes. They are a new establishment and have kinks to work out. With that stated, lets begin. The first time I went with my father, they were brand new. The guy at the register didn't greet us...just ask what we wanted. We ordered two plates and he shouts out red or white. He was talking about the slaw, which we had no clue. I just feel as a new restaurant, you should greet patrons by welcoming them there, asking if this is their first time, and then explain how the ordering process works. Yeah they have a chalk menu (that probably clarifies a few things), but it's high up, very lengthy, and the type needs to be larger. I do recall waiting more than usual for such a small order. The BBQ was good, with good ole charred pieces in it. You add the sauce, which are SC mustard, Eastern vinegar based, and a Western tomato based....and they're not labeled, which is annoying. There may be more...I just remember these. The SC mustard didn't taste good at all....tasted like the plastic bottle it was in. I've never been a fan of vinegar, so I went with western, which was ok. Don't really remember the sides for that particular trip. My next trip was with a friend that had been wanting to try them out. We both got the BBQ sandwich's. His with fries, mine with rings. The sandwich's were plenty big, with meat falling out of them. They were also reasonably priced compared to other local BBQ places. The rings, which can easily be screwed up, weren't greasy, and had a crunch to them. They passed. My third trip was when me and some friends did were in a jam and needed food fast. We got Sauceman's tailgate special to go. We got que, buns, beans, slaw, and hush puppies. This was a "basic" BBQ tailgate meal and we had no problems with anything. The $38 also seemed reasonable. Well....now for the reason I'm writing this. My girlfriend had been wanting to try them out, so we went by last Friday-7/3/12. We both got a pork plate. Mine with white slaw/mac n cheese. Hers with red slaw/collards. They both had two big hush puppies on each plate. First off, the que was tasty, but the sides were just awful. My white slaw was floating in mayonnaise...way too watery. I hate slaw like this. I was told the ketchup/vinegar based slaw was good. The mac n cheese was a big let down. You feel like you should get authentic, homemade mac n cheese at a BBQ place, but this looked like what I used to make as a kid with the powdered Kraft stuff. It literally had these clumps of lumpy, powdered like cheese pieces that made it look disgusting and it didn't taste that good either. The collards did taste alright, but could use better seasoning. We didn't even eat our hush puppies. They were saturated with grease that ran down you lips when you bit in to them...just nasty. Also, the batter was very bland tasting. Needed some onion, heat, or something. So the bottom line for me is that the BBQ is good here. They just to work on their wait staff and sides. Sides are very important. That's where a place like Mac's beats them hands down. Wishing you the best...

Went in for a to go order. Waited 15 minutes on food. While waiting noticed one of the cooks eating ribs on the same line my food was being prepared. Licking his fingers and everything. After 15 minutes of waiting, Noticed a boxed order placed on the counter. I figured it was mine but employees just kept walking by it and not attempting to bag it and bring to me. Finally the cashier walked over to it looked at it then walked back to the register and took somebody else's order. He then walked back to it, opened the box and was moving my food around inside (without ever washing his hands after touching nasty money). Then about 3 of the the cook staff members came to him and they argued about the order. He then closed the box, put it in a bag and walked over to me and said here you go. I said to him that I could not believe they let my food sit there for that long. He said to me in a very rude tone "it hasnt even been there a minute". Which was a total lie. That was it for me after spending $15 for lunch. I asked for my money back. He called a young lady to the register and they asked me how much I paid. I told them. They put the funds back on my card and never said they were sorry or can we fix you another order. Nothing. Rude people. Will never go back there to spend my hard...

They made some subtle changes since I was here last, but they made a huge difference. I would now rank this as my second favorite BBQ in Charlotte (Midwood Smokehouse being first). It’s way better than Mac’s Speedshop now. The decor of the restaurant changed a little and it’s really well done now. There’s a lot of wood incorporated and a garage door leading out to the patio. They added sauce options so now you have the choice between vinegar, mustard, and smokey bbq sauces. The vinegar and mustard were my favorite, but the smokey was also good. They also have complimentary pork skins now which were very good.

We got the South End Combo with pulled pork, brisket, chicken, mac and cheese, and baked beans. I think the brisket was the best I’ve ever had. It had a really tastey char around the edge. The pulled pork was also very good. The chicken was my least favorite. The outside was good (a little spicy), but the inside was a little dry. The hush puppies are now my favorite in Charlotte (since Mac’s change their recipe). We finished up with the sugar biscuits which were very good - light, sugar coated, donut like balls.

This is a must try restaurant in Charlotte that I...