Brian's Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Clute

What an unfortunate incident today. Got co-workers together and went to our favorite BBQ place in town - Brian's BBQ in Clute, Tx. The order was missing a plate and one of the sandwiches was extremely hard, very greasy and squished. When we realized we were missing food and the sandwich was no good - my co-worker who ordered the food called to let them know. The employee on the line was loud and combative arguing about the situation and during that call actually blamed my co-worker for having poor communication regarding the order. The owner of the restaurant got on the phone after a 5minute hold and said that they have cameras and they protect their business and that they would be checking the cameras and that to replace the gross sandwich they would need to have the sandwich brought back to them. I had given them a 30% tip on the order after the way we had been treated thus far, I did not believe that they deserved the tip and I requested the tip be given back. When I arrived back at the restaurant, one of the employees was speaking poorly about us to a customer complaining that if you take 1.5hrs to pick up food - you can expect that your food will be bad. FIRST OF ALL, it only took 50minutes to pick up the food ... we have the original call time and the time on the last receipt that was run. SECOND OF ALL, I also got the same sandwich and mine was perfectly fine. I will give them credit, they had my tip money ready to go back to me. However, the first thing said to me was that they checked their videos and we got all of our food. I explained that I did not know what happened but that we did not get all of our food. As I was speaking with the owner and explaining that we did not appreciate the way it was handled - one of the employees was arguing with me. I told her she was being defensive, combative and argumentative ... while I was telling him this, she kept interrupting and behaving exactly how I was saying she was behaving. Any time I tried to explain anything, she would interrupt again and repeat to me the same answer "YOU GOT ALL YOUR FOOD" - I finally told her, "You've told me that 3 or 4 times" ... McDonalds gives better customer service than Brian's. They told me that they don't deal with this very often, which I believe BUT for this to be the first time I've ever had an issue with them and to be treated in such a manner ... very disappointing. I could not believe that the Owner stood there and allowed an employee to argue with me, speak over me, being defensive and rude to me ... I would like to add that while I was leaving I heard speaking AGAIN about the situation. Thankfully, our co-workers are awesome and they pulled food out of their own plates to make a BBQ plate for the missing plate and we took out of the tip money and paid back our co-worker who didn't get any food. I will not be returning to Brian's BBQ ... sad that they don't...

It's not often that I'm left feeling utterly disappointed by a restaurant. However, my recent experience here has left me with a sour taste in my mouth. To begin with, the brisket meat I was served appeared to be days old and had lost all of its flavor. It lacked any tenderness that you would expect from barbecue. The pork ribs were equally disappointing, badly seasoned and excessively salty, making it almost impossible to enjoy. The barbecue sauce was watery and lacked any real depth of flavor, failing to complement the meats in any way. The baked potato was bland and drowning in an excessive amount of butter that overpowered any subtle flavors it might have had. But it wasn't just the food that let me down; the behavior of the staff was appalling. I witnessed a young employee having a visible attitude with other members of the team, and speaking badly about a customer within earshot of other diners. Although, I am indifferent to cursing her added statement: “I’m not going to serve that again” while visibly rolling her eyes was awful to bear witness to, when you work in food service you will repeat actions and if you wish to complain don’t do it loudly. It was an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience and I was only witness to this! To top it all off, the tables were left greasy and dirty, with no routine cleaning in sight. The whole experience was a let-down, and I can't help but feel that the owner is visibly failing to manage their employees, maintain an acceptable level of cleanliness and provide fresh food within the restaurant. Overall, I cannot in good conscious recommend this place to anyone. It's a shame to see a potentially great restaurant fall so far short of expectations, perhaps years ago it lived to a reputation but today I witnessed a failure of a restaurant. When you disrespect your customers you disrespect your own success. A restaurant that forgets its customers will only be subjected to losing them, and the “quirky” decorations inside are not a “reminder” or “threat” to customers but perhaps a sign of overcompensation from a restaurant who has forgotten who they own...

Probably the best bbq joint I've experienced in my life. Brian's bbq is a busy bbq restaurant in Clute, Tx. They offer meats ranging from classic smoked whole chickens to delicious pork ribs, but the main attraction is and always will be their beef brisket. Sliced, chopped, by the pound, however you like it they have it. Combined with their secret recipe bbq sauce, it's a taste you won't have anywhere else. My personal choice would be the loaded baked potato; you get a large potato, butter, sourcream, cheese and a quarter pound of meat of your choice for about 7 bucks, a rather satisfying meal. The prices are somewhat high, which is expected for bbq restaurants. Their busiest times are 11-1 and about 5-7. Quite a few of the "regulars" are people from around the world who fly in for work and eat at Brian's any chance they get, so that tells you something about the quality. The restaurant is somewhat unique in that it's a cafeteria style, and so you go through the line picking your meats, your sides and drinks and are able to actually see them prepare your food as you order it. My only downside for Brian's is that if you come in later than 7 pm they might be out of certain items, and that list usually grows as it gets closer to 8pm, the closing time for the restaurant. Very friendly staff and a great place just to grab lunch or to host a private meeting/lunch in the backroom if you reserve it. Catering and call in orders are a regular activity for them....