Southern Belly BBQ — Restaurant in Columbia

Extremely disappointed!! So I've dined at this establishment for lunch on a few occasions in the past, with no problems whatsoever! Until recently, when me and a coworker went there for lunch (Thursday). Well, the next day (Friday) when I checked my bank account (I tend to do this on a daily basis with the risk of fraud being so high), I noticed that my card was charged twice for lunch. So basically, I was being charged two payments of $15.75 for lunch. No big deal....I figured the waitress accidentally swiped my card twice without realizing it, because my coworker and I told her that we were paying separately and we both had our own individual bills that we paid with our cards. Well, when I contacted the establishment the next day (Friday), I was told by a young lady that I will receive a refund for the additional amount, and to expect a call from the manager once the refund has been processed. To my surprise, I never received a call from the manager or anyone. So on Monday, I contacted the establishment again and asked to speak to the manager. The manager was the person that actually answered the phone, and when I explained to him what had happened and that I was waiting on his call, of course, the manager didn't have a clue what I was talking about!!! He seemed very friendly and was very apologetic. He told me that he would process my refund immediately, and call me back the minute it was done. NO CALL WAS MADE!!! I called again on Tuesday and left a message for the manager, because he was not there when I called, and here it is on Wednesday, and I still have not heard from the manager or anyone!!! This screams POOR MANAGEMENT!!! The last thing you want your establishment to portray is that you knowingly take STEAL money from your customers, and that you don't even have the decency to reach out and resolve the issue...POOR MANAGEMENT SKILLS!!! I will NEVER eat at Southernbelly BBQ on Harden St. EVER AGAIN!!! My advise to anyone that dines at this establishment, is to pay with cash and if you pay with a debit/credit card, be sure to check your bank account after...

Here's a long one for you! I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and somehow for my entire childhood and teenage years only ever had pulled pork BBQ oversaturated in sauce on top of stale white bread. I hated it. It destroyed the entire category of food for me. I moved to Columbia for a job in 2014 and became friends with many co-workers. We would often go out and try all these different restaurants, but the thing they could never get me to eat was BBQ. One day one of them asked why I hated it so much and I explained to him my experience. He insisted that this was not like that, that all BBQ was not the horrible experiences I had in my brain. "Give it one shot, I'll pay for it and if you don't like it you didn't lose anything". Well yeah, if somebody's going to buy me lunch I will try it. We went and I picked out the Castro—a pulled pork sandwich with cheese and pickles on a sesame brioche. When I saw it come out I was instantly amazed. This was definitely not any BBQ I ever had before or even seen before. It was the most phenomenal sandwich I'd ever had. The sauce on the side was perfect and I walked that you could portion what you wanted. The coleslaw was the most amazing thing to me. I always think about it anytime I get coleslaw and how nothing else compares to it. I moved back to Charleston two years ago and this is by far the restaurant I miss most. Anytime I can convince co-workers to go when I visit, it's the...

Southern Belly will take you on a culinary journey that no other restaurant in Columbia or anywhere I've ever been has. People like to think that the best food they've ever eaten has to be expensive Southern Belly likes to counter this point with every sandwich they bring out. What they do is bring us back to our roots. Our basic animal instincts crave meat, grease, salt and southern belly delivers these on a silver platter. Let me give you a typical southern belly experience for me. I drive up in my car with the sweet columbia air flowing through my windows. As I approach a light breeze carries the tantalizing aromas of a southern belly sandwich though my window and I immediatly cannot contain my excitement. I walk into the restaurant and as always order a southern belly sandwich and wait for its arrival. I look around and feel like a young lad at his birthday part. Overjoyed. Ecstatic. Then the sandwich comes out and let it plunge into the nectar of sauce they have provided. That first bite. Boy oh boy oh boy. There is nothing can bring a person's heart more joy than the first bite of a southern belly sandwich. I eat that sandwich with my head down and eyes closed fully appreciating the succulent flavors. Finally when I'm done I sit back let my arms come to there side and appreciate the gift of...