Ford's BBQ Oakhurst — Restaurant in Decatur

We were excited to try Ford's in Oakhurst a few weeks ago. The ambience is great and our server was nice and did her best, but it was pretty much downhill from there. When we arrived, we found out they were out of pork and lean brisket. Wow ok. Things happen. Then my husband's beer choice was unavailable. When the appetizers came, there was no silverware. The server brought us some plastic because all their forks were dirty. I ordered salmon tacos that had about 6 tablespoons of tepid, flavorless salmon on four corn tortillas the size of silver dollar pancakes.There was no seasoning or flavor. The only real taste was the corn tortilla. And all this magic for $14.

What really got me was the St. Louis rib sandwich –which we had to order in a hurry because the server informed us they only had enough left for two orders. I asked our server if they took the meat off the bone for the rib sandwich. A rib sandwich sounds a little sketchy anyway, but she nodded and said yes. Well, when the rib sandwich arrived, it was 3 ribs in between a plain, untoasted bun with no sauce, no seasoning, no greens. The only garnish was 6 tiny pickles. I was really surprised because I did ask before ordering if they took the meat off the bone. When I asked the server how she would eat three bones between bread, she just looked and me and said she had no idea. Ok, maybe I was asking for trouble by ordering a rib sandwich, but I did ask if they shaved the meat off the bone. My kid ended up eating the ribs and spreading barbecue sauce on the bun before layering pickles on top. I just don’t understand a restaurant serving a dish that is fundamentally impossible to eat the way it is conceived and presented. On top of that, we paid $12 for three spareribs, a regular store- bought bun and 6 pickles. The least Ford’s could do is sell it as a small portion of ribs with a corn muffin or yeast roll on the side. That would at least make more sense than three bones on bread.

To make a long story short (too late, I know) the experience was lackluster due to poor professionalism, customer care and poor value for money. We all have to work hard to earn our money. We should feel good when spending it and enjoy...

Our first time here. We wanted so much to like this restaurant. A new addition to Oakhurst. We waited 10+ minutes to be acknowledged. The bartender came over, gave us menus and thanked us for coming and said our server would be with us shortly. Another 8+ minutes later the server appeared. He was very nice. It looked like he was the only server on duty. The beer was nice and cold. We ordered the brisket street tacos and the 2 meat platter with lean brisket and sausage. The brisket on the platter was unfortunately room temperature, quite dry and flavorless unless dipped in the house BBQ sauce, which is very good. The sausage was jalapeño and cheese and was excellent. The tortillas for the street tacos appeared to be stale, as all but one broke in half as my wife picked them up. The fried okra and the Mac & cheese sides were outstanding. Unfortunately our server never checked back in with us. But seeing a table that sat uncleared the whole time we were there, plus the fact the server seemed to be the only one and was really running trying to keep up, they must have been short handed. These are certainly tough times for restaurants and we definitely feel bad for them, but our overall experience this evening discourages us from wanting to come back. Other reviews are 4 and 5 stars so in all fairness we should probably give them another try on a different night and different...

We tried Ford’s BBQ tonight. The physical space is very well done and our server was a sweetheart. The kitchen was a dysfunctional train wreck. We waited 45 minutes for a chip and queso appetizer that never happened. When our main food finally came, it was barely lukewarm. I got the ribs and it was like salty fat jerky. We ordered things only to find out ten minutes later they were out. There were piles of used dishes on most of the tables and nobody was taking care of it. Everybody else dining this evening seemed to be having similar experiences. During 2020 I had nothing but empathy for the restaurant community. In 2021 I was rooting for all of them to get back on their feet. Now we’re in the 10th month of 2021, and we have come to the realization that we absolutely hate eating out now. We used to patronize restaurants because it’s a fun treat. Now it sucks. Understaffed, disorganized, and unbelievably slow is the norm. Not only are we not ever going to Ford’s BBQ again, we’re just not going to eat out unless its an anniversary or something. That’s what Ford’s did to me. It killed my will...