Rudy's "Country Store" and Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Fayetteville

HIT OR MISS NOW THAT THE NEW HAS WORN OFF...

When Rudy’s on MLK first opened, I was genuinely impressed. The food was on par with what you'd expect from Texas—smoky, flavorful, and served with a sense of pride. The service team seemed sharp and attentive, and I felt optimistic about becoming a regular.

Unfortunately, now that the initial rush and novelty have worn off, things seem to be slipping. My most recent couple of visits may be my last for a while.

I met a client for lunch and the food was lackluster. The turkey was dry and warm, which is the polar opposite of how Rudy's turkey normally presents. My guest had the sausage and brisket and left most of it on their plate. When I asked if she was feeling OK or if there was something wrong with the food, she replied that it was underwhelming and dry...but that it would make a good meal for her dogs.

This last visit, the dry rub was so overloaded with pepper that it made both my husband's meal and my meal almost inedible. Creamed corn was both hard and soupy (a strange combo), and the corn on the cob had been boiled into mush. Even the bread was stale. My husband tried the sausage and found it too spicy to finish, and I had the chicken—typically a safe bet—but it was so heavily seasoned with pepper that I had to peel the skin off just to tolerate a few bites. And that’s saying something, as I’m usually a chicken-skin enthusiast.

More concerning was the lack of care around dietary restrictions. I have alpha-gal syndrome, which I made clear to the staff—as I’ve done in the past. During earlier visits, the team went out of their way to use a fresh cutting board and knife in a separate area of the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination; and the cashier placed my chicken or turkey in a separate basket. This time, that protocol was ignored.

When I questioned the cashier, she became loud and aggressive...I could have pushed the issue and made them follow their usual protocol but the cashier was so boisterous and adamant that the cutting board and knife only had chicken and turkey on it, that it was becoming evident that she was going to "win" the conversation no matter what!

I finally acquiesced and accepted the meal because I hadn't eaten all day; and I had an EpiPen on hand and was prepared for the worst.

For those with alpha-gal or other food sensitivities, please be aware: it now feels like a coin toss whether your needs will be taken seriously here. Rudy’s started strong, but lately, both the quality and the conscientiousness have become hit-or-miss.

Here’s hoping they course-correct—because when they get it right, they’re capable of...

UPDATE: I just have to say something about all of the 1 star reviews coming in from people who are too hard to please. Let me get this straight: Rudy's.... THIS Rudy's has a 3.4 star rating and down the road the Sonic Drive-In has a 3.7!!!? What are you thinking? Someone comes to town and brings you really, honestly good (not the best, but good), well-priced brisket breakfast tacos and you rate them lower than fast food garbage. Y'all must be trying to make sure Farmington eats nothing but burnt styrofoam eggs and rubber sausage made by hungover high school kids for the rest of our lives... and why? Because the new things aren't WRIGHTS BBQ? Who are these people?! So sorry you aren't getting a $100 BBQ rib that's 10% better. Real sad for you. But what these people don't seem to be capable of understanding is that you have to get a Rudy's... BEFORE you get a Wrights. It's a building block. And honestly I'm about done with the blatant ignorance of food reviewers around here. If you're too snobby to see a Rudy's for what it is, just don't go there.

I have no idea where these two star people are coming from. The turkey breast and baked potato w/ pulled pork were amazing. The baby back ribs are good enough, but the best thing I had (bare with me here) were the BEANS - yes, beans! They’re like a soup with more ham/pork flavor than I’ve ever seen. 10/10! They could be a meal. We ordered carryout and got something really unique compared to anything else in Fayetteville or Farmington. Yeah, it’s no Wrights BBQ but it’s also not $100 for a slice of brisket on paper. These critics either didn’t order the right thing or just have far too lofty expectations for FAST and affordable bbq that’s 2 minutes away. Give em a break! They’re...

We were excited to try this restaurant as it’s new and my husband loves bbq. The overall process of ordering the food felt very chaotic. They were heavily staffed but they shout out the orders at 5 registers and well it just was a cluster. I felt like an hour with a production operation expert could reduce their staff by 1/3 and increase efficiency by double. But, we weren’t there for their efficiency we were very excited to try the food. We tried baby back ribs, chili stew, moist brisket, pulled pork sandwich, jalapeño sausage, slaw and potatoe salad. Oh and iced tea….the tea was excellent and they had lemons cut and ready to go so for that I give them a 5. Moist brisket: 1, not that moist but so much salt that it was inedible. Baby back ribs: 3; they were about the same size as the loin chops. They was very little crunch or sear on them and no distinguishable flavor. Pretty bland. Pulled pork sandwich: 2, flattened bun with dry pork. No exciting flavor to be found Jalepeno sausage: 3, ok flavor very dry Slaw: basic cafeteria slaw: 1 Potatoe salad: 3, good enough no bad flavors, not a lot of flavors in any direction, but for sure ok. Chili stew: 2; textured more like a pot roast gravy but flavor was ok Iced tea: 5 stars

I would put Whole Hog and Wrights in a completely different category when it comes to flavor and product quality. Ruby’s bbq sauces nor their meats compared to these other two competitors. I hate this for them because somebody has spent a lot of money on this location and a huge building. But I did read some promising reviews so hopefully enough people love the food enough to keep it going.

It’s not for us, but bbq does appeal differently to lots of people....