Haymaker BBQ — Restaurant in Harrogate

We use to come here a good bit when camping in Cumberland Gap but it's been about a year since our last visit. Last time we were there they had an evaluator going through the place to try and figure out how to improve the food and service. Well, they must have taken the evaluator's advice. Coleslaw was overly creamy and sweet, baked beans tasted weird and had ground beef including some large almost spoon size chunks, catfish wasn't nearly as thick as previously, and the hush puppies had not texture either outside or inside. This is a shame because the coleslaw use to be a good balance, the hush puppies had the perfect outside texture with a great sweet cornmeal taste inside, the beans were somewhat plain but with a wonderful taste, and the catfish were thick enough so the meat was thicker than the crust. All of this was enough that my wife before even finishing the meal said she was disappointed and won't be coming back. That says something since we use to eat here two or three times during each of our several yearly trips to Cumberland Gap. Oh and on top of the all the negative food changes, the prices went up and the lunch specials disappeared. This we could handle because everything is going up, but only if the food still tasted good...

I stop in all the time for lunch. I also purchase lunch for the office often. I stopped in today to grab a pulled pork sandwich for lunch. I asked for a double meat pulled pork sandwich. The sandwich is $7.89. The double meat charge was $8.00.

I mentioned that it didn’t make sense. The double meat charge was more than the price of the sandwich itself.

The young lady went to get “Angie “. Angie was pissed off from the beginning that I interrupted her cigarette break . I kindly explained that it might be for a pulled pork platter, but that an additional meat charge for pulled pork barbecue sandwich should not cost more than a sandwich itself.

I was told that’s just how the prices are.

I purchased a regular pulled pork barbecue sandwich and while Angie was outside smoking, I just asked if she could talk to the owner and make sure they were made aware. She was continued to be irritated, literally walking off while speaking to her calmly outside.

My last time there. Zero care.

Dr....

The staple sandwiches, like pulled pork and chicken are fabulous, but the sides are hit and miss as far as taste and freshness. Some appear to be kept on the line too long, and have a burnt water taste to them. Having run several restaurants with Pepsi, I know hold times can be an issue, and would encourage the owner and management to assess this. First impressions is another factor to consider, with a dining room (tables & floors) being noticeably dirty on every visit. Value is also a consideration, with the average cost for a party of two being about $40. They also should consider the value of winning the Loyalty of veterans by offering a discount as nearly every restaurant in the greater Middlesboro area offers. Instead they cater to LMU students with a discount, students who obviously are only here for a couple of years.. short-term gain, and very...