Project BBQ — Restaurant in Johnson City

My wife, mother, and myself went a few weeks ago on the way to drop my mother off at the Tri-Cities airport.

We had been wanting to go for a while, after the referral of a friend in the area.

We got there right before the rush, my wife and I ordered a pulled pork platter, her with slaw and cornbread casserole, myself with beans and fries.

My mother ordered a pulled pork sandwich, with fries.

Two draft beers, one diet soda.

I was shocked when the total, for three people, for lunch, was just under $70 - BEFORE the girl twisted the tablet screen around for us to add a tip (options of 15%, 20%, and I believe 30%.

We hadn't received our food, our drinks, nothing, and were immediately prompted to add a tip.

Which we did, but, it brought our total up to something like $77

We found a seat, and I told my wife what it cost, and she about lost it. The only thing we said was... "This better be really, really, really, really good food."

It came out promptly, and the girl was super nice.

For almost $80 worth of BBQ, we were expecting MASSIVE plates, as BBQ traditionally is. But no... served on a steel tray, maybe 8"x10"... wasn't overflowing with food or anything.

The food was good. Maybe a little better than "average bbq" you can find in the area. But it wasn't one of those places that hit you with a "hold heck, this is worth every penny" when you bit in.

Definitely not worth $80, or anywhere close to it.

While everyone was pleasant, and while I am typically an over-tipper when it comes to dining, there is absolutely no justifying a near $15 tip to have our food walked to our table and never be seen again.

I wanted to like this place, I really did. And it was, truly, decent food.

I get that inflation and labor has driven prices up, that they use quality ingredients, etc, etc, etc.

But in no way was it worth almost $30 a...

We tried a bit of everything. Here's the short version: Brisket is amazing, I'll definitely order that next time. If you like brisket you will love it. Burnt around the edges, it's no wonder they were out of burnt ends on the menu.

Pulled pork was excellent. If you're a pulled pork person, you'll appreciate the high quality.

Sausage dog 🌭 was good. Fresh bun, good meat.

The baked beans 🥣 were not my style, I sent them back and traded for collard greens. Those also did not suit my palate. Both have "smoky" flavor, and I assume that is an added liquid. Either way I'll avoid those next time. If you like that smoky flavor these are the sides for you.

They have three sauces: spicy, sweet, and vinegar based. I liked each one, I'm sure you'll find one you like. However, the meat was so tasty I didn't use much sauce.

The coleslaw is more vinegar based and all I can say is "refreshing" in flavor. A must for me next time.

The cornbread is so good. It's got pieces of 🌽 in it and sweet but not too sweet. I recommend sharing a portion with someone (not that's it is huge, but you'll want room for all the other good stuff).

We described the waffle-cut fries 🍟 as "better than Chick-fil-A." Not sure what you think about that place, but they are good there and better here. 😉

Finally, the banana 🍌 pudding was good with chunks of banana in it. I usually get pudding at BBQ places.

Overall, this is good food. You can see the stacks of wood 🪵 in the lot that they are using to prepare all this good stuff. You...

My husband and I have been wanting to try Project BBQ since they first opened their brick and mortar location and today we finally had the chance. I ordered the brisket plate with cornbread casserole and coleslaw, my husband ordered the pulled pork plate with French fries and mac and cheese, and our granddaughter ordered a grilled cheese with French fries. Everyone who works in this restaurant is super friendly and service was quick and cheerful. If I chose a restaurant just based on the employees, I would eat here every day. The food is where I feel Project BBQ misses the mark. I would have to say the food is okay - not bad; not good, just okay. The portions of meat are very small. My brisket plate had 2 thin, small slices of meat one slice was lean and the other very fatty. I prefer a lean cut, but it was tender and overall the flavor was okay. My husband said his pulled pork was very fatty also. The portions for the sides were large and these were the best part of the meal. The cornbread casserole was delicious. The slaw was a vinegar-based (and they do state this on the menu which I appreciate); I prefer a mayo-vased slaw, but this was fresh and not overly vinagery. My husband said the mac and cheese was good. The French fries were the unfrozen waffle style and were overcooked and tasted like they had been sitting around for a while. I might try this place again to test out their pizza, but probably wouldn't go back...