Big R's BBQ — Restaurant in Joplin

Stopped in for a late lunch as my wife had eaten here a week before with our son in law, his wife, and our son. She loved it then and wanted to treat me. Man, I love my wife as she knows exactly the food I mostly enjoy.

My wife insisted the shrooms would be the appetizer, as she had these a week ago. And according to her she barely got any as the kids snapped them up. So we ordered the breaded shrooms and they were remarkably delicious. Hot they were and the batter was perfect for these dudes. Both of us ordered tea, mine sweet and hers unsweetened. I must say the tea was perfect on both accounts. The right strength and sweetness. Weak tea is a crime.

We both ordered the brisket sandwich. My bride got baked beans as her side. I got the rings with an upcharge for them [You can see the pic taken as to what we had ordered]. Our waiter made sure we knew in advance about the upcharge and we were cool with it. The sandwiches came out rather quickly as well as our sides. Impressive that the overall wait was very minimal.

The sandwiches....I'd give a high 4⭐ for sure. The brisket was flavorful and nicely chopped which made for a great mouth feel. I think if the sandwich was stacked with even more brisket (maybe a small price increase as I know meat isn't cheap and neither is the work needed to make it delicious) would put it at a 5⭐. I'm not complaining though. The buns were fresh and nicely toasted. The onion rings....WOW. I gotta say the only other rings that I really enjoy are from a place in OKC/Edmond called JOHNNIE'S. The rings at BIG R were bangin' and a lot of them. Nice and thick with ranch on the side. Excellent rings indeed. Overall the food was off the hook and fan-taste-ic!

Our waiter was courteous and checked on us regularly. Not so much that it was intrusive. A young guy that could be putting himself through college. Very informative when I asked about the smokers and length of time needed for the brisket and other proteins. He offered dessert but sadly we had to pass as both my wife and I were stuffed. Perhaps next time.

Thank you BIG R's for a great late lunch meal. You can bet we'll be back to try the...

Food is fantastic. But I just had a horrible experience with one of the managers. I am so tired of being a kind hearted and genuine person and being constantly threatened and treated like trash by people who think they hold some moral high ground because they are anti-drug, as if that actually matters more than how you treat people and what you hold in your heart. I was walking through the back parking lot, coming from buying a soda at the gas station and I see several employees (all adults) smoking cigarettes out back. I ask them if they wanted to take a few hits of weed, since it was the end of their shifts and it was a beautiful day. A woman who is apparently one of the managers (definitely not the owner, otherwise there would be no business) started threatening me and saying she was going to call the cops and to never approach her employees again especially trying to sell drugs, which I wasn't, and I just asked a question as I was walking home, I didn't approach them. I tell them to have a wonderful day, surprised and saddened by the hatred I just was subjected to. Before I go inside my home, being as I live nearby, I said loudly, "I would rather be a drug addict any day than be sober and have hate in my heart." And almost as if they were in the mood for violence the lady manager and either the cook or the dishwasher ran to the street like they were wanting to punch me. As the person who smokes weed, legally, am I not the one who is supposed to be violent unreasonable and hostile? Being as weed has been legal in Missouri now for going on two years, I would think as a business that serves excellent food, scaring away the local potheads would be a horrible business practice. And for the record I have 5+ years professional kitchen experience and was even a Su Chef for six months at Postcards Cafe in Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii where I lived and worked for several years after doing concrete for 5 years straight. Seriously though. What's the point of being anti drug if you're just going to hurt people who use worse than the...

I sincerely hesitate to even write this review, as I truly feel it's not deserving of the reputation this restaurant has...nevertheless my experience is relevant, but I will make it a point to try this place again an give it another fair shake.

Arriving mid-week, at 12:30, we were promptly seated in a packed house to enjoy our lunch. Reading the reviews and highlights of this place, it was looking to be a great stop, but it wasn't. Listed below are the issues;

The dinner rolls were either under-risen, or the batter just didn't cut it that day. Dry and "clumpy", it was more like molding clay than a fluffy yeast roll. Maybe it's my expectation of what a yeast roll feels and tastes like, or maybe they weren't even shooting for a yeast roll, either way it wasn't that great, but the apple butter was a great touch to make it palatable.

I ordered the rib-end sandwich, with a side of the potato soup (cheesy and bacon-y). My soup was truly delicious, my sandwich was less than spectacular. Here's why: when I order a special item off the sandwich menu, that is declared to be limited availability and only on certain days, I expect it to be hot, juicy, and easily eaten as a sandwich. There were several small rib bones, and cartilage, that I clamped down on with my teeth unsuspectingly. I'd advise whomever preps this meat, to go through it several times looking for these items before serving them. Aside from that, it's prime lunch hour, why was the meat dry?

Big R, I know you can do better, your patrons say so and your reputation shows that. This was just my first experience here, it won't be my last, and I'll make a later effort to revise this review. But this time, this singular time, it was lacking....