Dustin's Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Melbourne

Dustin's Bar-B-Q- Melbourne, FL- 4 Stars (Chain Restaurant Score)

There are a few things we hold sacred here on the Space Coast one of those being Publix subs and the other being barbecue. Florida may be more of a melting pot than the rest of the South, but we still know good barbecue and in fact, insist upon it. I mention this as my random name generator appointed Dustin's Bar-B-Q in Melbourne as my next destination.

One of my researchers was able to find out that they have been around since 1991, with their flagship perhaps being their Deland location, though this could not be confirmed. They are family-owned and operated and have expanded to 6 locations spaced from Orlando to Ormond Beach and down to our beloved Melbourne. Pulling into their Melbourne location I was greeted with a barren parking lot. Exiting the Big Boy Mobile, I am pretty sure I heard the wind whistle and witnessed a tumbleweed roll on by, but don't quote me on that. This could mean something, It could not. Remember readers, never judge a book by its cover, or in this case the food by the parking lot.

The interior was COVID clean, well-spaced and pleasantly lit. I really enjoyed the plants throughout, real or not, they gave a nice warm feel to the joint. I was shown a table, handed a menu and got to work. I soon noticed a lady measuredly advancing upon my table, when she arrived, she languidly introduced herself as, Janelle. Janelle, while being competent and pleasant wasn't going to win any service awards, but she wasn't going to bring the curve down either. She asked if I had any questions or if I was ready to order. I requested an order of their Beef, Pork and Chicken Combo with sides of BBQ beans, mac and cheese and garlic bread.

With an empty establishment, I was expecting my order to be done promptly and I was not disappointed as I soon saw Janelle unhurriedly escorting my meal to the table. Looking at the pictures, I can only assure my readers that from the food encapsulated therein there arose such a fragrant, down-home, Southern barbecue aroma that I nearly began to drool before Janelle had stepped back and asked if there was anything else with which she could help. Reaching blindly for my utensils, I absently brushed her off and commenced dining. The Beef, pork and chicken were all well cooked to barbecue perfection and while the sauce was nice and tangy, I measure all BBQ by Cryderman's (the gold standard) and this was not on that level. Even with flavorful garlic bread, competently prepared beans and properly cooked mac & cheese, this was just a tad short of the bar set by Cryderman's. This food was miles above Woody's and other nearby places, but not the top of the line. There is nothing wrong with that. If I'm in the mood or with a companion in the mood for above-average barbecue, I wouldn't think twice about stopping back in here.

The Big Boy Says, " For 4-star food from a family-operated local chain, this place is a go-to." #iamthebigboy...

Bar-B-Q is truly an American epic. Forget those silly manners you've heard all your life.....'Don't lick your fingers', 'Wipe your mouth', 'Don't smack'.. When we humans partake in the fine art of Bar-B-Q, it should rightly be called Bar-B-Chew! After all, it is all about the greasy good, drip drip dripping and drooling lip smacking enjoyment of smoke-ringed meat bathed in a sultry sauce!

Dustin's has been a Melbourne BBQ go to for some time now. My bodacious fab fiancée and I hit it on a Sunday, right along with other after church folks. It was busy but not crowded. I liked that. Service was efficient and timely, no issues.

Fab one and I both ordered the 'serving of meat' only along with the Endless Salad Bar. I chose the Beef Brisket, she chose the 1/4 BarBQ Chicken. The portions of the meat were a little on the small side. But, if you allot for the Endless Salad Bar you will most likely get more than enough to eat. We were satisfied.

I do have one issue. Food Safety regulations require self-serve salad bars to have those glass or plexiglas covers hanging over the food area. These are known as 'sneeze guards'. The way Dustin's has the buffet laid out with three tiers, it is typically very difficult to reach the buffet items on the top, or back tier. As we were dining, I witnessed several people attempting to reach items on that top tier. Ultimately, their solution was to bend down and lean in UNDER the sneeze guard! Effectively defeating any health risk benefits of said sneeze guards. I managed to snap a picture of one such encounter, and I've included it with this review. Honestly, I have visited other restaurants where the sneeze guards made it quite difficult to access the buffet, so this is not a unique situation. But, I have never personally witnessed so many diners leaning under the guards to get to a buffet. Rationally, if the health department mandates these precautions, then the design should be manageable and user-friendly. Not so in this case, I'm afraid.

Soooooo, other than the sneeze guard issue, I give Dustin's two thumbs up. Hopefully, they can work out a redesign of the buffet in the very...

I’ve been going to Dustins for years, it is decent BBQ and has a nice salad bar, 2nd best against Jason’s Deli. Recently I went and as usual, I got the salad bar with a piece of chicken. The salad bar was good as always. As I started eating my salad, I saw my waitress, Savannah, and asked her if she could hold the chicken a couple of minutes so it wouldn’t get cold as I ate my salad. She told me it was already waiting on the counter. I thought it was odd that she couldn’t just keep it warm or go the extra step and have the cook put it back for a couple of minutes. I guess I don’t fault the waitress, I just don’t think waitresses are being taught about all of the little touches that make customers feel special. Anyways, the chicken was good, but of course, cold by the time I got to it. When the bill came, I noticed that the salad bar line item said “salad bar & soup with meat” was $14.59 and a separate line below that said “diet chic” for $2.70. I asked my waitress if she could explain the additional charge for “diet chic” since the first line already specified “with meat”. She said that was just the way it had to ring up. It didn’t sound right but since she said it that way, it must have been correct. I just thought that $14.59 was pretty steep for just a salad. I did noticed that soup was included with it but I was never told that. I am not sure why they have to add the soup when I wouldn’t have ordered it in the...