Everett & Jones Barbeque - MacArthur — Restaurant in Oakland

The food is good. Everything else is not. Here's why... My Flagship concern about this place is WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG? I see pounds of ALREADY COOKED meat in smokers and warming plates...it should not take 30+ minutes to Gather the customer selected meat and side, put it in a container and call their number. This place could learn a thing or two about how to organize and run a commercial kitchen, from staff to side dishes. Don't believe me? Go in and time it.

Did I already say the food is good? Well, it is. But it is also a bit overpriced. There aren't many BBQ places in the Oakland, San Francisco bay area. And while you can get faster service and similar sized portions at Dickies or Roadhouse...those places aren't close enough to drive to on a whim. Those places also measure their meat as they serve. Everette and Jones seems to eyeball it every time. If the person gathering the meat for your order is in a bad mood, its gonna be reflected in your portion. on the other hand, you may go in and get such a generous portion you will overlook that you just dropped MORE THAN 20.00 on a two item combo plate.

Parking is THE WORST. one of the busiest streets in Oakland, fast drivers, buses you name it...it will stand in your way of finding parking. Let me remind you, the food is good.

The clientele is working class people and a speckling of those who dwell on the outskirts of civilized ( I've seen some arguments about someone taking too long to order. Another customer in line actually yelled out "Hurry Up!" while the lady was placing her order.

Do i eat here frequently? Not as much as i would if they were simply faster and was more reasonably priced. I can handle slim parking. I can handle fights in line over who was first or faster. But slow service AND high prices...That's like gentrification, you patronize it because everything else that's cheaper is just too far away.

Before I go, I want to also say that whether or not they take phone orders is also decided on a whim. MANY times I have had my order taken, only to have the order taker tell AFTER TAKING MY PHONE ORDER they aren't taking phone orders. This is after asking what kind of sauce, and giving me a total! That's just not cool. Not cool at all.

Do I suggest eating here? Absolutely, at least once. As a customer you will certainly know what you've been missing and what you have NOT been missing upon your first visit. I still eat here occasionally as a treat to myself, usually on payday when I feel rich and blowing my cash on a meal that rivals the price of gold doesn't matter. I know I've said it before, the food is good. Everything...

I had to lower my rating again. I have to remember not to come back anymore. The employees stand and watch the orders pile up. Then the person who has been on register moves to making food. This is terrible system. Terrible management of time. I waited 15 minutes before anyone even started making any orders. This is with 3 employee and 2 people just looking at customers. 2 people taking orders, nobody making them. This is just the worst, as a customer I don't like that the guy in the front really could care less about the customers. Why is everyone moving so slowly. If you get the customers in and out you will make more money more happy customers. I just can't do this anymore. The food is good! I had to change my rating from 5 to 4 because they don't care how many customers want them to open earlier on the weekends. As a black man it is sad and embarrassing to see all these non black customers that want to spend money and have things to do. People have to wait around until noon. Not caring about how to better service your customers is something that will cost in the long run. I often have to go elsewhere because they are sleeping when I got things to do!

For some reason I didn't get 2 full portions on my greens. This is not acceptable, barely any sauce on my link that are not seeming like they have not been barbequed...

Decided to try some BBQ and have it delivered as I was staying in a hotel a few miles away. Ordered the brisket and rib combo with extra BBQ sauce, an extra cornbread and banana pudding. The meat was OK, mac n cheese was good, potato salad ok and the cornbread and banana pudding were good. What wasn't good was getting no utensils to eat my food with, no napkins or wet naps which I desperately needed especially since I ordered ribs, paid for an additional cornbread that I didn't get & no butter or honey for the 1 cornbread that came with the meal. When ordering with Uber Eats, there wasn't a spot to write anything needed for my order but there is for delivery instructions so I added in I need extra utensils and butter since I'm in a hotel. Obviously the delivery guy although nice and was prepaid a nice tip, didn't read that, obviously didn't check to make sure his delivery had what was needed. The bag came taped up by the restaurant, they obviously didn't double check the order that all items were in the bag or necessities needed for a to go order. The morning buffet area in my hotel was closed so it took the clerk extra time to find plastic utensils meanwhile my food is upstairs getting cold. Just not the experience I was hoping for that came with a...