Queen Creek BBQ Co — Restaurant in Queen Creek

Came in to try this place out and was super excited, hoping to leave a 5 star review! I walked in and was greeted by Robert with a smile on his face and was directed over to the nice girl working behind the POS machine. She directed us to a menu and waited patiently for us to make our selections. After we got done ordering we waited while they got our food prepared when our son was getting thirsty for some water. There was two people inside at the bar, not very busy, and we noticed our food was waiting to be bagged up. Took her a bit to notice it was waiting up there which was no biggie, we weren't in a rush just a little hungry. She got our food all bagged up and handed it off to us so we asked for a water cup and she poured it up but she completely forgot the lemonade that we ordered. We even asked specifics about the ingredients because I have a long list of allergies, so we were a little confused on how she forgot that but none the less. I also noticed her kind of death staring at the POS machine and back at us while we were selecting our tip options which is always a little unsettling when that happens. None the less... we took our food to go as our son cannot sit still anywhere! Made it home which was a 10-15 minute drive and opened up my box to see a pretty obvious hair sticking up out of the brisket. I was pretty grossed out, but wasting food isn't exactly the type of person I am so I cut the piece off with the hair and ate the rest. Food was decent, I've had better brisket other places like Caldwells, and for the price it wasn't really that far off, if anything Queen Creek BBQ is a bit more expensive. Our bill was ~$50 for a 1/3 lb of brisket plate and a sandwich. I called down to the store to see if there was anything they'd be willing to do and a girl answered saying the manager was busy. No big deal I totally understand so I left her my name and phone number really just hoping for an apology more than anything. A few hours passed and I finally got a call when I was about ready to go to bed so I answered and it was Robert with Queen Creek BBQ. He didn't seem to know what I called to complain about, so I let him know that I found a hair in my food and his response was not what I was expecting. "You found a hair in your food? That's really strange because I don't have any hair so I don't know how a hair would have got there..." I didn't really know how to respond, because I didn't even open up the bag until I got home, and when I opened up the box that was the first thing I noticed waving around in the A/C. He didn't even apologize right away just said that I can come back in and get it replaced (not taking responsibility for it) to which I responded I just want an apology. He responded back with an attitude saying I don't really know what else I can do, I can make you a fresh plate if you want to come in tomorrow sorry... That's just not how you handle customer complaints, in my line of work you take full responsibility even if you didn't do anything wrong, and offer up a solution immediately instead of challenging the customer. I honestly don't want my food replaced at this point because this isn't the kind of people I want to be supporting. I tried to give Robert the opportunity to make things right, seeking a simple apology for a disgusting hair in my food. Anyway I've attached a photo of the hair, certainly can't be my hair because I don't have any right Robert? Why do I get the funny feeling he starts shaving after this...

My wife and I went on a Saturday night and it was packed. We were forced to sit at the bar because a huge family reserved most of the seating in the restaurant, literally. This place was too small for the amount of people there. The place was in total chaos.

Staff:

The staff was very friendly, but overwhelmed. They were juggling way too many customers, and in our case would say they'd get us something, then never come back or someone else would come by and have to ask us again what we were waiting for. I think we got to meet the owner, and he was super friendly and did his best, but there was just too much chaos for him or his staff to give quality service.

Pricing:

Overpriced. The portions you get vs the price you pay is off. We got 2 pork plates which are $19 each, and only come with a handful of pulled pork and 2 sides with toast and the tiniest slaw I have ever seen. They also don't give you much bbq sauce.

Food:

The pulled pork was really good. Very juicy and tender, but you'll have to ask for more bbq sauce. They bring it out in tiny cups, and it's no where near enough to wet the pork. They also only give you a small handful of it, so it's not really enough for the price.

Fries - Were flavorless and soggy. The menu says they are seasoned, but there was barely even any salt on them and there was no seasoning on them at all.

Mac & Cheese - My wife really enjoyed hers, but I didn't. I only ordered it because I felt pressed to order quickly once we finally had a server's attention.

Toast - Dry, not buttered, bland. And it came cold.

Potato Salad - Excellent! But it reminded me very heavily of the deviled egg potato salad you can get at Walmart. My wife ordered it and let me try it and it was very good! I wish I had ordered that over the fries.

Slaw - I did not try it, but my wife did and said it wasn't very good. They give you a very tiny amount of it when you order a plate.

This was our very first time eating here. Usually when we want bbq we go to Dickey's, but this time we thought we'd try something new. Not the best experience honestly. Sitting at the bar with a bunch of random people walking up and hovering over my wife and I while we were trying to eat as they were trying to get a server's attention was not ideal. Getting our food, then having to wait to get utensils.. also not ideal. Food gets cold fast, we should have already had them. Having servers not hear you, or acknowledge you and then not come back because of the loudness and overcrowding, also not ideal.

I am giving 3 stars because the owner was kind and welcoming and he also gave us some free pulled pork as we left, which was actually a lot more than we got served originally.. but he also only gave us a tiny cup of bbq sauce that would not cover all that pork lol. He is a very nice guy and I understand they were busy, but I just feel like they should have been better prepared.

IMO, Dickey's is better and you get more for your money with all the sauce you want. But I am glad we...

I think these guys can do better. We went for lunch, I ordered the pulled pork and Bama beans, and wife ordered the brisket mac-n-cheese. The meat quality was great, especially the brisket, though I'd call the pork flavor average. Mac-n-cheese was great. Prices seemed pretty high. Here's where it gets interesting.

They have one sauce, and they serve it to you with the meal in a cup. There is no sauce on the table, and no choice. The sauce is good, with complex flavor....and VERY sweet. Far too sweet for our palates. Also, the Bama beans were very sweet. Everything except the mac-n-cheese was sweet. And there is no break from it. This BBQ and sides are crying out for some acid, even if it is only a different sauce with more vinegar. A pickle, something, anything...by the end of the meal I was really, really done eating nothing but really sweet stuff with no break.

Three stars because I know some of this is down to personal preference, but a lot of people will feel the same way. Offer different sauces, something with some acid, pickled sides, whatever - because right now it reads like good meat with cheap grocery store brand BBQ sauce on top, and feels like a weak effort. For those who want more balanced BBQ, there are better options nearby.

UPDATE: After owner's reply, apparently they do offer different sauces. However we were never told about them or offered alternatives by our server -the food just came out with what it had in the cup. This is an opportunity to have the staff be sure to inform and offer alternatives, and avoid lukewarm reviews...