Hogs Galore — Restaurant in Rush Township

I'll start by saying that my comments when I leave a review ate to either commend a restaurant for what they are doing right or to suggest things they could improve upon, helping their business.

First the food and service. It was counter service. Somewhat of a tradition in Southern BBQ places but behind the times in modern BBQ restaurants. Service was friendly but not at a "Glad to see you! Welcome!" level. Although they were out of baby back ribs they substituted with St. Louis style and a few extra ribs. The flavor was good but had a bit more chew than I prefer. My wife enjoyed her pulled pork sandwich and we agreed with my son that the mac and was very good (which is a great review from a kid who prefers his from a box). We all loved the sweet potato fries and the Cole Slaw was pretty good.

Appearance. Employees (owners?) were occupying a booth near the counter. Something that always turns me off. Back of house business should not be conducted in the dining area. The atmosphere inside did not meet the expectation of the board and batten exterior. Although they made an effort with exposed wood beams, the rest of the interior fell short. It felt stark with little thought to the BBQ theme and very little decoration. Warm colors on the walls (such as a burnt orange or similar color) would have tied in better with the exposed beams and would have made the high ceiling seem cozier. A darker color on the ceiling, coming down the walls a foot or so, would also help this effect. The chairs, tables and booths were more appropriate to a cafeteria or diner. It was also silent and would have benifited from some low jazz music. Dark wood tables and chairs, wood flooring and even some corrugated tin on the front of the counter would also be good choices. A glass door separating the restaurant from the attached butcher shop would help as well. I believe improvements like this with a photograph of the interior in color ads would increase business for them. As it was, the atmosphere didn't make you want to linger or do anything to draw you back.

Cleanliness. The ceiling fans were off and you could see heavy dust build-up on the blade edges, something I find many restaurants forget to add to their regular cleaning schedule as they forget to look up when cleaning. A cleaning checklist would solve this. That being said, the rest of the place seemed fairly clean. The men's bathroom was clean as well. My wife did not use the ladies bathroom but I expect similar cleanliness.

Wrap up. This is a place that I would probably choose to get take-out from next time if we go back. We were camping at Black Moshanan State Park, so the somewhat equal distance to State College and its myriad of great places to eat is tough competition. With its location, tucked away near the back of an industrial area, it needs to up its game to compete. Advertising targeted towards nearby campgrounds would help as well. The food is good enough to keep people coming back if the atmosphere matched...

The fries, plain were the best. The Hillbilly Fries were ok, especially with all that pork. Maybe a little less pork next time. I thought there was going to be some sort of sauce on top, like more BBQ or aioli and maybe some cheese too. Same goes for the loaded fries. I was expecting green onions and some type of sauce. I did put ranch on top, but it wasn't enough. The chicken fingers were way over done. We actually got sick from them. As for the Philly and sausage, I was expecting a little more. They call it a sandwich, but it doesn't present like a sandwich. I would have like possibly mushrooms and a bigger bun, some type of aioli or special sauce to make it taste less dry. The meat for the Philly was ok, not overly overcooked slightly. Other then that, I probably will not eat...

This was our first time eating here, wanted something diff in town, there was one other couple there , they seemed to have waited at least 10 mins after we got there, and we then waited at least an hour for our food , they only had one person working apparently , it was deff not worth the wait or the money wasted ! , the ribs were awful and tasted reaheated same with the chicken, and the skin was so slimmy it fell off the chicken not to mention the barbeque they drenched it in which seemed to be to cover the nasty taste ! Very disappointed, will not return to eat there but may try their butcher side some day ! We took maybe 2-3 bites and left it sit ,very unhappy with the...