Hard Eight BBQ — Restaurant in Stephenville

We stopped here yesterday on our way back to San Antonio. All I can say is that was the biggest waste of money for a meal we've had in a long time. We both ordered a brisket sandwich. When we got to the counter, we were asked which side we wanted and were told the choices. I chose onion rings, and my husband chose fries. I had water and he had tea. We each grabbed a very small cup of potato salad. We got to the register, and it was $28. He paid with the debit card and asked me if I had cash for the tip later, so we didn't add a tip. After paying the girl said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, it's my fault I didn't charge you for one of your sandwiches." My husband said, "Yeah, it was $28." She said."No, you got onion rings, french fries, potato salad, and a drink." I said, "I thought the side came with the sandwich." Nope, that's extra. So we paid another $12 for just a sandwich. They were the sorriest excuses for $12 brisket sandwiches I've ever seen! They had three very thin and short pieces of brisket. The brisket was hard on the outside, like jerky, and no smoke flavor at all. My onion rings were delivered to the table when we were almost done eating and were burnt to a crisp. You could see the black color of them through the paper they were wrapped in, and you could smell the burn right away. I asked the girl who brought them to us if I could get some BBQ sauce, and she said, "Yes, YOU can go get it from the front of the line." At this point I was glad we didn't leave the tip at the counter. I went to the line, and it was either cut in front of someone or wait in the line again for the BBQ sauce. Thank goodness for a nice gal that let me in to get a scoop of sauce for that dry, hard brisket! When we left, I left the onion rings in the middle of our table. Your tip is, don't serve burnt onion rings. We are VERY good tippers, and it has been a very long time since I've left nothing for a tip. If you do take a chance and try this place, remember at the register that if you need or want anything, you will be doing it yourself and your $12 skimmpy brisket sandwich doesn't come with anything. If you're going to tip here, it would be the same as tipping at McDonald's. If you want to know what real Texas BBQ tastes like, with super friendly service, I would highly recommend Heim BBQ in Fort Worth. Hard Eight is a total...

Not what it used to be. Was in the area for Christmas. (Was) going to go to Mesquite Pit in Granbury, but decided to make the drive to Stephenville and eat at Hard Eight. 5 yrs ago, this was THE PLACE to eat. While slightly pricey, everything always tasted awesome. Not so much now. The pits were manned by kids, I'd say under 23 and same on the inside, there was no sense of welcoming, I felt hurried thru the line. At the pit we ordered half chicken and a sliced brisket sandwich. Inside, the cobbler case was either missing labels or not the right shelf for the flavor. Same for the potato salads and cold slaw. VERY sm container for 3.50-4.00. We got 1 peach cobbler, 2 baked potato salads, 1 Mac n cheese and a coleslaw that turned out to be a mustard potato salad, due to mis labeling that we were NOT allowed to return. Mustard potato salad had hard potato and was bland. Mac n cheese was shells and cheese and it looked to be straight out of a box. (Five yrs ago the mac n cheese was homemade and totally yummy). Baked potato salad was really good. Peach cobbler was a total let down.. it tasted like someone took a potato masher to a cheap peach pie, no chunks, just mush, with a couple of hard canned peaches thrown in.. The half chicken was just ok. The sliced brisket sandwich was very dry, stringy, chewy and less than half was consumed before it was given up on. The pot of communal beans was ok, tasted nothing like I remembered them. At the checkout I was impressed upon to leave a tip. Total for this very sad meal? $48.69... and they didnt charge me for the chicken, which i didnt figure out until later. I'll never go back, its not worth the drive, or my hard earned money. If you're in the mood for decent bbq, I'd seriously pass...

I guess we came after a rush, because they were out of many things. No baked potatoes, no mac and cheese. I need to see this place with a line because the setup is bizarre. You pick out the meat outside just for them to take it away again a few minutes later to put it on a bun? You get your food on a plastic tray, but no setup for sliding a tray in line. So, you are partially carrying, with partial setting on a cramped edge. All sides are packed to go; I assume for expedience.. I am a lifelong Texan and have dined at many a barbecue joint. Yet, this place seems overly complex. Plenty of staff, but many standing around because they are not sure how to help. They were friendly. The building is older and it's popularity has outgrown it. While we did not have much of a line, the dining area was very crowded. They have a large outdoor area but in a hundred plus degree weather, nobody was interested. We found a bar table in a corner to cram into. The ribeye was good but fatty. The sausage had great flavor. Yet, the chopped brisket sandwich was surprisingly Bland. The onion rings and beans were good. $60 for 3 people to get akwardly rushed through a dinner on cheap plastic trays was bizarre. And, all I got for myself was a salad. I do not remember feeling like this when I last visited...