BJ’s Alabama BBQ! — Restaurant in Tampa

Been going there for years. The food is great and normally, so is the staff. However, the "Guy" working the register hasn't been there very long, and, even when we ordered, I thought he needed to learn some manners. After a bit, he called our name to pick up our order. We picked it up and I started eating, only to find that the order was not ours. He had mistakenly called our name for someone else's order. When my associate took his back to the counter, the owner made the excuse that he was calling our name to pay for it. Clearly not true as we had already paid. Then I tried to explain to her that he called our name for the wrong order. She wouldn't let me talk at all, told me not to raise my voice. I told her I wasn't raising my voice at all, she was. I'm just trying to point out that it was her staff that made the error and it wasn't a big deal. Three of the four of us accepted the meals that were given to us, even though they were incorrect (No sense in wasting good food). Only one asked her to make his what he actually ordered. So she was only actually having to redo one sandwich. As we were leaving, she and the co-owner asked to speak with us. However, once again, she made a different excuse. This time it was he called our name to pick up the drink order ONLY, not the actual sandwiches. They absolutely were not going to accept the fact that their employee made a mistake. We would have all laughed it off and come back another day. Instead, they lost four customers and anyone we would have brought in. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone handles them differently, but you don't start yelling at your customer for something your own staff erred in. You fix the order and make your customer happy. Doing so, they will bring customers to you, not take them away. Very poorly handled...

We drove an hour from Wesley Chapel on the 4th of July AFTER we called to find out if they were open to take orders and were told they close early and no online orders due to demand. When we arrive we are LECTURED that we should have placed an order over the phone when COMMON CUSTOMER SERVICE would be to offer to take it over the phone since we were driving so far. After waiting to hear if we could get a slab after they stated there were no other orders for it. Once we received update that we could proceed, she interrupts our order by taking an order from another patron behind me because I had to CHANGE my side orders because they updated what they were out of RIGHT BEFORE I started placing my order. I have been here before and know the food is good but will not be returning because the customer service is so bad. This is south Dale mabry so the white people can continue to patronize since there is no other small bbq restaurant options but I would HIGHLY SUGGEST no one to come here. I also don’t appreciate the fact that she continued to yell at me when I tried to have my daughter help me place the order because the situation/environment was so stressful. She outright told me that she doesn’t take orders from a phone and was trying to enforce that she was too busy to read a text when I never asked her to do that. She didn’t give 2 seconds for us to finish our order after we had to wait for her to tend to a baby. 3 people working on a holiday is stressful enough and working in food industry should have prepared you for that as no one always wants to cook, this place needs to take a reality check and learn how to properly talk to people. Military background or not, you’re no longer serving and hostility...

I have been wanting to try BJ’s for a long time—after all, no one does bbq like Alabama!—and today I finally got my chance. Delicious! Unique sauce: not too sweet, not too spicy, but a nice combination of the two. I had the pulled pork sandwich. It had the smokey flavor I always look for in good barbecue and some nice crispy edges, but the inside was moist and tender. All of the sides were homemade, southern style. The staff was delightful! Cheery and attentive, they served us at our table after ordering at the counter and checked in regularly to make sure that we were enjoying our visit. Can’t wait to go back!

Update 2 years later: Since that review, my partner and I have become regulars at BJs and can always count on an enthusiastic greeting from the owner when we walk in the door. We crave their barbecue and drive across Tampa as often as possible to get our fix.

My partner’s birthday was this week, and several of my family members coming from St. Pete wanted a convenient place to meet us for lunch in Tampa. BJs fit the bill, being just a short distance off the Gandy. They confirmed that the food lived up to our high praise, and the service went above and beyond. The owner personally pulled tables aside to create a space for the six of us to sit and delivered our food and refills to our table, taking the time to make us feel appreciated and welcomed. And this was during their Friday lunch rush!!

BJs takes care of their customers, and as long as we are in Tampa, we will be fans and loyal customers of the best barbecue...