The Piggy BBQ of Thief River Falls — Restaurant in Thief River Falls

I wish I could give a good review but I cannot. The only saving grace was the staff who were working their butts off but it was clear they were given no direction on what to do and several staff members confirmed as such. They said they arrived to work and just simply started working they were not told of particular sections or tasks or duties so there was a lot of overlap in some areas and no coverage at all and other areas. Our waitress informed us that it had been this bad on previous shifts as well. The staff looked stressed, exhausted and unhappy. It said it was a soft opening but it was fully packed with people waiting to be seated on a couple instances 15 mins. we were there 2 hrs and 15 mins and spent $80 on lunch for 2 (no cocktails were purchased) The food was mediocre at best. Both of our meals were cold, the ribs were tough, the spices were good but they did not taste like they’d been on a smoker, the piggy chips on my boyfriend’s meal looked like they poured out the remnants of the bottom of a chip bag. $80 in a community like this on lunch for two the meal should have been far better. many of us make minimum wage and $80 is generally a meal you save for a special occasion

I will also say that their menu is one of the most confusing menus I’ve ever seen. I must’ve flipped it Over 15 times trying to make sense of it and there were sections that you couldn’t even read very well because of the layout.

Although we did not have drinks it did not appear that there was a bartender. The staff most of the time it would go back and make their own drinks many of them having to open up a binder to see what they were making.

I think the thing for me that was so disheartening was the owners were on premise and on multiple occasions I watched them walk past several groups of people who had been standing waiting at the entrance 10-15 mins and on each and every occasion they lowered their head and walked past them (within a foot) and not acknowledging them. They should have stopped acknowledge them, thank them for their patience apologize for the delay even if there were no tables available. they never stopped by anyone’s table to ask how everything was or to apologize. At one point when things calmed down a little bit the owner walked by our table 5 times with head down looking into her cell phone. A soft opening is meant to fine-tune things, for the owners to check in with the customers get their thoughts, To ensure that their staff is properly trained and lead to have a good shift and support the customers, and to get their feedback but the owners did not appear to care. I have been a customer service for a very long time and I understand that sometimes it’s tough to face the music but when you open a business, especially in hospitality, you have to take care of your customers and your staff and if you’re not prepared to do that then you definitely shouldn’t be running a business. There were signs on the table that said that there were comment cards yet there were none. It was very apparent that they have a lot of work To do before they have an official opening. There was absolutely no organization to the chaos the staff had no idea what they were supposed to be doing but they did their best under the circumstances.

In a tiny town like Thief River, A business like this could really bring a lot to the table but it’s clear that from the top down they need a complete do-over, Take a step back and come up with a plan. Each and every day staff should be told which tables they are to wait on what are their tasks for the day and the owners absolutely should be Engaged with their staff AND their customers. I hope and pray that the owners will take this review to heart and make the changes to support their staff, to check in with their customers and not ignore everything as if it will go away. Please know this review is not meant to hurtful, but for a customer to sugar coat things isn’t a benefit to anyone. there is a lot of potential I hope that they can turn...

The very first time that I ate from here was dine-in with a friend, a little after they’d first opened…That experience was Not great at all, and I almost wrote them off Completely as a result!

The issues encountered during that first visit were many, and included: the fact that seating yourself wasn’t displayed on a sign in the entry, so as to understand why no one was acknowledging us standing, waiting to be helped, for awhile; service was Terribly slow, in the sense that it took Forever for the wait staff to come take our order, or to periodically come check on our table…And our server seemed to keep changing; it took an Outrageous amount of time for the food to Finally come out (like maybe 1.5 Hours!!!); and, as we’d come in the evening, by that time, a large assortment of the main entrees that we’d desired to order were sold out for the day (like ribs and pulled pork sandwiches), smh!

BUT, The Piggy BBQ has Certainly redeemed itself since then, in my eyes!!! And, I appreciate that they now offer delivery, as well — I think through both DoorDash and UberEats, if I’m not mistaken. Plus, pick-up orders are many times ready by the time you arrive to get your order.

l've LOVED most everything that I've gotten so far! My faves include the: sweet and spongy cornbread (with actual corn in it), baked beans (with pulled pork in it), pulled pork sandwiches/sliders, the Incredibly tender ribs with meat Literally falling off the bone, the coleslaw, the salads and side salads, the unique and delicious key lime pie, and their BBQ sauce! And I’ve heard that the hopper poppers, jumbo tater barrels, candied bacon, and sausage appetizers are Must-Tries, as well! And lastly, I also really appreciate that they offer more unique beverage choices (like grape soda, ginger ale, and Celsius energy drinks), as compared to the typical fountain soda selection offered at the vast majority of TRF restaurants. However…I don’t care for their macaroni and cheese At All!! It tastes like it uses a combination of pimento cheese and pepper jack cheese, smh, so it seems that its name should imply as much (like, “Pimento Pepper Jack Mac-N-Cheese” or something).

But yeah, definitely check them out! You won’t regret it, and will be Very satisfied with the food!!! Plus, I think they’re even a great place for solos (parties of one) to go watch sports at their bar, from what a guy...

Routinely, I make it a point to not excoriate dining experiences, but other than the attentive service of my waitress, I feel i would be doing the general public a disservice for not saying something.

Actually, it should start by saying that the restaurant had a nice vibe to it, but beyond this, and most importantly, my meal was abysmal largely due to the lack of effort in it's preparation. I would second the notion of another review i saw where I also don't believe my food was fresh. I had the brisket and the ribs, neither of which were good. How they got their brisket, a meat virtually encased in fat, to be served so dry is beyond me. It came out looking like roast beef. The ribs were slightly better, but once again, they simply did not give any sort of notion that they were fresh. My side was easily the best part of meal.

A few weeks ago, I ate at a similar establishment. There i got 3 meats and 2 sides for $12 less, and all of it was fresh. This place felt considerably more interested in it's brand than it's craft. The venue was really nice, and my waitress was very pleasant, but the moment my plate was put in front of me, I could feel the lack of enthusiasm by whoever made it. My brisket was literally wadded up in a cup, and in no way juicy at all.

I would have been OK to take down this meal, despite it's priciness, if the food was good... It wasn't. To me, it completely felt like I was eating leftovers, and to pay the price tag attached to this meal is simply an injustice.

I pray this establishment improves, but I can't see myself coming back to find out. Sorry, guys, something...