Big Kev's BBQ — Restaurant in Town of Bethel

One of Our Favorite Barbecue Spots — But a Recent Visit Left Us Disappointed 🙁

Big Kev Barbecue has been one of our absolute favorite barbecue restaurants for years. We’ve been loyal customers for quite some time — making the 40+ minute drive just to enjoy their food — and we’ve probably visited at least 15 times over the past few years. Out of all those visits, we’ve only ever had two less-than-stellar experiences, which says a lot about the consistency and quality they’re known for.

Their brisket is usually flavorful with just the right amount of bark and a bit of gristle (in a good way), the ribs are always tender and packed with flavor, the chicken falls right off the bone and is perfectly seasoned, and my daughter absolutely loves their macaroni. This place has delivered solid, reliable barbecue time and time again.

The only food-related issue we’ve ever had was on opening day last year. The brisket didn’t taste fresh and seemed like it had been reheated. I called and spoke with the manager at the time, not looking for compensation, but just to share our honest feedback. They were kind, understanding, and took our comments seriously — and sure enough, we haven’t had a single issue since. That responsiveness reinforced why we love Big Kev’s so much.

However, our most recent visit was disappointing — not because of the food, but because of the customer service we received. We called in a pickup order at 5:30 PM on a Saturday, knowing they close at 6. The young woman who answered the phone was surprisingly rude, immediately snapping, “What time are you gonna be here?” in a harsh tone. That alone gave me pause, but my husband and daughter were so excited to have Big Kev’s again after not visiting since the spring, so we decided to go through with it.

When I arrived, there were two customers ahead of me — one of whom seemed visibly upset with the same young woman, even asking for her name and mentioning she would be contacting management. While the family after her was ordering, the young woman was clearly annoyed, rolling her eyes and being short with them — even to their young daughter, who couldn’t have been more than 10 years old.

When it was finally my turn, I told her I was picking up my order and was met with a snappy, condescending, “You’re here to pick up the ribs and whatever — I don’t remember.” It was such a stark contrast from every other visit we’ve had at Big Kev’s. I’ve never experienced poor customer service there before, so I truly believe this was an isolated incident, not reflective of how the restaurant typically operates.

I’m writing this in the hope that someone from Big Kev’s sees it and speaks with this employee about how her behavior can negatively impact a small business that’s built on quality and community. In today’s economy, great customer service is more important than ever — customers should feel appreciated, not like an inconvenience.

I do hope this is addressed, because one rude interaction can do real damage to a business we...

I recently had a saucy adventure at Big Kev's BBQ in Swan Lake, and trust me, it's worth every bite of a five-star review. Like a pitmaster poet, I'm here to sing the praises of this smokin' hot spot!

As soon as I stepped in, my nostrils were greeted with the irresistible fragrance of barbecue wizardry. The cozy, down-home ambiance sets the stage for a carnivore's dream come true – or as I like to call it, "Meatopia."

Now, let's dive into the juicy details – the BBQ. I went for the brisket, and it was so tender it practically fell apart like a Shakespearean tragedy. It was smoky perfection, with flavors that danced in my mouth like a BBQ ballet. And don't get me started on the sauces – they're like the condiment Avengers, each with its superpowers. I mixed and matched like a BBQ scientist on a mission.

But it's not all about the meat – the sides are the delightful supporting cast. The mac 'n' cheese is so cheesy it could win a dairy beauty pageant, and the coleslaw? It's the cool and crunchy sidekick your meal deserves.

What sets Big Kev's BBQ apart, apart from their ribs, of course, is the staff. They're not just servers; they're BBQ therapists, making sure your experience is smokin' good. The owner is like the barbecue mayor, always popping by for a chat, making you feel like a part of the BBQ family.

Now, about the prices – they're as reasonable as trying to resist that second helping of ribs. You get generous portions and mouthwatering flavors, all without burning a hole in your wallet.

In conclusion, Big Kev's BBQ in Swan Lake is the ultimate destination for barbecue lovers. The food is so good it'll have you doing the BBQ boogie in your seat. With their fantastic flavors, warm atmosphere, and service that's smokin' hot, you can't afford to miss this carnivore's paradise. It's a meat-ing you...

So we had ordered the sausage, burnt ends, and 2 samplers(pulled pork/brisket/2 ribs). The burnt ends surprising not bad felt had a chicharon texture that was just placed into a soup. So still a crunch but soft enough where the crunch doesn't hurt the mouth. A little sweet from the BBQ glaze bit overall rank 4 out of the things we had. The pulled pork was a little dry and a little on the sweet end needing the supplement of BBQ sauce that had to be requested so 5th. The ribs were on the lean end light but also needing the extra BBQ sauce to support it so 6th. We had two distinct pieces of brisket, one where it only had lean meat and we really needed to stab with our fork to pick it up, very dry and very chewy ranked 7th. The brisket with some face rendered on it was pretty good the bark gave it a nice flavor with it being fall apart to the touch of our plastic forks, will say BBQ elevated the taste rather than needing it ranked 3rd. And by golly the sausage was fantastic, the skin was bouncy and crisp on the bite, the cheese inside spurted and oozed from every bite, very well seasoned with a bit of heat from the jalapeño. Bite was so good, I found myself closing my eyes immersing in the harmony of flavors. Will say though when we ordered it was nice and hot, if it was cooler it may have come off too creamy and greasy. So it deserves rank 1. Sausage so good we had to get a second one after finishing our plates to reconfirm. It...