Fat Buddies Ribs & Barbecue — Restaurant in Waynesville

Let me begin with I am an absolute bbq connoisseur. I enjoy bbq and have had bbq from many places. I was in a neighboring town and drove a good distance to go to this restaurant. I was excited to try it as it had lots of positive reviews. My wife and I both were not very hungry but wanted to to try a couple sandwiches. One being pulled pork and the other brisket. We knew what we wanted before we went into the restaurant. We were greeted and sat down almost immediately. It was Monday afternoon and they were not to busy. Once we were seated my excitement quickly diminished. The waitress whose name I believe is summer came to the table and asked what we would like to drink. I replied with water as did my wife. She asked if we needed some time with the menu and we stated we did not as we just wanted to try a couple of sandwiches. One being the pulled pork and the other the brisket. I did state we were from out of town and just stopping through and didn’t want to much as we were traveling. The waitress then suggested something else which we were not interested in. Again we said we wanted the pulled pork and brisket sandwich. The waitress then said it would be more cost effective to order a platter which has more food which we didn’t want. We asked for the 2 sandwiches again and stated that’s all we wanted. She was persistent that the platter was more cost effective(it was $26). The sandwiches were 9.99 each on the menu. So in my mind that’s $20 so no big deal. But we weren’t looking for cost savings. We wanted 2 sandwiches no more no less. She did state that they do come with sides. So I ordered the okra and my wife ordered the home made Mac and cheese. As we were finishing up I said thank you to the waitress which she did not respond to. I was being kind to the waitress. I did feel as if her suggestion was more of a sales pitch to buy more than we wanted though. She was persistent that we order what she suggested even though it would have cost more than what what we did order. That was the last we seen of her until it was time to pay. Another server brought out the food and it was cold. The okra was cold and the breading was falling off because it was soaked in oil. The brisket was dry and cold. And the pulled pork was cold as well. The buns were not warmed at all either. I was very disappointed in the service and food. I drank all my water and the waitress never came and asked if we needed a refill. We were done eating for some time and the waitress walked by multiple times and didn’t even look in our direction to see if we were fine. We sat there for several minutes with the plates stacked up nicely and cups empty before she finally came back to actually check on us. Mind you she had cleaned the table next to us and gave the people the check but didn’t pay any attention to us. When she came to the table she stated she didn’t even realize we had gotten our food already. She gave us our bill and walked away. I do a lot of traveling and feel like this is a place I’d never visit again. As far as the food goes I don’t think it was fresh which I understand bbq can be cooked hours earlier and kept warm all day which will hinder its warmth. But this was unacceptable to be honest. My bill was $24(they add a fee for card payments) and I even left the waitress a $7 tip. Because I believe in tipping properly even when service sucks. I’ll leave off with this. I can’t believe I drove 45 minutes one way to...

I came here October 2 , 2021 with my family after my youngest niece got married . We were a group of approximately 20 . We were gonna go to another restaurant , but they couldn't accommodate us due to staff shortage and open tables , as another place we called said the same thing . We waited outside for like 30 minutes due to they were busy at the time and they could put us all together at a big table on the right side , which we understood and didn't have a problem waiting on it . My son , his wife , and I walked around the shopping center till it was time to meet up with everyone .

The last time I came here was late September 2019 with my sister and my niece . We all had the pulled pork sandwich and it was okay , but I have had much better . I went to 5 bbq places on that 2 week trip and it was my number 4 for pulled pork . This time I got the ribs , fries , beans , and a piece of Garlic Texas Toast . I don't know why they don't give you cornbread instead of Garlic Texas Toast in a bbq place in the Carolinas . I also got Sweet Tea .

Of course since we were a big crowd , we knew the service would be a little slow to accommodate all 20 of us and it definitely was slow even for our drink orders . The waitresses were friendly though . Overall , everyone didn't seem to be too excited about the food except my brother-in-law who really liked his steak . My ribs were nothing to shout about and even with additional sauce , it just wasn't there . They looked better than they tasted . It was like they were missing something for the flavor . They were cooked properly . The beans were pretty good .

Overall , we were happy to get a place for all of us to eat and talk and celebrate her wedding . In the area there doesn't seem to be many bbq places close by except I know there is one in Maggie Valley and my sister said it is not good . I like the NASCAR and barn decor and everyone seemed pretty nice , just the food is just kind of bland . They also offer a Military Discount...

I've been here a handful of times, a year or two in between each visit. I ate here just last week and was reminded of why I don't come back until I've forgotten about it. The food here... is more or less just incredibly subpar. I had brisket and my partner had a half chicken... our 'hot' sides were served somewhere between lukewarm and room temperature, and tasted like someone just poured them out of a metal tin into a ramekin. They weren't good... they weren't really even ok... and they certainly weren't worth the money (except for the kraft Mac and cheese, which we knew was going to be boxed, which we would never hold against a restaurant since they advertise that it is what it is- but it didn't have to be served at room temp too.). The only thing on the plate that was okay was the meat. While it wasn't great, it wasn't bad- both chicken and brisket were cooked well and tasted alright, despite also being room temperature. The restaurant itself is incredibly poorly lit and very outdated feeling, despite the theme being like... countryside farm- and while I like the rustic barn appearance, I don't enjoy being crammed in to the restaurant to fill booths right after covid like a heard of cattle. We were seated next to a party of 20+ and several other tables besides, and couldn't even hear ourselves think. In a similar vein, none of the serving staff that we saw seemed to be able to keep their masks above their noses- which is rather concerning given they are handling people's food...

If you are looking for some good barbecue, I suggest looking somewhere else. If you're looking for a meal that tastes cheap but somewhat resembles barbecue at regular restaurant prices, then this is your...