[BERNIETHEK]

Yesterday, 22 Apr, my boss wanted to thank me a little extra after a tough tax season and took me to Joe's BBQ for lunch.  It's not my favorite place but I was happy with it because I was in the mood for ribs, slaw and their home made root beer.  What a disappointment.  The ribs must have been left over from the night before because they where over done and loaded with sauce.  I guess if you like your ribs where the meat falls off the bone then it may have been OK.  The slaw was tasteless but the root bear was the only good part of the meal.  Maybe just a bad day at Joe's but I won't hurry back.

[BrianL]

Last few times I've been to Joe's it has sucked.  As time goes on it seems like they put out more and more poorly cooked meat.  I went by there last week and their brisket was so bad I was considering throwing it away.  The first couple years they were open the quality was pretty good, but my guess is that in an effort to handle more customers and keep costs low, they are cutting corners. 

[ddog27]

Really? Wow. Joe's was one of my favorite places to eat BBQ. I have not been there in a while, I am sad to hear this.

[BrianL]

So...to follow up on the crappy experiences I've had lately at Joe's...

I ended up posting a review on another site and said that I had some bad experiences with the quality of meat lately.  One of the owners contacted me and offered to make it right and wanted me to give them another shot.  I took them up on it and this time, the brisket was awesome.  I have to give them some major props on the level of service they have and how much they seem to care about customer experience.  Even if it may not be the absolute best BBQ around, it's pretty easy to recognize that they care about BBQ. 

On a side note...When I went there last night, I decided to buy a bottle of their rub ($4.05 with tax...not a bad price).  Not sure if anyone else has tried it, but IMO, it's really heavy on the onion flavor...which I kind of like, but it caught me off guard.

[Mike (AZBarbeque)]

Brian, glad to hear they made it right for you, that's what BBQ is all about.  Everyone can have a bad day or a bad Brisket, so I'm glad that you were able to get a good one last night.

[Crash]

I think that says a lot about Joe's BBQ.  Props to them for making it right.

[Cornbred]

That's really COOL you gave it another shot!!! as a restaurant owner it's what you have to do. it's difficult to only hear the negative things about your place. so when someone posts a positive message and gives you a verbal compliment it feels GOOD!

[Spr0ckEt]

At Joe's I had the brisket, pork ribs, and pulled pork.  Like yours, the brisket was a little dry but, the pulled pork was pretty good.  Very sweet. 

As far as reviews, I never tell a BBQ joint that I write reviews.  I DON't want special service, I want what they give everyone.  The fact that they contacted you to make it up to you is quite commendable.  After a recent experience and review of mine in Snowflake (trying not to remember too much, bleh.) the owner offered me a redo.  I was pretty impressed but, I have had a hard time getting up there recently.

[force]

They are good people..... he just sold his coffee plantation business....

[Lizard333]

That's a real a bummer...  Between Joe's and Dillons, I don't go to many places down there in Phoenix. I used to do a lot of work in mesa when I lived down there, and we used to make it a point to hit Joe's at least three times a week.  That really sucks that stuff may be going down hill.  I can remember going in at lunch, and if you weren't there right when the doors opened, you were in a line....  Not to bad, the food was worth it, and nobody seemed to mind.  Shame to here about this....  I think I am going to go cry now now. 

[Mike (AZBarbeque)]

Tom & I actually met Joe today.  What a great guy.  We were over at his new place across the street having a meeting and he came in and saw our trucks and shirts and came over to talk with us.

We got to talking and he took us over and gave us a tour complete with some great sample tastings of his BBQ Restaurant.  It was a great experience.

They have a great setup and everything is very well organized.  There were lots of people in both restaurant and we really felt honored that he took time away from them to talk with us.

Told him about AZBarbeque and he seemed very interested, so hopefully we get Joe's onboard as one of our great Club/site sponsors.

They said they were also interested in possibly helping to put on a BBQ cook-off there in downtown Gilbert and would even compete if we were able to get that arranged.  Could be a great venue..

[Crash]

Sounds awesome.  Shows a lot of class for him to approach you guys and invite you on the back stage tour.

[azkitch]

Right ON!

[Mark]

Speaking of Joe's, I just got this email. I thought you'd all get a kick out of Joe's legend growing before our eyes.
New Mensa Event Sept 21, 5:00 PM - GILBERT BBQ MONDAY at Joe's Real Barbeque, 301 N. Gilbert Rd., NE corner of Gilbert and Page in downtown Gilbert (suburban Phoenix). No alcohol, but great barbeque sauce; look for the M. Google the restaurant name for more information on this fine establishment that has been serving barbeque here for 100 years. .