Mark A. D.
Yelp
I am from Tennessee. I love everything about barbeque - the tastes, the smells, the spices, and the rich history that comes with it. It is the quintessential flavor of summertime. I'm also a Black man. I am thoroughly proud to support nearly any Black-owned, Black-operated business. Unfortunately, I was thoroughly underwhelmed and disappointed from beginning to end with BaseHit - from the food to the service. Allow me to retell my experience on June 23, 2020.
As a bit of background, I am an attorney working from home. I order delivery food so as to minimize the amount of time diverted from my matters during the day.
On BaseHit's website, you can place an online order for either takeout or delivery. It is, to be fair, laid out well, gives you an estimated time of delivery, and it even sends you a text to identify that your order has been accepted. This background is important to this story.
At 12:56 pm CT, I called the restaurant attempting to get clarification prior to using the aforementioned online ordering system; I also asked whether slabs of ribs were available (I was told it would be another hour). At 1:01 pm CT, I ordered the food online, received a confirmation email, and even received the confirmatory texts. The food was slated for delivery between 1:31 pm and 1:55 pm CT. I note that the confirmatory texts telling me that a) I would receive texts regarding order status and b) my order was accepted by BaseHit were the only texts I would receive at this point.
At 2:42 pm CT, I call the restaurant, wondering where the food is. I call BaseHit for them to tell me that they, in fact, only use UberEats or GrubHub for delivering food (despite the entire delivery apparatus existing on their website, through which I made, paid for, and confirmed my order; it even asked for my address to ascertain the delivery area). This required me to leave my work (after over an hour past when the food was supposed to be delivered at the low estimate) and drive over to the restaurant.
When I arrive, I saw an unprofessional scene. A group of four - an adult and three ostensibly teenagers - just sitting at a table in the front parlor. Just sitting, like customers, kicking it. I called ahead to let the person know the issue. The woman says, we only use the two delivery services I mentioned. When I ask about the delivery apparatus on the website, she has few answers. For my troubles, I received $2.00 - the amount of the delivery fee (for the delivery the restaurant does not, in fact, perform - but makes available on their website).
It was not until 6:34 pm CT that I received a text saying the order is on its way. From where, and by whom, who knows?
As to the actual taste...blah. A rather basic sauce, no ostensible spices or seasoning on the chicken or rib tips I ordered. The greens were, however, a good side.
*Bonus*: over two hours after I called originally, there were STILL no ribs. The adult-in-charge stated it would be another 20 minutes.
OVERALL: it is, unfortunately, what I should have expected from a Chicago barbeque joint. It doesn't have the history, the professionalism, or the dedication to that real family spirit that places like Memphis, St. Louis, anywhere in North or South Carolina or Austin, TX would bring. Just another "BBQ" restaurant slinging listless meat and sauce about. For those that know barbeque, I have yet to taste anything that compares to what I could get at home or in anyone's local cookout.
As a supporter of Black businesses, however, I would love to be proven wrong.