David H.
Yelp
I have been eating at Moe's Original BBQ in Cullman, AL regularly (2 to 4 times a month) since they opened in 2013 (with the exception of the portion of the pandemic in 2020 and early 2021 before vaccines were readily available). One thing that has been true the entire time is, their food is generally very decent, even downright good at times. They also have a somewhat small but decent selection of draft and bottled beer at reasonable prices. Another plus is, their draft beer is typically served in chilled glass mugs - as it should be. Pitchers of draft are also available. When things started returning to normal in mid-2021, I gave Moe's a 4-star review.
For as long as Moe's has been at this location, they have routinely run out of things, especially their "today's sides". It was irritating to go to the ordering window and be told "I'm sorry, but we're out of that", even though it was still listed on the easily erasable chalkboard menu at the ordering window. I complained about them being out of things so often, and I was told that because they only serve the freshest food, they don't cook large quantities that might have to sit around for a while before being served. Sounds good in theory, but I've never noticed food seeming stale/old at other BBQ restaurants that are rarely out of menu items.
This tendency to run out of sides seemed to be much improved when I resumed dining out in May of 2021. But things have steadily gone downhill at Moe's since then. Now, if you're going there expecting to eat chicken fingers, catfish fingers, chicken wings, french fries, or any number of other things on any given day, then you may need to have a plan B, or even a plan C. I rarely order their pulled BBQ pork (the one thing they usually seem to have) because, IMO, it's mediocre at best.
My visit to Moe's on 02/05/2022 was, as the idiom goes, "the straw that broke the camel's back". At 18:30 they were out of chicken fingers, catfish fingers, and no fries to go with the sides-only order I was contemplating at that point. I decided to go back to my table and finish my beer and leave. Before I left, there were two groups of people at the ordering window that eventually turned around and walked out for obvious reasons.
I'm not willing to entertain the idea that this might all be due to supply chain issues, or I would be seeing the same things at other BBQ restaurants which I've eaten at during this same time. Sure, any restaurant will eventually run out of something due to circumstances beyond their control. But to routinely be out of multiple items.... poor management is a much more plausible explanation.
In addition to all of the above, this was the fourth week that the ONE-PERSON men's restroom has had no lock on the door. It used to have a lock, but it's missing. IT'S NOT THAT DIFFICULT TO PUT A NEW LOCK ON A DOOR! It's bad enough that the restroom is a one-person restroom in the first place, but to have no lock on the door is completely disrespectful of patrons. It's the kind of thing you might expect in a lower-class bar, but not a BBQ restaurant....or at least, that's what Moe's calls itself. This is also clearly about management.
I've been fond of this little bar (oops, I meant restaurant) since they opened. They have a good location and a nice atmosphere overall. But there are several easily fixable shortcomings that keep them from getting a great review. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things will finally improve. And if they do improve, so will this review.
