Kyle S.
Yelp
Horrible.
First, I rarely give a poor review. Much less to a much loved (to me, at least) local institution. This review is based upon my last two visits, one a year ago, the other last night. I forget what I disliked about my earlier visit, but I assumed it must have been an outlier. Could have been a bad night for the staff. But I'm a live and let live kinda guy. Had a craving for some BBQ yesterday. Purchased a "combo" dinner, with beef and pork ribs, sauce on the side. $24 or so.
We laughed when we saw the beef ribs. One of them was almost entirely bare. For kicks I scraped off anything that was not bone, and weighed it on the kitchen scale. 1.6 ounces. Mind you, that's 1.6 oz of beef, char, fat and gristle, in no particular order. Which coincidentally is identical to the weight of a McDonald's patty, pre-cooked, or Pit Stop's current average rating (below). The other bone looked marginally meatier, and when I weigh its meat content, I will update this review if it significantly improves.
The pork quantity was adequate, but IT HAD TO BE CUT WITH A STEAK KNIFE. What ever happened to "so tender, it just slips off the bone?..." It was rubbery and tough. Perhaps this was because I arrived early in the shift? Not my issue--if you're open, your product should be cooked. Maybe I was getting something reheated from the previous week (my order was on a Thursday late afternoon). Dunno, I hope not.
Other reviewers have noted a downward trend. I will attempt a rudimentary trend analysis. First twenty yelp ratings for this establishment vs. last twenty:
Oldest star ratings: 3,4,4,5,5,5,3,4,4,4,4,5,5,5,5,5,4,3,2,5. Average 4.2*
Newest star ratings: 1,1,2,1,2,1,2,1,4,2,1,2,4,1,5,1,3,1,1,5. Average 1.85*
Incidentally, what was once a sort of a ramshackle "charm" waiting area now looks like the "office" you go to in a 1960's vintage gas station to pay your inspection sticker, minus the Field and Streams, 3 year old calendar, and possibly a dirty ashtray or two. But I'm sure if I went digging...
Guys, if copy-catters from Weymouth are cleaning your clock on BBQ, you've lost focus. I'll be back when you get your act together.