2.5 out of 5 but I can't bring myself to round up.
I made a special trip to 306 after work just to try the bbq. Been hearing about this place for years but it was never super convenient and so a visit never came to fruition. But it wasn't too far out of the way on my drive back from Decatur and 1:30 wasn't quite too late for lunch, and so I came by.
The location is kinda nondescript and the parking lot is a little bumpy -- and very hard to turn left out of when you leave, as I learned. But luckily it wasn't crowded so that made things easier. I got a faint smoke smell on my walk inside but not enough to instill a ton of confidence.
It's fairly spacious inside and the restaurant, including the women's bathroom, looked clean. There was a faint smell that reminded me of, like, a hardware store though, especially in the hallway by the bathroom. I've certainly smelled worse and it wasn't concerning but just kinda odd.
Anyway, I placed my order at the counter for a loaded pork potato, which is my go-to when feeling out a bbq place for the first time. The girl at the register was extra friendly and bubbly and patient with me, so I appreciated that. The self-serve sweet tea I got was fine, and another employee brought my potato to me at the booth where I sat.
It was a large potato, and it looked good, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. The topping ratio was good, but the pork was okay at best -- not fatty or gristley, at least, but pretty dry and not very flavorful or smokey. Even that would've been okay, but unfortunately a cardinal bbq potato sin was committed: the potato was unevenly cooked. My biggest pet peeve in all of bbq potato-land is an uneven/underdone potato. It is so frustrating to be enjoying hot, steamy, buttery soft goodness and then be interrupted abruptly by a crunchy, watery, dense chunk of potato. I hate it so much - it triggers a visceral yuck feeling in me that makes me insane!
After a lot of poking around fork-testing doneness, I made the most of my meal and pitched what remained. What a huge bummer! One other thing that bears mentioning is that the whole time I was eating, I could hear several staff members loudly complaining about and bad-mouthing a fellow employee who wasn't present. I get it, honestly, and I'm far from above some occasional gossip, but this conversation went on almost the entire time I was eating and it didn't give the best vibe ever.
Unfortunately, this is not the new barbeque hookup for me. On the bright side, I can consider my curiosity sated. read more