Barbeque Street - Help My Yelp Update - Open or Closed?

In this Help my Yelp episode, Monti visits Barbeque Street in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Barbeque Street is a family-oriented town just 30 miles outside of Atlanta.

It is owned by Malcom Wood and Don Jenson.

The locals love their low and slow barbecue.

They have almost 50 nearby barbecue places.

Barbecue Street once had an awesome five-star rating on Yelp but now it’s dropped to just three stars.

Malcom says that their signature dishes at Barbeque Street are baby back ribs, green beans, and catfish.

Don says that guest numbers are way down.

He says that when they first started, they were the barbeque place because there were no other barbecue places around.

Malcom says that people would come from all over the place to eat with them.

This restaurant has around 150 seats.

They can’t even fill one sitting on the restaurant right now.

Monti says that this spells death if you can’t fill the restaurant twice in one evening.

Right now, they are around 35% lower on revenue.

Their Yelp reviews are declining.

Don says it would be a heartbreak if they closed.

Monti tries some of the barbeque and tries some of the sides.

The beans were overcooked and need salt.

Monti says that their next step is to get the surveillance set up.

She plans to invite some elite Yelp reviewers in to check out the place.

They will taste the food and talk about how they would rate this restaurant.

They are about to find out what real customers have to say about Barbeque Street.

The Yelp reviewers order their food.

The ribs are microwaved.

Don and Malcolm are stuck in the Dark ages when it comes to kitchen prep.

It’s ruining their food and cutting into their business.

Monti says that it can be difficult to hear criticism.

However, you can’t fix a problem until you know what the problem is.

The catfish was too tough and too fishy.

The ribs were tough, greasy and seemed stale.

Don says that this has to be an honest take and thinks that the reviewers are right.

Don and Malcom haven’t updated their kitchen in around 20 years.

If they don’t start appealing to current tastes and update their flavors and techniques, the competition is going to win .

Monti says they have a lot of work to do and she is excited to get started.

Monti shows them a better recipe for their green beans.

She shows them how to make their catfish fillet with more finesse.

Monti wants their ribs to be the best in all of Georgia.

She has invited her friend, Robby Royal, to come down and show them good ribs.

Robby Royal is the Georgia Barbeque Association’s team of the year, pork team of the year, and rib team of the year grand champion.

Taking control over the smoker is going to help to improve their business.

Together Monti and Robby give Don and Malcom some tips on improving their Barbecue.

Don and Malcom are running Barbeque Street with a ton of new directives.

Don says that the previous day was one of his toughest days in life.

The next day, he is really optimistic about the changes that they have made.

Monti is sending another group of Yelp reviewers to see how well the changes are received.

Monti says they are doing everything right so far.

The green beans are not overly mushy.

However, Malcom tells a cook to use the microwave.

This is despite Monti saying that they will not be using the microwaves.

If Barbeque Street keeps using their microwave, the disaster will continue.

Malcom says that some of the changes they made that day were outstanding.

Monti tells them about the Yelp reviewers that came in that day.

She reads them the reviews and they are much better.

Don says that this is almost unbelievable with the changes that they have made.

Monti believes if they keep increasing their fresh techniques and new recipes, they’re going to give their competition a run for their money.

Don says as a token of their appreciation, they will pack the microwaves up and send them to Monti’s home.

Don says he is just kidding.

What Happened Next at Barbeque Street?

Two months later, Barbeque Street’s overall Yelp rating has increased by half a star.

Rib sales have doubled.

Don is now the full-time pitmaster.

Barbeque Street closed in 2019.

Their Yelp Reviews didn't improve after the show.

They had a 3.5 star rating by the time they closed.

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