The Rib Crib Offers Quality Food, Superior Service By Athiel Estrada of the Branson Daily News

Fearless, daring, clear and distinct. These are all adjectives that define what bold means. The Rib Crib Barbecue Restaurant is where bold began. The restaurant offers superior yet "distinctive" barbecue, a "fearless" approach to quality, and they "dare" you to find better customer service. It is clearly the best overall choice for Barbecue in Branson – period.

You will certainly have a bold experience here, and that is a good thing. A rustic wood and stone structure reminiscent of an old western ranch is combined with a modern and relaxing touch to create a distinct atmosphere. A cozy and comfortable interior awaits you when you first walk in this restaurant. The walls are decorated with beautiful western paintings from cowboys to buffaloes, as well as cowboy boots, western apparel and tools. The ceiling is adorned with real antler chandeliers, and dim lights. Subtle neon signs that say things like "Get Saucy" are also part of the room's decor.

The dining area is wide open with booths and tables that offer a clear view to the kitchen. This is one of only a few restaurants where you can see the people that prepare your food.

From the moment you step through the door you are greeted nicely by the hostess who, along with every single employee, are all smiles and happy to see you. It is no secret here that finding the right people to assist you is something they take seriously and it shows by the outstanding service you receive there.

I asked General Manager Chris Gaines what bold meant. "It is our culture – bold quality and bold service," he said. "We take pride in offering very good food at good value in a casual atmosphere. Also, because of the way we prepare food, we can do this in half the time that other restaurants do.”

So how can they accomplish this? Well, Rib Crib slow cooks its beef, pork and chicken over a gas-fired rotisserie smoker that burns hickory wood, throughout the day. So, when you get there, your food won’t take long because it has been cooking for hours at a low temperature. They offer ten different options of meats that are prepared this way.

All these meats are prepared well done before they go onto your plate. However, I noticed some of the meats looked pink. "When people see their meat pink, sometimes they think is not cooked correctly," Gaines said. "It is a common misconception. In fact, a sign of great smoked meat is the pink color around the outside. This is a characteristic of smoked meat. We use only 100-percent split green hickory for smoking our meats."

Rib Crib is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Lunch recommendations:

The Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich is delicious. What really makes it special is Rib Crib's own Carolina Mustard BBQ sauce.
The Crispy Chicken Ranch Salad is fresh greens loaded with golden chicken tenders, served with ranch dressing.

The BBQ sandwich offers ten different combinations of meat to choose from. This choice is a win-win situation.

Dinner Recommendations:

Smoking Chicken Nachos or the Potato Skins are good appetizers, unless you are by yourself because of the large portion sizes. They are ideal to share.
The award-winning ribs are a no-brainer. The St. Louis Ribs made the restaurant famous and you can have as many as you want on Tuesday nights. The Baby Back Ribs are tender and meaty.

The Rib Crib Combo, offers the best of both worlds – two St. Louis ribs and a half a rack baby backs.

The Boneless Chicken is hickory smoked and super tender for those who don¹t want ribs.
All of the dinners come with any two of the nine side items from the menu.
Bottles of both mild and hot sauce are on the tables and customers are invited to sample each. They are sweet and spicy. However they are not a necessity on these smoky, tender and meaty items.

If you love BBQ or not, there is no question that your experience will be a memorable one. So get bold and try the Rib Crib. I dare you.

The Lunch Time Round-UP is Rib Crib’s newest lunch promotion. Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rib Crib offers a lunch with a drink for under $6.59. You can choose from all their smoked meats or wonderful wraps.

Every Tuesday night, from 5 p.m. to close, throughout the year you can come to the Rib Crib and enjoy all-you-can-eat St. Louis Ribs and all-you-can-eat sides.

"The nice thing about Tuesdays is you can have all the St. Louis ribs and all the sides you want, but your server brings you everything," General Manager Chris Gaines said. "So, it’s sort of like a buffet, but we do all the work."

Rib Crib’s catering services also sets it apart from your average restaurant. They can cater any large group you can think of with moderate notice. The best part is the affordability and the flexibility. The menu offers many different options to choose from and it does not matter how big your group is.

"We have done wedding rehearsals, family reunions, holiday parties, etc" Gaines said. "In addition, we have many amenities to choose from and we do all of the work. We deliver to most places or we can arrange for places to have events catered with us doing all the work."

For catering questions and orders call (417) 337-RIBS and ask for catering services.

Rib Crib. Where Bold Began.

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