I have never been to this place. Supposedly, the food is very good. I am not much of a BBQ fan though.
The place is called Maurice’s Barbeque. It is a chain of BBQ joints around Lexington, South Carolina, with a rich history of serving good BBQ with heaping helpings of reactionary, old-south politics. Including flying a large confederate flag, and distributing literature from Pastor John Weaver, at some of his reataraunts. He also sells his products to local stores for consumers to buy. Wal-Mart has stopped doing business with him over this. For more details, go to the BBQ and Politics section.
The poll is, would you go to his restaraunt? Have you gone? Would you buy his products at Wal-Mart? Do you think Wal-Mart should sell his products?
My answers:
Yes. I would go eat at his restaraunt. At least once, just to see the craziness for myself. Not being a big BBQ fan, I would not frequent the place often. I do feel he has a right to free speech, and if he truly makes excellent food, why not. Unless none of my friends want to go there. If I were a black man, I may decline as I do not feel I would be very welcome.
No. I would not buy his products at Wal-Mart.
No. I do not think Wal-Mart should sell his products if it does not wish to. Maurice’s thoughts are not necessarily Wal-mart policy. It may be great BBQ, but Maurice himself chose to add the heaping sides of politics.
The food is not very good. I live about 5 blocks from a Maurice’s in Columbia. It is overpriced and dry and the service is not very good. I grew up in GA with real BBQ sauce, not this yellow stuff.
Yet, you have no compunctions about patronizing an establishment that might make a man of color feel “not … very welcome?”
Of late, I have made a vow to patronize (wherever possible) establishments run by good people. Thinly veiled bigotry does not fit in with that definition.
The Georgia state flag (currently being redesigned without the ‘stars and bars’ on it) is a recent invention and arguments for its preservation are nothing but a glorification of the South’s legacy of bigotry and racial intimidation.
Without going through all of Maurice’s tirades, I seem to recall that his organization had undergone heavy boycotting by local minorities and evidently by large chains that used to carry his product as well. While I detest political correctness, I absolutely hate racism. Maurice will be serving Brie and white wine in Hell before he’ll get a dime from me.
I live close to one in Columbia and I don’t give the man a dime and won’t allow my family to either. I have no idea how all those locatioms stay in business.
Nothing wrong with mustard-based sauce, but his barbeque sucks too.
I remember when Walmart stopped carrying it, the boards at thecomplaintstation.com were full of tyrades about how Walmart was violating his “freedom of speech.”
:rolleyes:
I mean, people were all up in arms about this stupid sauce.
I actually ordered some “Maurice’s Piggy Park” que back in the early 1990’s, I think. That was the chopped pork variety. He made a pretty good product. Not great, but pretty good to a guy who has lived in Ohio since 1971 and tries to cajole travelers into bringing back North Carolina style que any chance he gets.
The mustard-based sauce is rather indigenous to a small area of South Carolina around Columbia(about a sixty-five mile radius, according to my 2-ft. shelf of BBQ books). Not to my liking, but ok for what it is.
From what I gather about Mr. Bessinger, his desire to become an empire may have diluted his product.
And, NO, I would not buy from him given his political/social stance.
Then again, after being raised in Texas, they’re not ribs if they aren’t at least a foot long, and it’s not barbecue if it didn’t come from an animal that says, “Moo,” except that one time I had barbecued goat.
I also LOATHE mustard. Thank God nobody ever took me to this place just because of that alone.
Nope, it’s bad enough that I’m subjected to seeing inbreds riding around flying the damn flag on their cars, I’ll not support a business which promotes such a thing. And I’d suggest that fans of BBQ check out this site. It’s ran by a self-described “good Jewish boy” (who, uh, does eat pork, so make of that what you will). I’d rather give him my money than some bigoted red neck any day.
Come to think of it. I take back my willingness to spend any money for that inbred fool (Not that I have had any reason to go to Lexington, S.C.). Although if your treating… I thought of joining the freemasons back at one time, but their racial policies of the time were not to my liking.
I wonder if he treats his black employees as well as that pastor says the slaves were treated? Cradle to grave medical care. Free room and board. Fishing during the off season. Makes antebellum society sound so wonderful if you were a slave (only compared to recent Irish immigrants).
As offensive as it is, I will defend his right to fly a Confederate flag. Slightly used ones should be selling cheap in S.C.
Tuckerfan. There is a not-so-subtle difference between grillin’ and que. which I’m sure you know. Not trying to dis you, just letting other readers know that Raichlen is a griller, not a maker of barbeque.
I’ve picked up some stuff for others before, but I’ve never been myself.
Would you buy his products at Wal-Mart?
If they were decent, sure. But, I’m not a big BBQ eater, so the likelihood is small.
Do you think Wal-Mart should sell his products?
Should? They made a business decision not to. That’s their legal right. No problem there.
I’ve always wanted to sample his food, though. If I ever have an extra belt loop to spare, I’ll take a week to do some research and give an unbiased opinion on the quality or lack thereof. Someone told me that he makes really good hamburgers, although IMO the best (in this town) are/were a close tie between the Salty Nut and the late Rockaway Athletic Club.
He’s primarily a griller, it’s true, but he does do some quein’ as well. Plenty of BBQ recipes from Memphis, ST. Louis, and other quein’ capitals in his books.
