Rudy's Country Store & Bar-B-Q

Company Information: Just a short drive out of the city, nestled in the little town of Leon Springs, you'll find some of the best barbecue in this part of the state. Rudy's is housed in what resembles an old country store and the rows of picnic tables inside and out of the restaurant are filled with diners almost any time of day. After dining, wander through the general store to stock up on snacks. You can even fill up your gas tank outside.

Hours of Operation: Su-Th 10:30am-10pm, F & Sa 10:30am-10:30pm

Categories: Steak Houses, Convenience Stores, Barbecue Restaurants, Restaurants, American Restaurants, Gas Stations

1. 
   User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

   by buckeye steve

   09/18/2008

   i am from columbus ohio and my friends and i start and end our football season with rudys rub and bbq sauce think you rudy steve solomon ohio state fan

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2. 
   User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

   by lanisluvinlife

   07/10/2008

   I am a huge fan of BBQ and Rudy's hits the spot! When my mom came out, from California, I had to bring her! She, to, loved it! She loved the fact that evrything is served on butcher paper with a loaf of ultra soft bread, the open smokers, the stacks of mesquite and the picknic ambiance all around the place. Naturally, we had to purchase the rub and BBQ sauce and yes, she uses it on everything that is meat:)
   Unfortunately I had to move back to socal and so far I have not found a decent BBQ place. I especially miss Rudy's but I know we'll be visiting San Antonio and you can bet I'm gonna stock up on sauce and rub!!
   Absolutely miss you guys:(

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   Comments (1)

   buckeye steve - 09/18/08
   i am from columbus ohio i just order my rub and sauce and get it ups

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3. 
   User Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

   by SA visitor

   07/05/2008

   Unforgivable...
   
   We've eaten many times at Rudy's near our home in Austin TX, and have always enjoyed the experience. So when we got the chance to eat at the Mother Ship, the original Rudy's in Leon Springs, we jumped. We were excited. We were going to see the operation that sets the standard which all the other Rudy's locations have to live up to! Right?
   
   Actually, wrong. A big fat wrong.
   
   We arrived on a Tuesday evening around 7. Pulled right into a parking space near the front door. Looking around, we saw that there were plenty of empty tables available. Typical Tuesday night, not that busy. So why was there a line out the door? And why did it move so slowly that I could feel the grass growing under my feet?
   
   This wasn't the Rudy's we knew. The one we know (in Austin) has long lines too. But they have a well-oiled order-taking, BBQ-cooking machine behind their counter, and that line moves FAST. They get you through the line and seated with your piping hot BBQ with an efficiency that makes Dell Computer look like a Mom & Pop hobbyist shop.
   
   Meanwhile in Leon Springs, we waited over an HOUR to place our order amidst a typical Tuesday night crowd. What the frak was the going on? That's where it gets unbelievable.
   
   I'm sure everyone's been out to a restaurant and ordered a dish, only to be told that they're out of that particular item. "No problem, I'll have the peach pie instead of the apple pie." That
   sort of thing.
   
   Now, how about this. Being told by a "premier" BBQ joint that "We're out of ribs (both kinds), out of brisket, and out of chicken." I am not making this up. A BBQ joint that runs out of BBQ at 7pm! Is this insane? All they had to offer me was turkey and sausage. (The person
   in front of me snagged that last half-rack of ribs I had my eye on.)
   
   The scene was comical. There was the meat carver, behind the order takers, presiding over a nearly bare carving table, and staring into space. She had maybe 4 links and a single turkey breast in front of her. I had to snicker to myself as I read their sign proudly trumpeting "WE ARE A MEAT MARKET".
   
   No wonder the line had been moving so slowly. A lot of people ahead of us had been forced to wait for meat to finish cooking. And it probably wasn't even the type of meat they had set their hearts on. It was like the customers were a line of paupers being forced to fight over the few remaining scraps of food.
   
   I don't have to tell you we were seriously disappointed, and plan to warn people away from this place until we see some evidence that these clowns have gotten their act together.

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   Comments (6)

   Roberto Sanchez - 09/06/08
   Sounds like your jealous Austin boy! You got there too late! If you were a local or had local friends you would have known they would have run out of ribs by 7 PM! Everyone knows that! Don't blame the place because you showed up late and didn't get the piece of meat you wanted. Most of the people who work at Rudy's are minorities and it is very offensive that you call them "clowns" at the end of your review. Please quit insulting all people of Mexican descent. It is appalling that you continue to bad mouth eating establishments that you know nothing about. It is insulting to Hispanics, Latinos, and all minorities! Please quit it!

   Kevin - 09/07/08
   Is the tourist or carpetbagger from Austin serious???? Of course you need to visit Rudy's early in order to get the meat selections you want. He must not be from Texas and know how this works because there's no excuse for that type of behavior if you're a true Texan. What a joke!

   SA visitor - 09/07/08
   Roberto, pardon me, but "clown" is one of the most mild, good-natured put-downs I can think of. It even has a tongue-in-cheek quality to it. If I use the word to someone's face (which I've been known to do when I'm harmlessly irritated about something they did), I usually get a chuckle or at least a smile in return. I stand by my view that it is unprofessional (and therefore "clownish") for a restaurant to remain open if 80% of its menu items are gone. (It wasn't just the ribs; re-read my review.) Just close the doors and say "sorry folks, that's all for tonight!". And not "everybody" knew this was supposed to happen, despite your smug claim. There were about 60-70 other people in line with me waiting for the non-existent food. Your attempt to turn my restaurant review into some big overblown racial/ethnic issue is totally inappropriate and completely unwelcome. Take your views over to a political forum; they have no place here.

   BMiller - 09/09/08
   Wow. SA Visitor really went off. I don't think calling people "clowns" is nice. You state that you call people "clowns" to their face? You expect the restaurant to close down if they don't offer all the items on the menu? I admit they should have at least comped you some free grub but closing the place might be a little drastic. A more level headed approach might be needed when looking at the situation but calling people "clowns" is just not professional or good manners.

   Roberto Sanchez - 09/09/08
   SA Visitor is offending all the hard working people at Rudy's. Rudy's does a lot of good in the community. SA Tourist I bet you didn't know that they donate food to the homeless, offer discounts to our men and women in military uniform, and provide scholarship money to our children. For your information, "clown" is highly offensive to me and the other Latinos you have insulted. "Payoso", "Patan", "Hombre Zafio" are not words to be directed at the hardworking people at Rudy's. Your blatant attack on all minorities there is sickening, unappropiate, and offensive. I don't need to go to any forum. However, you do need to take cultural awareness classes and learn something about the Hispanic people you denigrate. Enough! Please just quit it!

   SA visitor - 09/09/08
   Roberto, that's wonderful that Rudy's does all that good work. And I was not upset at the hard working people who served me there. They were quite kind and patient in the face of a difficult situation which was not their fault. That certainly deserves to be said to balance some of the negativity in my original review. To Rudy's management, though, I ask what I think is very fair question: seeing that business is so good, why don't you just buy more meat??? I can say with certainty that Rudy's lost a lot of business that night because of people in line leaving to go to some other restaurant. That's not good for anybody: Rudy's employees, their customers, or the charities they support. I apologize to anyone I've offended regarding the word "clown". I've already explained that my intention in using that word was benign. Years ago I worked a 7-year stint in Minnesota where the word was commonly used in a good-natured way by my co-workers, and it became part of my vocabulary. Unfortunately I now see that "clown" is a loaded word to many people, so I'm going to be a lot more careful about using it in the future. I wish online communication could better convey spirit, tone of voice, and facial expressions.

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