Last wednesday long time Greeley restaurant Bubba's Bar-B-Que closed. The IRS seized Bubba's due to unpaid taxes. To many local residents this wasn't a surprise. Bubba's had been trying to re-invent itself for some time with a redecorated interior and a bar.
For me there were three reasons why Bubba's ultimately failed. The first was pricing. Bubba's was a buffet and not particularly cheap. The problem was nothing on the menu was much cheaper than the buffet. It wasn't a place where I could stop and get a $5.00 quick lunch. In fact, everytime I ever went to Bubba's I came out stuffed – which brings us to the second cause for failure. Bubba's encouraged patrons to partake in their 'all-you-can-eat' buffet. For many of us who are attempting to watch our wieght, buffets are a large temptation. Personally, I avoided Bubba's for that very reason. The final reason fo Bubba's demise was the food. I love BBQ and used to love Bubba's, but over the last few years the quality of the food just wasn't there. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. The combination of (at least percieved) higher prices, lower quality and the temptation to gorge myself made me avoid Bubba's. I probably hadn't been in there twice over the last 12 months and appearantly most Greeley residents hadn't either.
So, while Bubba's is gone, but RJ's is back!
RJ's BBQ opened last spring in the old Dunkin Donuts building on 10th St. While the Barbeque was good, and the prices OK, the parking, seating and service languished. A couple months ago they closed, but last week they re-opened. Now they are across the street in the old Qdoba location. Not only that, but they also have a lunch sandwich special with a 10 minute guarantee. Looks like they are trying to fix some problems.
I hear many Greeley residents complain about big chains moving in and small businesses being pushed out. While this is true to a degree, sometimes it's also just time for businesses to change. The BBQ restaurants in Greeley are in flux right now, and while we've lost Bubba's we have gained RJ's. Let's all get out and support them.