40 Minute BBQ

Eli’s BBQ owns Dunedin, FL.

I was driving through downtown Dunedin this afternoon and almost ran off the road when I noticed an extremely long line of people standing outside “Eli’s Bar-B-Que.” The building is nothing more than a brick shack off the side of a busy street. There is no parking lot. Instead mulch is laid down in certain areas to cover up mud, yet there was a traffic jam of people trying to pull in.

I had to try this place. As I walked up to the BBQ hut I started counting the people waiting in line…22 people were in front of me. I turned and looked at the sign and Eli’s hours are Friday & Saturday 11am-6pm.

That’s it? This guy is open 14 hours a week on two days? But people are coming in droves to get a taste of his BBQ? No marketing, no signage, no logo, no advertising, but possibly one of the strongest brands around. It’s all word of mouth. His menu is printed on a white piece of paper and is taped to the side of the building and most items cost between $4.50 and $7.00.

The guy in front of me comes every Friday and Saturday (for the past 10 years) and picks up food for himself and his roommate. The couple in front of him are from Michigan, when they visit Florida they always make sure to visit Eli’s.

I started to realize over my 30 minute wait in line that this is a BBQ restaurant phenomenon. Speaking of the wait, no one seemed to care. Can you imagine waiting 30 minutes in line at Panera? Would you even wait 30 minutes for a table at your favorite restaurant? Everyone in this line, though, was thrilled to be there and as I moved up more and more people got in line behind me.

The only answer is that his food had to be unbelievable. Finally, I got to the front and ordered a Pulled Pork Sandwich, after ordering I moved to another line of waiting for my food to be ready. Total wait time from end of line to food in mouth? 40 minutes.

Was it worth it? Yes. I opened up my to go container (that is all he serves his food in) and looked upon the most amazing pulled pork I have ever seen. Every single bite was moist, soft and flavorful.

After this enlightening BBQ experience it's likely I won't be able to go eat at any other BBQ place around. Forget Smokey Bones, it doesn't stand a chance against this place.