The Good:  A good amount of food, a great sauce, and fall off the bone pulled pork.
The Bad:  Prices for a full meal may be too expensive on a regular basis on a college student’s budget.

Barbeque is a food that may seem easy to make, but is definitely very hard to perfect.  Shane’s Rib Shack has nearly flawless barbeque, as their pulled pork sandwiches and ribs are some of the best I have ever tasted. 

Shane’s has two locations near the University area: one in the Grand Promenade Village II on Ken Hoffman Dr., and the other near North Lake Mall on Center Lake Dr.  The Grand Promenade location was opened three years ago, and is quite convenient to students and staff on campus.

Shane’s is considered a “fast casual” restaurant, and is one of the fastest growing chains in the United States.  Founded in 2002 in McDonough, Ga., Shane’s currently has 65 locations.

Shane’s has been able to experience this success by offering a great product, reasonable prices, and quick service.

Shane’s menu is built around the featured sauce, which is a secret recipe formulated by the founder’s great grandfather.  The original sauce is a sweet mixture with just a little bit of kick.  The sauce works great on everything from pulled pork sandwiches, chicken fingers, and fries.

While most meals will cost anywhere between $10 -15, the amount of food received seems well worth the investment.

The sampler plate is composed of two chicken fingers, a quarter rack of ribs, pulled pork, and two sides.  For around $9, this probably represents the best deal at Shane’s.  
Seeing that Shane’s is in fact a rib shack, it is no surprise that they take great pride in their titled product.  While the rib’s flavor was spot on, I thought that the texture was a little on the chewy side.

Another one of Shane’s featured products is the “Big Dad,” which is a pulled pork sandwiched between two pieces of Texas toast.  The pork sandwich is good by itself, but the sauce is really the ingredient that brings it all together. 

Shane’s recently introduced a new sauce for their chicken fingers that reminded me of Zaxby’s featured sauce with a little less kick.

The sides offered include the usual components of Southern cooking, with the fried okra and macaroni and cheese standing out from the pack.  The fries could have used a bit more flavor, but certainly were not bad.

You can finish your meal at Shane’s with their homemade peach cobbler.  Some may find the cobbler to be too sweet for his or her liking, but I found it very similar to my Grandma’s recipe (which is one of the highest compliments I can give a cobbler).

Shane’s also plays a big role in the community by sponsoring many little league teams in the area and supporting numerous University clubs and events.

One way Shane’s takes advantage of its proximity to the campus is by giving students and faculty 20 percent off on Sundays.  Shane’s recently began a customer loyalty program where people can sign-up with their phone numbers to receive coupons via text message.  Shane’s is also one of the local restaurants where students can use an off campus meal plan.

Hands down, if you enjoy good barbeque, Shane’s may become a regular place for you and your friends.     

1 comments

John

Sun Dec 20 2009 18:35

Shane's is awesome!I always make sure I budget at least 15 bucks a week for a sampler and a drink. They got rid of the UNCC student discount though because not enough student were using it. They will bring the discount back if enough students would use it. The loyalty program is sweet though.

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