Some areas of life can be open to experimentation and new ideas.
For many people, however, barbecue is one area where you just don’t play around. Once you find something that works, you stick with it.
For nearly three decades, King Ribs is what has worked for many satisfied local barbecue lovers.
Now operating with three locations, King Ribs prides itself on consistently preparing tasty barbecue entrees and side items that are unforgettable.
“Some people would say they keep coming back because of the food, and that is definitely true,” said Sherry Williams, who owns King Ribs’ West 16th Street location with her husband David, and is a daughter of the late founder, Theopolis Clardy. “I also think it’s a combination of everything, including the customer service, the quality of the food and a simple recipe.”
Williams’ father, who was known for his entrepreneurial ideas, first launched King Ribs in 1987. He was committed to giving customers excellent barbecue dishes topped with a pure sauce flavor that combines a little sweetness with a touch of smoke from the grill.
“You know how a lot of people start adding a hundred different things into their barbecue sauce? Well, we keep our sauce simple with six important ingredients,” Williams said. “Some places have gone to wood or gas, but we stuck with charcoal, and that makes a difference in the taste.”
King Ribs continues to offer an enticing menu of barbecue favorites such as ribs, rib tips, barbecue chicken, and barbecue beef, chicken or pork sandwiches. Customers can order these items with the restaurant’s regular sauce, or request a milder or sweeter flavor.
The side items always seem to be fresh, and taste like they were made in a loved one’s kitchen. They include the popular macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans, greens and cornbread.
Dessert choices included chess pie and sweet potato pie. A variety of soft drinks is available, along with lemonade and fruit punch.
Over the years, customers grew to like the King Ribs sauce so much that they began buying it for cooking at home. Demand grew so great that the restaurant now offers the sauce in standard sizes, including $4 for a pint, $8 for a quart and $25 for a gallon.
Prices for the menu items are reasonable, ranging from $11.38 for a tips and chicken combo or $7.68 for an order of ribs, to $4.25 for a barbecue chicken sandwich.
Different dinner specials are offered each day, such as entire rib tip dinner on Tuesday for $7.68, or a beef/chicken and pork combo with a side item for $4.75 on Thursday.
King Ribs also provides catering for events. Williams noted that the company’s next step is to offer customers more opportunities to place orders via the Internet.
“We truly appreciate the support from our customers, especially the repeat ones,” Williams said.
