Review: Dan's BBQ (Marlboro)

VELP-One
Apr 23, 2024
2 min read

You can taste the smoke and char in this southern-influenced BBQ bar. (Photo by N'iaho Tia for VELP 2024).

Venue address : Marlboro Mists, Ward 10, Plot 30 Venue times: Mondays 8 pm. - Midnight ET Venue Website: https://dansbbqshop.carrd.co

Staff Interaction

As soon as we took a seat, the eponymous Dan was chatting with us. He kept up a running conversation with his barflies all night, and the chef was also chatting with staff when she was running and serving food. Staff weren't easily picked out, however, as there appeared to be no specific uniform and tags weren't used.

Clarity of Services Offered

This BBQ bar is exactly what it claims to be, a bar that sells drinks and BBQ. Staff were quick to offer us a menu, providing us with a link to the website. They took the time to highlight other aspects of their venue's offerings, such as the downstairs space and the online radio show.

Atmosphere

Being here made me wish there were more options for BBQ or mid-century Americana themed housing items. The art in the venue certainly did everything in its power, from art and design, to deliver on that mid-century feeling, though, and they did a solid job. The red brick walls and lighting really sold the feeling that this was some dim, southern eatery. What really pulled it all together though was the radio show, which transported us to that southern mid-century Americana bar. We really liked the basement lounge area, and we hope Dan gets the traffic to see it used once again.

Role-Play

I feel like this venue would be best classified as casual role-play. Out of character chatter was separated from the role-playing by the use of brackets, but role-play conversation got side-tracked at one point and OOC took over. This isn't a bad thing, mind; it was a conversation everyone was enjoying. Members of staff mentioned how new they were to role-playing and how friendly Dan's BBQ was to explore role-playing, so that's a genuine bonus.

Out-of-Game Elements

The venue's website is super easy to use - easy layout, clearly visible and readable fonts. The stand-out here is the radio show, which uses an online radio station format that Dan delivers the tunes (ads, and commentary) from. It really connected everything, so much so that I think NOT being able to listen means you lose out on the experience. You can certainly have a good time without the radio, but the radio elevates it to a super great time.

Venue Style

This is a SFW venue. The website, discord, and radio station are in line the with the SFW tag. There does not appear to be any substances other than the alcohol mixed in the bar's drinks.

Overall Impressions

I didn't really have any powerful 'this is a BBQ joint' feelings from the decor, but that's more because of a lack of suitable housing items more than anything. Did I feel like I had wandered into the sort of place that had an American Pickers-esque garage of oddities out back? Absolutely. The radio station really drove home that atmosphere of mid-century southern USA that I think the owner was going for. I would have appreciated a clear way to differentiate staff from guests, but that's the toughest feedback I've got.