Top Rated Local® is pleased to announce that Hickory Hill BBQ is a 2019 award winner for restaurants in Texas for the second year in a row!
When you want finger-licking BBQ the way it used to be, you want Hickory Hill BBQ in Tyler.
Hickory Hill BBQ has received hundreds of reviews on five verified sites with an average rating of 4.85 stars, earning them a tremendous Rating Score™ of 99.49 and a 2019 Top Rated Local award for ranking as the number one restaurant in all of Texas! This is the second consecutive year that Hickory Hill BBQ has been ranked amongst the top restaurants Texas.
Here’s just one of their many five-star reviews:
“We LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! [They have] amazing barbecue, maybe the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot. Everything is outstanding — the brisket, ribs, potato salad. The LEMONADE is great and comes in a refillable mason jar! We’re from out of state, but our son goes to Louisiana Tech, and every time we visit, we go out of our way (driving from Dallas to Ruston, LA on the 20) to get the best barbecue anywhere. [This is a] tiny little place, but with more room in the back. Also, you can dine on the porch, so it’s pet-friendly. Kerry and Kelly (the owners) are the sweetest, warmest folks and will make every visit a special meal. YOU NEED TO get there on a weekend sometime when they do their smoked prime rib lobster and shrimp!” – C.C.
A One-of-a-Kind Restaurant’s Secret to a Strong Online Reputation
Hickory Hill BBQ has managed to build the kind of reputation any business owner would envy, and to learn a little more about that reputation and this one-of-a-kind business, we sat down with the owner, Kerry.
The first thing we wanted to know was what makes Hickory Hill BBQ unique compared to the many other restaurants in Texas. Kerry pointed to their commitment to customer service and said:
“We deal with all types of people. The world is in bad shape today, and you never know what someone’s been through or if they had a bad day, whether they’re having an argument with their wife or had a bad day at the job. We provide wonderful customer service. We cook our food from scratch; everything is from scratch. We have no shortcuts. We hand-select every piece of our meat. We treat our customers like we would want to be treated.”
When we asked what the secret is to such a solid online reputation at Hickory Hill BBQ, Kerry pointed to the fact that they put God first. Kerry added:
“We give magnificent customer service. …We want to make everyone feel like they’re at home, and they are at home if they’re here for barbecue.”
Making the World a Better Place by Giving Back
We also wanted to know what their mission is at Hickory Hill BBQ and how they work to make the world a better place. Kerry told us:
“We don’t just do things for our community; we do everything for everyone. If you walk through our doors and you’re down and out, we’re going to feed you. If your car breaks down or you have a flat and can wait a few minutes, I’ll come out there and change your flat. If you can’t get out of your car, we’re going to bring your food to you. It’s not just about the community; it’s about everyone.”
Outside of building a powerful online reputation, Hickory Hill BBQ has grown solely through word of mouth:
“We don’t have a big corporate budget to market our product and restaurant; it’s all word of mouth.”
It’s clear that Kerry knows a thing or two about growing a business and building an online reputation. Here’s his expert advice for the many other business owners out there:
“Number one, you have to put God first. Number two, you have to get with your employees and tell them that they need to have immaculate customer service. You cannot win without customer service. It’s all the little bitty things; no shortcuts.”
Congratulations to the team at Hickory Hill BBQ for being a 2019 Top Rated Local award winner!
We highly recommend Hickory Hill BBQ in Tyler. Visit their website today!
