The food options at Buc-ee’s are hit or miss | Grub Scout
Since I chose to celebrate my 20th anniversary as The Grub Scout with a four-course meal at a hoity-toity restaurant, I felt it was only fitting to kick off year 21 by doing an opposites thing. The Grub Spouse and I finally got around to making our pilgrimage to the new Buc-ee’s in Sevierville/Kodak.
Not that we’re Buc-ee’s newbies. In the past couple of years, we’ve been to the one in Calhoun, Georgia, in addition to making multiple visits to the Crossville store on various road trips. We were strategic about our outing to the one in Sevierville, which is, for the time being, the largest in the nation. We went bright and early on a weekday morning to avoid the heaviest of traffic and crowds. We were only partially successful; it was smooth sailing to the parking lot, but inside the store, they were already kickin’ it at 8 a.m.
The fact that Buc-ee’s restrooms are cleaner than ours at home plus the sheer spectacle of people-watching help make each visit somewhat entertaining for me. But when it came to evaluating their food, I chose to heed the advice of the lady who hired me — the late, great Sherri Gardner Howell. She suggested that with each restaurant, I ask myself: CONSIDERING WHAT IT IS, how does it stack up against others of its ilk?
On our collective previous visits to Buc-ee’s locations, The Spouse and I have tried several items, including their much-ballyhooed beef brisket sandwich and one of their burritos. It’s been a couple of years, but I remember thinking that for a convenience store, both items were a fair eat. Between us, we’ve also tried just about every flavor of pudding cup, including chocolate, banana pudding and key lime. And I must admit that I’m a sucker for Buc-ee’s chocolate-covered raisins. I would eat a whole bag in one sitting if I didn’t fear my own imminent death afterwards.
On this recent visit, we decided to sample some items neither of us had eaten before. I got a breakfast taco filled with smoked brisket ($5.99), while The Spouse decided to try the chicken salad croissant ($7.99). We shared a bottled water (99 cents), and The Spouse also got a cup of coffee ($1.39). And naturally, I snagged a big ol’ bag of chocky-covered raisins ($4.78). “Must not eat entire bag … Must not eat entire bag … ”
Why Buc-ee’s fans love the store so much 'I just can’t get enough of everything Buc-ee’s'
We had also heard a lot about Buc-ee’s kolache. For what it’s worth, “kolache” (pronounced ko-LOTCH-ee) is the plural; “kolach” (pronounced ko-LOTCH) is the singular. I had been mistakenly pronouncing them as “kolashes” until a sign at Buc-ee’s straightened me out. Anyhoo, these doughy pastries are made both sweet and savory and are Czech in origin, although they’re a culinary phenomenon in Texas, where Buc-ee’s is based. We got a sausage and cheese kolach ($3.19) and a cherry kolach ($1.99).
Most of our items were available at the giant food-prep kiosk in the center of the store. Just grab and go. But I did have to wait in line at the bakery for the kolache. It was kind of fun watching the two customers in front of me bicker about who was ahead of whom in line.
So here’s the rundown: The brisket taco was decent. Maybe not $5.99 good, but the meat is satisfying and the smoky barbecue flavor (which I hear is an additive) at least tasted legit. The chicken salad croissant was probably the star of this lineup. The chicken salad mixture was right on point — not too wet, not too dry. I thought it was really good, comparable to what they serve at Chicken Salad Chick. (I like CSC’s products, but they’re terribly overpriced.) An interesting twist on Buc-ee’s croissant was the addition of tomato as a topping. It was a little unorthodox, but it gave that sandwich an added dimension.
The cherry kolach was pretty straightforward — a somewhat crumbly pastry with some cherry goo on top. Not bad. Not great. The biggest disappointment of the day was the sausage and cheese kolach. I had envisioned the meat being more like a crumbly breakfast sausage, but it was actually a wiener-shaped sausage. In theory, this item sounded appealing, but by the time we got our food out to the Grubmobile, it was barely room temperature. Cold sausage and cheese don’t really make for a very satisfying breakfast, in my opinion.
Buc-ee’s isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (they do sell tea also), and that’s cool. But if you do decide to visit this or any location, and you’re curious about the food, you may want to do what we’ve done and just sample a bunch of things until you settle on your favorites. Speaking of which, I think I’m going to reward myself for writing this review with a handful (or three) of chocolate-covered raisins.
Buc-ee’s
Food: 3.75
Service: NA
Atmosphere: NA
Overall: 3.75
Address: 170 Buc-ee’s Blvd., Sevierville
Phone: NA
No alcohol service
Hours: Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week
If you find yourself needing to make a pit stop on Interstate 40 in the Smokies, consider checking out this massive new convenience store, where the restrooms are immaculate and the grub is serviceable.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Buc-ee's food options are hit or miss: Review
