REVIEW: Bobby-Ques Grand Opening - Waterloo, Iowa

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It's road trip time! I am on I-380 (northbound) to Waterloo, Iowa. What's there? Why the Grand Opening of Bobby-Ques of course! Bobby-Ques is a popular mobile/catering BBQ business and now they have a brick & mortar location at 506 Argyle St, Waterloo, IA 50703.

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I am already familiar with Bobby-Ques. We first met in 2025. Pitmaster Thyron Mathews (an Iowa-based pitmaster celebrity) introduced me to him at a BBQ vending event at The Grill Works in Marion, IA. 

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(LEFT TO RIGHT) Bobby Welch, Thyron Mathews and BBQ Critic

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Later that year, I met Bobby again at the Marion BBQ Rendezvous festival. I am very familiar with his food, especially ribs.  Here is a video clip of those moments from 2025 just to give you a little history...

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Well I finally arrived at Bobby-Ques! Customers have remote notification devices that vibrates when the order is ready. Positive vibes, indeed! A lot of folks order take-out. There is about 5 tables inside for seating, so TO GO orders make sense - especially on this busy day. 

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Bobby and Thyron were out back by the smoker. Thyron is here to support his friend Bobby in this new endeavor. Their friendship is no accident.

"God just put us in line with each other. We had a lot of things in common - family, barbecue and community," said Thyron at the ribbon cutting ceremony earlier.

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VIDEO INTERVIEW
Bobby & Thyron

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It really is a blessing to see family and friends support Bobby at this new stage of his career. People came from far as Florida, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky. Owning and operating a BBQ restaurant is a big step. However, Bobby created a big footprint of love for his BBQ. So now is a great time to open a store.

Time to eat!

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CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer Service is a big one with me. When I placed my order, everyone behind the register was friendly and eager to help. Of course my heart broke when I found out they were out of beef brisket. So I ordered ribs and pulled pork. They gave me my own notification device to alert me when my food was ready. I am now waiting for those positive vibes to arrive!

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THE FOOD

I picked up my dine-in order and brought it to my table. In front of me are 3 bones of ribs and a pile of pulled pork. The sides include coleslaw, potato salad and cornbread. Oh, and waiting for me at the end of my meal is one of my favorite desserts - Banana Pudding.

The ribs have that same delicious taste I remember from the 2025 Marion BBQ Rendezvous. Bobby infuses just the right amount of smoke and seasoning in those ribs, serving up a savory blend of flavors. So delicious!

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The pulled pork is smokey, savory and moist. Great tasting!  I used the pork to experiment with his three BBQ sauces (Raspberry Chipotle, Viper Vinegar and Bobby-Ques Sauce).

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Bobby-Ques Sauce is a good overall full-bodied sauce that would be good on just about anything. Raspberry Chipotle is one of my all-time favorites and this one here is delicious. The Viper Vinegar. Ah, now this reminds me of a sandwich I use to make (still do) where I take a pile of pulled pork and layer on top sliced smoked sausage. Then drench it with a vinegar BBQ sauce. Oh, man! This Viper Vinegar sauce and pulled pork would be perfect for this.

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The coleslaw was good, but I was really impressed with the potato salad. That is very unusual for me, too. I have a certain way I like my potato salad, but this one was so creamy and no overwhelming mustard flavor. The potatoes were cooked just right for the tenderness factor. Very nice! The cornbread came in the form of a muffin. A little firm on top with a fluffy, moist interior. 

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BANANA PUDDING

Ah, now this is a favorite of mine in BBQ restaurants. Bobby's pudding has really good consistency I specifically look for in a banana pudding. I do not like it runny and this one has a thick body with vanilla wafers mixed in smoothly. Nailed it!

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SMOKED BURGER

Right before I was about to leave, Thyron brings me over a burger on a tray with pickles and onions. They both are very eager to see me to try this burger. I didn't really think much of it until my first bite.  Wow!

What captures my attention is the consistency and tenderness of the meat. Thyron said it's the "grind" that makes it special. The flavor seemed to sink in more and more with each bite. So tender! Not tough at all.

Thank you for letting me sample this burger!   I will have it again in the future.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

My first visit? Impressive!  The overall menu options give customers a wide variety of choices, too. Friendly folks take your order and are ready to help. The quality is amazing. You can tell Bobby used his time well in catering and vending to refine his pitmaster skills.

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It's always great to see a new BBQ joint open, especially when the food is this good. You really want to come back for more. I still can't wait to get my hands on the brisket!

It was great to see Bobby and Thyron again. Always a fun time.

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Bobby has a mind frame focused on quality, and he has the cooking talent to pull it off. When you talk with him, you get a sense from his calm demeanor that he cares and everyone around him feels the love. It's a beautiful thing what he has going on here and it's no wonder he has so much support.

I think Thyron Mathews summed up Bobby-Ques best, "Not only great barbecue, but a great man."

​BBQ CRITIC

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BOBBY-QUES
506 Argyle St
Waterloo, IA 50703

PH 319-261-9700
[email protected]

HOURS:
Sunday: 12PM to 8 PM
Friday: 4PM to 12AM
Saturday: 11AM to 12AM