My wife and I drove down to Lumberton for the grand opening last month because it's not every day that a new woodcooking barbecue place opens (and it seems like every day that one closes). The weather was nasty, but there was a good ribbon-cutting, with some local bigwigs on hand to celebrate the 20-odd jobs the place is generating.
The ribs and chicken were just OK, but that's not what we were there
for. Side dishes were excellent -- but again, that's not what we were
there for. The barbecue was pretty good, although the owner confided that he'd had to rush it. It speaks well that he knew that, and 'fessed up. I'm pretty confident that he'll be cooking even better pork next time I get there -- he has worked with Wilber Shirley and is basically cloning Wilber's approach (complete to cooking extra shoulders to chop in with his whole hogs). He's got great cookers -- if you go there, ask to see them. It won't be the fault of his equipment if he doesn't make it.
Decor and music and service were absolutely great. Andy Price, the owner-boss, is a nice young guy who has put it all on the line to bring real barbecue to a town that hasn't had any for a long time. I really hope folks down yonder appreciate what they've got. There are some really stupid comments on Yelp.com from a few people who seem to think that barbecue is riblets at Appleby's. Let's hope they're not typical Robesonians.