Hole n the Wall Barbecue

Friday May 2, 2014 @ Hole-​in-​the-​Wall BBQ at Valley River Center — My 11yr old & I were happy to see a new food choice at VRCs food court, but ended up utterly disappointed.
We were in a hurry and decided to split a small meal so we ordered the Small Chicken Strips Basket with Fresh Cut French Fries for $ 4.50… «small» is right: 2 small chicken strips that tasted «meh». Let’s just say, the Target brand frozen bag of chicken strips I bought tasted far better than the ones we ate at Hole-​in-​the-​Wall.
The real issue however was the fries… we were given a heap of lukewarm-​lightly cooked on the outside-​raw on the inside-​unseasoned «french fries». Yuck!
To top if off, we had waited nearly 30 minutes for that mess. There was no line, not busy at the mall, and Hole-​in-​the-​Wall had less than a handful of customers… so why it took close to 30 minutes to microwave (?) 2 small chicken strips and not cook french fries is beyond me.
Unfortunately, we had ordered our food to-​go and didn’t start eating until after we had driven away from the mall, otherwise I would have complained and gotten my money back.
At least the sauces don’t cost extra and the 2 employees working were nice. But that’s certainly not enough for us to try HitW BBQ again.

There’s a new bbq restaurant in the VRC food court. Sounds messy.
Ribs: good fat char, but too much fat under, no smoke whatsoever
Fries: not crispy, but very tasty and salty, made better with a SW ranch sauce
Mac & cheese: overcooked (usual in this kind of place), cheesy and very pasty
House bbq sauce: sweet and forgettable
BullZinger (vinegar) bbq sauce: watery with very little vinegar, makes a better shot.
The service is friendly, and they don’t charge more for extra sauces or ranch.
But understand: this isn’t barbecue, it’s mall food.