Scoot’s BBQ is so much more than the name implies.
When most folks who haven’t dined there think of the restaurant in Hayes near Gloucester Point they think strictly barbecue.
“I didn’t want it to be just barbecue,” said owner Gary Ward. “Living in such a small community, you have to appeal to a broader base of people. Naturally, I didn’t think people wanted to come get a barbecue sandwich every day. You need to offer a variety when you have a small community to keep bringing people in week after week.”
Gary and his wife Karen own three restaurants in Gloucester County, including their newest establishment, Porter’s On Main, which opened in May in Gloucester Courthouse. The couple opened Olivia’s in the Village 22 years ago and Scoot’s 10 years ago. They’ve covered the dining gamut from fine dining at Porter’s to a more casual atmosphere at Olivia’s to a faster, dine in or take out eatery at Scoot’s.
Fast casual
Ward calls Scoot’s dining style “fast casual, because you order at the counter, get a number and our staff brings the food to your table, but it’s not full service.” Diners self serve with fountain drinks, utensils and condiments.
But don’t be fooled by the dining style. There’s a lot of love cooked into Scoot’s food, which can compete with most any restaurant.
“Before we opened I studied a guy in Texas known for brisket. Wanted to emulate what they’re doing in Texas with brisket,” said Ward. “No matter what the food is I want to do it right.”
The menu is expansive with everything from seafood chowder and fried oysters to pulled chicken tacos and, of course, traditional barbecue fare like ribs, brisket, pulled pork and smoked turkey.
Because I wanted to taste test a variety I ordered the trio platter which comes with pulled pork, brisket and ribs. Well, when Ward said he wanted to “do brisket right,” he wasn’t kidding. The meat was fork tender, and that was with a plastic fork! I added a drizzle of Scoot’s homemade barbecue sauce but it was moist enough and the sauce wasn’t necessary.
Speaking of the sauces, Ward makes both varieties—the Carolina vinegar-based and the more traditional, sweet-tart tomato-based—in house.
“Before we opened Scoot’s I was lucky because I was able to test out a lot of the food at Olivia’s,” said Ward. “I made 15 different barbecue sauces before we found one that appealed to a lot of different palates.”
He adds a touch of that sauce to his Brunswick stew to make it slightly sweet, smokey and delicious. It was a big hit with my daughter Rachel and her boyfriend Gio, my dining partners on a cool, rainy night at Scoot’s a few weeks ago. Soup hit just right that night.
Gio ordered the smoked wings and said they were “juicy and flavorful with a nice crisp crust.”
I took his word for it as I was filling up on Scoot’s smoked meatloaf wrapped in bacon.
There’s an extensive sandwich list including traditional and brisket burgers, a smoked turkey melt, Scoot’s Cuban and a crab melt.
“It’s fun to be able to create something in this market that was not available before,” said Ward, about deciding to open a barbecue restaurant.
Everything is smoked on-site—the brisket for an impressive 16 hours and the pork for 14.
The fried chicken is cooked in a pressure fryer to keep it moist inside with lots of crunch outside. It was another favorite of mine and my dining partners.
“It’s hard to find really good fried chicken and the customers seem to love it,” said Ward.
Scoot’s sides include Southern-style collards, mac and cheese, sweet coleslaw, onion straws and a personal favorite, fried okra.
Top off dinner at Scoot’s with a homemade dessert, usually four to pick from daily. We enjoyed some warm bread pudding and a decadent peanut butter and chocolate pie. Leftovers from both paired well with a hot cup of coffee for breakfast the next day.
With so many unexpected options, I’ll definitely make Scoot’s a frequent stop on my way through Gloucester.
Scoot’s BBQ
2091 George Washington Memorial Highway, Gloucester Point
804-993-7063
Scoot’s BBQOpen
Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Crowd Favorites:
Brisket
Fried chicken
Scoot’s bowl — layers of smoked beans, mac and cheese, pulled pork and brisket
Did You Know?
The name Scoot’s is in honor of Karen Ward’s grandfather, who earned the nickname Scoot while duck hunting when he was a little boy and was known fondly by that name his whole life.
