Bootleg BBQ Original BBQ Shack to be Replaced

http://m.bizjournals.com/louisville/new ... tml?r=full

I know it's a time-honored tradition for the best BBQ to be served out of ramshackle buildings, but I must confess this upgrade seems long overdue. I haven't had Bootleg's product in years (for some reason I stopped there all the time when I lived out in Nelson County, but once I moved to Fern Creek, I never go there), and the BF doesn't like 'cue, so I can't say whether a new building will affect the food (occasionally have seen pretty new buildings result in lower quality food), but a pleasant dine-in option will make me more likely to try it again.

This begs the following question: does the style/quality of a restaurant's physical structure have any impact on one's decision to dine there? Obviously if one is seeking expensive steak, sushi, French cuisine, or a white cloth dining experience, a (reasonably) luxurious atmosphere is expected, but what about other types of dining? I know on more than one occasion in my life I've found some delicious food in sketchy looking structures. Have we been so programmed by chain restaurants to expect spotless conformity that we're afraid of taking chances?

Since we have health departments keeping restaurant owners' feet to the fire, does the appearance of the building really have any relation to the quality of the food? I remember back in my college days, there was a dive bar in Morehead that had the best burgers EVER, but the place was scary, both in appearance and clientele. I ate there anyway. Would I do it now? I'm not so sure.

We used to go to Greasyburgers in Chicago, this was in a travel trailer sans wheels in a gas station parking lot with no running water.. Great burgers but you didn't want to get to close a look at the kitchen. They didn't have a sign or anything either, it was on Cermak at MLK Drive.

BBQ is best served in cinder block buildings with a lot of plastic in the decor.

seems like good news, and a chance to make it more of a destination for folks who are not in the neighborhood for a carryout.

While I enjoy great atmosphere sometimes, I'm also partial to hole-in-the-wall places- particularly when travelling. I'm definitely trying the food from the roadside stands /trucks/shacks when I'm in foreign countries- I've had some amazing meals that way!
Deb

The best food in the French Quarter (for my money) is in a hole-in-the-wall (maybe by design, but I can't honestly tell) called Coop's Place. To use the lavatory you have to go out the back door, through the alley and into a small room on the side of another building. Not exactly refined dining, but the food is out of this world.

The best BBQ pork in KY is in a tiny rundown building that looks like a defunct drive-in theatre sitting in the middle of absolutely nowhere in South Eastern KY. There is no sign and honestly, if you went when they were closed, you would assume this was an abandoned building. But the BBQ is to die for.

Sometimes, I think ambience works in reverse like that.

So, to answer the question I think the condition of the infrastructure does have an effect on the dining experience and the perception of the food quality/safety. But sometimes that works in very odd ways as well.