LOCAL EATS: BUBBA'S 33

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I’M QUIRKY

I have to admit, writing The Buzz has taught me a lot—mostly about how quirky I am. It’s also taken me to places that I probably wouldn’t have visited otherwise. Case in point: Bubba’s 33 in Goodyear. Actually, this visit was sparked by a generous and thoughtful gift card from our lovely neighbors, Maggie & Tony, who gave it to us for Christmas. Until then, I hadn’t even heard of Bubba’s.

I know, I know, they couldn’t believe it took us that long to get down here either. But, I’m getting off track. The point is the delay was caused in part by this: I judged a book by its cover and the cover in this case, was it’s name, so let’s start there…

WHY ‘BUBBA’S 33’?

Turns out, it’s an endearing story:

Bubba's 33 is named in honor of its founder, Wayne Kent Taylor, who was nicknamed "Bubba." The “33” is a nod to the year 1933— the end of Prohibition (the nationwide ban on the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol), symbolizing a return to celebration, community and good times. The name reflects the restaurant’s focus on great food (and giant speciality adult beverages) in a lively, laid-back atmosphere.

Being a numbers girl, I have to say… I really like this. Should I tell you what 33 means in Numerology? Eh, I’ll skip it, lest you think I’m a little woo woo (which I am).

But I will share with you a picture of this jersey on their wall because Mr. Buzz says “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was one of the greatest basketball players ever.” And accordingly to him, when he noticed this jersey on the way in, he considered it to be a great ‘sign’ for us. (After almost 30 years together, my woo has rubbed off on him.) Any other Laker’s fans in the house?

BACK TO BUBBA

The name "Bubba" is a Southern term of endearment, often used to refer to a close friend or brother. Mr. Taylor (who is also the founder and CEO of Texas Roadhouse), was apparently known by this nickname due to his friendly and approachable demeanor. 

Unfortunately, Mr. Taylor passed away in 2021, but his legacy lives on. Until his death, he was still involved in the daily operations. And from everything I’ve seen, he must have been a great guy because people love working for this company.

I know this firsthand, thanks to C-Buzz, who has been working as a Roadie at Texas Roadhouse. He has so much fun at work! I’m always impressed by a company that takes care of and values its team.

Speaking of which, on our visit to Bubba’s, we were served by…

THIS SHINING STAR

You ever meet someone and just know that you’re in good hands? That’s exactly how we felt when Shania greeted us at our table. This girl has a heart for service and a brain that’s sharp as a tack. We were completely blown away by her right from the start—the command of the menu, her thoughtful recommendations, and the way she read our table like she had a crystal ball. (And, yes, she’s named after that Shania. I asked.)

We actually waddled out wondering: Was it the meal, or was is Shania, that made the whole experience so stellar?

She added that extra something (that we didn’t even know we were missing) and turned a good dinner into a great night. We were completely and utterly impressed by her! What a bright and shiny future she has ahead of her. Thanks for taking such great care of us, Shania! And be sure to use me as a reference on future job applications! I’m your biggest fan!

Now onto…

THE FOOD

One of the reasons why I was hesitant to visit was because I wasn’t sure I’d find anything I could (or wanted to) eat. Since getting the gift card back in December, I’ve peeked at the menu a few times but… kept thinking it was probably just another “chain” with subpar, greasy food. And, well, we’re quirky about food quality.

But, one night last week, Mr. Buzz finally wanted hit up Bubba’s so we got gussied up and headed out the door. I was so hungry by this point as I waited all day to eat here…

I didn’t want to just have a salad (which, being gluten-free is usually my default order). Instead, I decided to go out on a limb and order the salmon dinner. Now, I rarely order salmon at restaurants—because truth be told, no one makes it better than Mr. Buzz. In fact, if it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t eat fish at all. Because most of the time, it’s just… too fishy!

Mr. Buzz also went out on a limb and ordered the 12oz Grilled Ribeye, also with rice and mashed potatoes. He asked for his steak medium-well and it was cooked to perfection. He also had an frosty mug of Dos Equis with dinner.

The only hiccup? Our mashed potatoes weren’t warm enough. But Shania handled it like a champ. I didn’t want to waste perfectly good food, so I just asked her to microwave them for a minute or two—and she did, no problem.

And let me tell you: those potatoes? So good when they’re hot! The rice? Also so good. We loved every bite of everything. We’re both pretty picky, so the fact that we were completely blown away? Well, it shocked us both.

Maybe we need to get out more, but I can’t recall ever having had a simple night out as great as this one!

‘ZA TO-GO

I almost forgot that we ordered a 16“ hand-tossed cheese pizza to take home to G-Buzz. It smelled soooo good! And, it was still hot (15 minutes down the road) when we delivered it to him. It took everything I had in me not to swipe a slice!

THE ATMOSPHERE

I didn’t know what to expect prior to arriving since all my pre-research was food-focused. As we were walking through the parking lot, I noticed people leaving with doggie bags (large portions, always a good sign). But, as we approached the door, it started to get loud and my inner old lady immediately started grousing: Ooooh no… it’s noisy. I’m not gonna like this. We won’t be able to converse… 

We were seated in a booth in the bar area, directly across from the drink station. I had to have a little chat with myself: Chill out and be a normal person. Thankfully, it worked because I pretty much immediately started really enjoying myself and we were able to converse over dinner. It wasn’t too loud.

It helped too, that I had something to keep me occupied: we had a front-row seat to the drink station, where we got to watch the bartenders whip up massive fancy adult beverages. I don’t drink, but man oh man did those margie’s look good! Since it was July 3rd, there were lots of RED, WHITE & BLUE “All-American Margs” being chugged.

Mr. Buzz took a buzz around and snapped some pictures—including the patio which has cornhole games. It was way too hot to sit outside, but in the cooler months, that’s where you’ll find us. As long as Shania can be our server, of course. 😉

As you’ll see in the pictures, there are TV’s everywhere. My favorite part? One of the screens across from us was playing old school music videos that matched the 80’s playlist of songs that rocked the restaurant. Totally our era! Excellent tunes!

I also really enjoyed watching the other servers around the drink station (that I accidentally just typed as the ‘dance station’). It made me so happy to see people having so much fun working! They were dancing and swaying to the beat as they waited for their drink orders.

As we were leaving, a little boy was waiting for a table with his mom. He was oohing and ahhhing like he’d arrived at Disneyland. “This place is soooo cool!” It was adorable!

I kinda felt like a kid again too that night! It was magical.

THE TAB

I’ll leave you with the tab since people tell me they like it when I share the receipt. It was a steal of a deal in our opinion! And, thanks to Maggie & Tony for sponsoring this visit and story! 💗 

UNTIL NEXT WEEK…

As always, if you go, please let them know The Buckeye Buzz sent ya! And please tag us on Instagram so I can share your food pics!

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Publication Disclaimer: Everything included here is accurate to the best of my knowledge at the time of publication. It is always best to double-check links to be sure event information hasn’t changed if you plan on attending something.

©️ 2024 The Buckeye Buzz | All content and information set forth above was curated, cultivated & then created by Vanessa Kinsey for The Buckeye Buzz and is the intellectual property of this publication. It is protected under US copyright law, including but not limited to “The Digital Millennium Copyright Act.” Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or duplication of any material, in whole or in part, without express written authorization & consent, is strictly prohibited by law and may result in legal action. Violators will be subject to prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.