Dink?s Delivers Tasty BBQ Option

One of the first things customers will notice about Dink’s Pit Bar-B-Que, aside from the mouth-watering smell of hickory-smoked meats hanging in the air, is its clean and spacious dining room.

An abundance of windows and brick walls adorned with flat-screen TVs are nice touches, too. Despite all the space, though, there’s only one exit.

“I could have put an exit on every wall, but I put it by the entrance because I want to be able to see people when they leave and tell them, ‘Thank you,'” operating partner Landon Curd said.

Such is the atmosphere at Dink’s, one of Bentonville’s newest lunch spots. Dink’s is open for dinner, too, but Curd said the lunch crowds have been his biggest.

“We’ve had a line out the door a couple of times,” he said.

While the original Dink’s was opened by Curd’s father, Jim, in Bartlesville, Okla., in 1982, the Bentonville location – just west of the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center – opened Feb. 22. The elder Curd also owns Sterling’s Grille in Bartlesville and is celebrating this month the 10-year anniversary of River Grille Steakhouse in Bentonville.

Dink’s menu offers chopped or sliced brisket, pulled or sliced pork, pulled chicken, hot and mild sausage, smoked ham and, of course, ribs.

Sandwiches are $6 and $7, with platters starting at $9. Most platters are less than $13.

“It’s 28 years of perfecting several recipes,” Landon Curd said when asked what distinguishes Dink’s barbecue. Dink’s sauces also have received rave online reviews.

Bulk to-go meat sales are available, too, and Curd said Dink’s handles “anything and everything, from five to five thousand” in terms of catering. Catering services, Curd added, are not limited to menu items.

Seating capacity in the main dining area is about 110, and a separate banquet room can accommodate another 40. Curd said he currently employs a staff of 12.