Pappas Bar-B-Q does not run the kind of weekday deal rotation you find at national chains — no Rib Tuesday, no half-price Wednesday plate. What it has instead is a menu with several standing price anomalies, one of which is genuinely strange, plus a section literally named Bar-B-Q Specials that is not a promotion at all. Knowing the difference saves real money.
Pappas Bar-B-Q prices at a glance
The prices referenced on this page, collected up front. They vary by location and change without notice.
| Route | Price |
|---|---|
| Family Board (four people) | $42.95 |
| Value Pack 1 | $71.95 |
| Value Pack 6 | $229.95 |
| Bulk meat, 10–19 lb | $14.95/lb |
| Bulk meat, 20–49 lb | $14.55/lb |
| Bulk meat, 50 lb+ | $14.25/lb |
| Iced tea, gallon | $7.95 |
The "Bar-B-Q Specials" section is not a special
First, a naming trap. The Pappas menu has a section called Bar-B-Q Specials, and it is the plate section — Mixed Platter from $18.95, Beef Trio and House Special from $17.95, Beef from $16.95, Pork Trio and Two Sliced Meat Combo from $15.95, Chicken Breast and Turkey Breast from $14.95, Pulled Pork from $12.95, Pork or Beef Sausage and Ham from $11.95. These are the everyday plates, not limited-time offers.
The anomaly worth knowing
Inside that section sits the best deal on the menu, and it is an accident of pricing:
| Plate | Price | Meats |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | $16.95 | One |
| Two Sliced Meat Combo | $15.95 | Two |
Two meats for a dollar less than one. If you were going to order the beef plate, order the combo with beef as one of the two meats instead. It is cheaper and it is more food. This is the single most reliable saving at Pappas and it requires nothing but knowing it exists.
Breakfast is the real daily deal
Pappas opens at 6:30am — no other barbecue chain covered on this site serves breakfast at all — and the breakfast board is priced from an entirely different era than the lunch menu.
- Breakfast Tacos, from $1.89 — the cheapest item at any barbecue chain on this site
- Breakfast Sandwiches, from $3.39
- Premium Breakfast Tacos, from $3.65
- Breakfast Plate, $6.49
- Breakfast side orders, from $0.95
A Breakfast Plate at $6.49 is less than half the cheapest lunch plate, the $11.95 sausage or ham. If you want cheap barbecue-adjacent food from a good operator, this is it — go before 9am.
The cheapest route onto a beef rib
Beef ribs are $31.95 a pound, the most expensive thing Pappas sells and the item most likely to be gone by evening. The ½ Chicken & 1 Beef Rib combo at $19.95 is the cheapest way onto a whole beef rib anywhere on the menu, and it comes with half a chicken attached. Go at lunch — the ribs sell out first.
Volume pricing is the standing discount
Two Family Boards at $85.90 cost $13.95 more than Value Pack 1 at $71.95, so step up rather than doubling. Gallon iced tea at $7.95 beats three individual $2.85 drinks. The catering breakdown takes this further.
Deals that are not deals
- Party trays at $11.75 to $12.75 per person. Convenient, but roughly double the bulk per-pound rate.
- Cheese fries at $5.75 against fresh cut fries at $3.75. Two dollars for cheese.
- Chopped beef fries at $10.95. Priced like a plate, listed as a side — see the sides ranking.
Prices and availability vary by location and Pappas updates its board without announcement, so treat these as a guide and check the current Pappas Bar-B-Q menu before ordering.