A menu as big as his heart: Chef goes all out for customers and community
If you follow Mr. Krabs & Bean’s BBQ on social media, you have probably noticed two things: First, Mr. Krabs & Bean’s BBQ is prolific in posting about the various menu items; and second, the collective menu offering is perhaps the widest variety of options available in the city.
Mr. Krabs does it all.
There’s steaks and red meat: New York strip, T-bone, or filet mignon — (each $12.99), lamb chops ($12.99), corned beef egg rolls ($8), meatloaf ($8.99), and oxtail ($12.99).
Seafood: Salmon croquettes ($8), whiting dinner ($12.99), smoked salmon ($13.99), grilled shrimp ($13,99) and of course the top-sellers, snow crab legs ($24, full order) and king crab legs ($28, full order), lobster tail ($32) and even a seafood salad ($16).
Plus a variety of smoked chicken wings ($12.99 each), shrimp & grits ($12.99), and the outlandish Mr. Krabs Patty with fries ($9) — a steakburger with shaved corned beef, turkey bacon, Swiss and American cheeses, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles with a secret Mr. Krab sauce.)
All in all, there are more than 50 different items on the unusual menu including various side items and desserts.
The most exotic offering is the “Boss Platter” ($40), consisting of a lobster tail, grilled shrimp, steak bites, smoked corn, smoked potatoes, smoked sausage, and a smoked egg. Feeds 1-2 people.
Or there’s also steak & eggs ($12.99), chicken & Red Velvet waffle ($12.99), and biscuits & gravy ($4). Breakfast is available all day and the entire menu is available for dine-in (limited seating), carry-out, or by delivery via Door Dash or Uber Eats. Catering is also available.
For those who like their food a little more fiery and intense, there is the Cowboy Chili and Cornbread ($5). It is reportedly so hearty, hot, and spicy, it is said to be able to cure any illness and “ain’t for the faint of heart.”
The menu prices in 2020 are reportedly the same as they were back in 2018 when the restaurant opened.
Executive chef Robert Williams (A.K.A. “Mr. Krab”) and his wife, Denise Catchings, the co-owners of Mr. Krabs & Bean’s BBQ, started the burgeoning Black-owned business with an 18-foot smoker set up inside a small 15-foot by 15-foot tent in the parking lot of the Parkway Center strip mall on Eastland Parkway in the summer of 2018.
“Bean’s” is the couple’s 13-year-old son. (A nicknamed he was given as a baby for his fondness for eating beans.) Williams earned the nickname “Mr. Krabs” years ago due to his tight management of money, kind of like the “Spongebob Squarepants” character with the same name although Williams said that is purely coincidental.
Denise takes the orders, helps prep the food, and handles the restaurant’s extensive social media postings each day.
The original tent menu was simple — only a few easy-to-prepare items — but Williams dared to dream different. He notes he was the first in Lexington to serve smoked crab.
“Before there was the Seafood Lady (restaurant) and before there was Storming Crab (restaurant) in Lexington, there was Mr. Krabs,” Williams points out.
Mr. Krabs & Bean’s BBQ bills itself as “Lexington’s First Crab Shack & Premium Steakhouse” and Williams hopes to expand the operation with more locations at some point, and to eventually go public. The steaks are generally sourced from Lexington’s Critchfield Meats or from one of Lexington’s grocery chain stores.
Williams’ began his food service experience operating a hotdog stand more than two decades ago and while working and moving from state to state from Louisiana to Michigan to Arkansas, he made mental notes of food dishes he enjoyed. Thus, was the inspiration for the extensive menu at Mr. Krabs. “I want to reach everybody and have something for everyone.”
The response to Williams’ initial menu offering in the tent on Eastland Parkway was tremendous. So much so, in fact, in just two short months, the operation had outgrown the tent and was moved into the restaurant’s current bricks and mortar location in the tiny strip shopping center off of Georgetown Street across from Rally’s where it has become a true Lexington restaurant success story, adding two additional full-time employees.
It is popular not only in the neighborhood and with people from as far away as Frankfort and Georgetown, but also with University of Kentucky football and basketball players, and legendary musician David Lee Roth even stopped by in his tour bus for a carry-out order earlier this year on his way out of town after performing along with KISS at nearby Rupp Arena.
When COVID-19 struck, with only two small dining tables available inside at Mr. Krabs, Williams’ anticipated the need to add additional seating for social distancing and built an outdoor patio off of the rear of the restaurant—adding three picnic tables and space for a DJ or live music. The additional space also allows the restaurant to book private events on the patio when weather permits.
Robert and Denise are firm believers in giving back to the community. They understand what it is like to be down and out. They and their son were homeless just ten years ago. They moved to Lexington from Arkansas to live with Robert’s brother, Corey, who offered the family a place to stay. Corey is now also a full-time cook in the bustling kitchen at Mr. Krabs.
The couple estimates that they have fed thousands upon thousands of kids at no charge since opening the restaurant. The restaurant offers free food from 2 to 4 p.m. weekdays to any child that shows up, no questions asked.
“I was that child,” Robert notes. “We have fed kids for free since day one.”
Robert has a big heart and is quick to call out those who are not giving back to the community. “It is about each one reaching one. Teaching young men how to be men and be productive in the community. I stand against wrong and I stand up for what is right. What more do I need to prove?”
In addition, Mr. Krabs’ sponsors an annual “Kicks 4 our Kids” campaign each November and December wherein 100 area children receive a free pair of “cool new shoes.”
“I want to make them smile,” Robert adds. “Kids should not be made fun of in school because they don’t have the right shoes.”
Making people smile seems to be what drives the couple to succeed. Whether it is the extensive menu, or the strong community ties, Mr. Krabs & Bean’s BBQ is clearly a Lexington original and much more than just another local eatery. It is an integral part of what makes the Lexington dining scene so special and unique.
Mr. Krabs & Bean’s BBQ
Where: 417 Georgetown St., Suite 130
Hours: Open at 11:00 a.m. / Closing times vary.
Call: 859-202-9204
Online: Facebook.com/mrkrabs.beansbbq and Facebook.com/Mr-krabs-Beans-BBQ-557438134711555/
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 6:00 AM.