Is it possible to have a love-hate relationship with a restaurant? I was so excited that a Black Dog location was coming closer to my home, and let me say right up front that the food is ambrosial; the ribs are among the best I've ever tasted. However, now having sampled both the Urbana and Champaign shops, I'm convinced management knows their menu is so superb that they don't really need to care about customer service. Dining in at the Dog is an eternal-wait, cattle call experience in the best of times; now, at the Champaign location, for carryout there is a single line for both ordering and paying for food, which completely defeats the advantage of calling ahead for one's order. After standing in line for several minutes (while my call-ahead order cooled), I decided to have a drink at the bar. Five minutes later, I still wanted a drink at the bar. I don't believe anybody is too busy to say, "Be with you in a minute" or "welcome to Black Dog," but apparently they are. I've yet to have a totally positive encounter at Black Dog. My treatment (or lack of same) at the Urbana location during a 2014 visit was so abysmal that a friend informed the owner, who issued a gift certificate. I don't want free food; I want great food from a great staff. I want to be excited about going to the Black Dog, not decide I want a meal there despite the service.