"Don't Forget The Guy's!" That's what the slogan on the bags of Guy's chips said. Unfortunately, it does not appear that enough people took that slogan to heart. Guy's Foods was a snack food manufacturer based in Liberty, Missouri. Guy's went through bankruptcy proceedings a couple of years ago, and I do not believe that they exist anymore. The reason that I mention this company is that I just recently got to try a couple of their products. I found the wayward bags of Guy's potato chips in my local Discount/Close-Out emporium, and found them to be terrific. But, upon looking for them on the Web, I found that the company has been in tough straits and may, in fact, be defunct. I hope this is not entirely true, or I may have to search the globe and hoard the last available bags of Mesquite BBQ Ridgies. Or, in case some entrepreneur in the Missouri area is looking for a company to revive, let me say this... "Don't Forget The Guy's!" Why am I so worked up about a hard-luck chip-maker half a country away? Read the following reviews, and you'll see why...

Product: Guy's Mesquite BBQ Ridgies Manufacturer: Guy's Foods, Liberty, MO

At the risk of sounding like Captain Horatio Hyperbole, these are some of the best damn BBQ chips I have ever had. Period. Exclamation point! I AM NOT KIDDING. I have to confess that I first got these chips on a dare from myself. I was in the small food section of the local "discount/close-out" place, and I saw all these out-of-town brands of snack food on the shelves. Feeling a tad peckish, and curious as all hell, I stocked up on some of these exotic imported regional items. (Picture if a bag of Granite State chips wound up on store shelves in Texas...same kind of thing...) (EOG's Note: This is in no way an attempt to bash Granite State Potato Chips. I just love them and get me a big ol' bucket any time I can. In fact, I'd love to tour the place and do an EOG story about it...more on that to come, I hope.) After some serious hits and misses, I opened up a bag of the Guy's Mesquite BBQ Ridgies. And, my goodness, was I blown away! First off, the aroma from the bag assured me that these weren't some crummy "skimp-on-the-ingredients" chips like some local brands can wind up being. These were some serious BBQ chips.

At this point, I had to sample these wavy wafers of wonder. And the flavors all but jumped off of the chip and introduced themselves in person. This is a pretty strong flavor, not as overly spicy as some BBQ chips can be, but the flavor is all about being front and center. While there is a very good BBQ punch in this flavor powder, there is also a slightly subtler sweetness that made me think of Baked Beans. Even though it is not listed in the ingredients on the bag, I am thinking about molasses as I am downing these chips. Kind of a slow smoldering sweetness that provides a really nice foundation for the rest of the spices contained herein. The chips, by the way, are thickly-cut ripple chips. Good size, good texture, and the outstanding BBQ flavor really does these chips justice. From the aroma upon the opening of the bag, to the great taste that jumps off every chip, these chips make their presence known pretty quickly. Honestly, they stood out THAT MUCH in my mind. I am not alone in my praise of these chips. My girlfriend Stacey and good friend Steve were both rather impressed. (Stacey, in fact, is quite happy whenever I bring her a bag. Is it any wonder why I'm so crazy about her?) Anyway, I need to rent me a truck and get down to Liberty, Missouri. And stock up on Guy's Mesquite BBQ Ridgies. (EOG's Note: If any of you out there happen to live or work near a BIG LOTS retail location, get in there and look for these. That is where I found mine, and I hope to be able to continue to keep my supply cabinet stocked with these amazingly outstanding chips.) Needless to say, these munchies received a rather emphatic (if not damn-near gold-plated) FOUR CHIPS UP rating.

Product: Guy's Original Potato Chips Manufacturer: Guy's Foods, Liberty, MO

With all the raving I do about different flavor and topping variants on snack foods, sometimes you just can't beat the good old-fashioned American potato chip (when it's done right...). I have my own personal favorites. Mostly local (to me) brands like Granite State and Wachusett, but offerings from Wise, Lay's, Tri-Sum, and a host of others also fit the bill quite nicely. Which brings us to the Guy's Original chips. These chips are pretty solid for a base product. Some original-variety chips are on the thin side, not Guy's. The thickness of the chip is a nice surprise. Add to that the salting and the cooking artifacts (Different chip-makers use different kinds of frying oils on their chips, resulting in different flavor artifacts. This is why some of the chips using alternate ingredients, such as Tri-Sum, really stand out.) and here is a hearty chip which needs no accompaniment at all. These things are really delicious.

For a base chip, these really do stand out. I'm giving these things an EOG rating of three and a half chips up. Well, now you know why I have developed a sudden interest in this company, and its products. (EOG's Note: I have actually heard that Wise handled some of the products sold under the Guy's brand, and in fact, "Ridgies" is a Wise-branded trademark. However, the Guy's Original chips and the Wise Original chips do not bear that much of a resemblance, so I wonder. However, if this means that Wise made these BBQ Ridgies and does, in fact, market these chips themselves, I MUST FIND THEM!) While reading the back of the bag, I also learned that Guy's put out a lot of other snack products. Pretzels, popcorn, and other usual product offerings of a company dealing in salted snacks. I am curious to see if the other Guy's snack products are as good as the two I found and reviewed here. However, there is one Guy's snack item I think I will avoid.

No, thanks, Guy's. I'm all set. Really. No, I'm just fine. I'll just have to take a rain check on these. Yeah, sure, some other time. Right. Yup. Uh-huh.