Shoney's North America

Shoney’s was a favorite restaurant of mine years ago. They had a really nice breakfast bar with fresh fruits, yogurt, milk, cereal and lots of variety in hot foods as well. Since the pandemic, it is but a mere shell of what it once was. I’ve tried to visit the same location 3 times and each time has been an absolutely awful experience.

The first visit, a couple of months ago maybe, I waited at the front counter to be seated, or heck even be recognized as being inside the building for over a half hour, with a growing line standing behind me waiting to be seated. I gave them 5 more minutes or else I was leaving, I said to myself. No one had even walked or looked up front at all. No one said Hello, or sorry we’re busy, nothing. So after 35 minutes I walked out of the door and several others in line had given up and walked out before me.

My second visit weeks later, I waited several minutes to be seated. Once seated I was abandoned and forgotten. No one ever came back to my table to take my food or drink orders. I received no silverware.

After sitting in my booth for about 10 minutes I got up and went to the food bar myself and got what I wanted to eat. Still no silverware on my table when I had returned. So I went in search of any employee I could find and asked for silverware please. I was also given a drink. But it wasn’t even that person’s table to wait on. By the time I had finished eating no one had ever walked by to pick up plates or offer a refill of my drink. I walked to the register and asked to pay without even a bill in hand.

My third and most recent visit was last Friday. I went with my roommate to the same location. After a few minutes a server yelled to us from the middle of the dining area and told us to “come on back and take a seat”. She couldn’t be bothered to walk up front to politely greet us.

We were told to sit at a booth she waved us toward. The table was dirty. It had sticky stains and small clumps of food from whoever ate there last. It wasn’t even cleaned. They were not busy. Only a few tables had other customers eating. It was over 2 hours past opening. There were 7 empty trays on the food bar where breakfast foods are normally kept. Half of the breakfast foods that were available were cold and not being heated at all. I never even got the chance to ask the server for straws.

Our server was actively chatting up a cute guy in a booth just one seat back from us on the opposite side. She stood talking for at least 7-10 minutes, before coming over quickly to ask if we needed anything. Then she went back to the guy’s booth and sat down in the booth with him while he was trying to eat and kept talking excitedly the rest of the time that we were there.

She never tried to help stock up the food bar or check temperatures of any of the foods or help out in the back in getting foods ready, nothing. If they were short staffed (no idea if they were or not) she made zero attempt to do anything more than the bare minimum to remain employed. Management was obviously not there that morning.

I guess that I should consider myself lucky to get yelled at from about 15 feet away to be seated at a dirty table that has not been cleaned, to eat cold food at a half empty food bar? They’ve long since eliminated between 1/3 to ½ of the selection that they once had for breakfast foods, too. They might as well close this location. It’s been pathetic for months. No wonder people have quit showing up to eat there! I’ve decided that I’m never going back there again either. I’m telling everyone I know to avoid the place in favor of a real restaurant. It’s obvious that management quit caring about doing their jobs or taking them seriously any more and the employees have all seen that and they are acting the same.

We went to this Shoney's on 12-18- 2019 at 7:45 am to have the Hot Breakfast Bar. We got up to go out to have a hot breakfast and it was 20 degrees outside and it was far from that. When we got there we got seated and placed our order and went to get the food. When we got the food and sat down to eat it the sausage, bacon, gravy, biscuits, hash browns barely warm, fried potatoes cold. The only thing that was hot at all was the grits. We told the waitress and she said well it shouldn't be cold, we open at 5 am or are here and then open at 6pm. They were not eggs scrabbled eggs on the bar and none were ever put out the whole time we were there. But she said we could order eggs and we both got fried eggs and when they came out they were barely warm I order sour dough toast and when she brought it was barely warm. We ate and she came back and said she could warm things up for us but i said if you open up at 5am why is everything on the bar cold and she never answered to that. During the meal they normally come and move the used platse, we were at a small table and she had not and i accidently spilled my glass of milk due to no room to sit it down and we had to move to another table so she could clean up the milk off the table. When we checked the cashier asked how was it and i told her that our food was cold and they only thing that was hot was the grits. Then she took 10 percent off and i paid for it and my husband said wait i want to speak to the manager and he was on the phone and i waited till he got off the phone. I told him i need to speak to him and i told him the food was cold on the bar and she took off 10 percent off but i felt that she should have taken off more thant 10 percent. Then he said did she offer to warm it up and i said well if you open up at 5 or 6 am why should the food not be hot off the bar 7:45 am. Then he said yes sir, yes sir and he didn't offer anything and i said well i will take it up with corporate office. He also had a nasty attitude and I felt he came across as a smart [censored]. He didn't even apologize and I just walked away. We will never eat at this Shoney's again. After looking at the reviews and seeing them with only 2 1/2 stars I understand why and I saw where Kingsport Tn. had a 4 1/2 star. I will drive 45 min to go there if I go to a Shoney or too the one on Lee Hwy, in Bristol Va. We spent $22.24 and feel like we threw our money down the sewer for lousy cold food. Ronnie. [protected]