Mel's Family Steak House — Local services in Moulton

So, this was a bucket list restaurant choice that we had made the decision on our mini vacation to try on the way back home. Knew it would be a large meal and were prepared to eat it for lunch and take some back in a box to go for dinner. We were excited and charmed by the eccentricity of the decor and took photos of everything. The waitress was very Southern and charming as well. They were crowded, and bc the Stockyard and auctions are beside this steakhouse, we knew it would be delicious or so we thought. Well....it started ok. They had the old-time salad bar with strange fixins. No blue cheese, ok thousand island it is then. Perfectly happy. Got skipped for a party of 5 when we were only 2, right from the jump. No silverware. Hostess leaves us waiting for silverware to wash and roll. We are finally seated. We know what we want and are ready to order. We could see the servers had their regulars, and they went there first. We kept smiling. We order. He gets the 9oz filet mignon market price, baked potato, and sweet tea. I ordered the New York Strip, and it was thick and juicy until I cut it and discovered instead of medium rare, it is medium well. I sent it back. She didn't stand and wait for us to cut our steaks like most places to see if they were right. She left. So, I had to wait to tell her it was wrong. You pay $40 for a steak. You want it right. Correct? I send it back saying just cook it rare. It comes back flat, well done, no pink whatsoever. I go to send it back again. And this time, she says, "The kitchen said you can't see or you're stupid. There is pink in this." Look, I was taught in a restaurant to cook steak according to thickness, type, etc. What they had sent out the second time was fatty, very flat, well done. I said, "Just forget it." My partner was through with his meal. They told me to order something else. No. Server, do not ever, EVER, TELL YOUR CUSTOMER SHE IS STUPID AND CAN'T SEE. YOU DON'T KNOW ME OR MY BACKGROUND. YOUR TIP WENT FROM ALMOST $75 TO $10 FOR THE WAY YOU PRESENTED THAT TO ME. YOU DIDN'T OFFER DESSERT. WE WANTED IT, BUT YOU NEVER OFFERED, NOR WANTED TO COME BACK TO OUR TABLE. WE ORDERED 3 ENTREES FOR 2 PEOPLE. THAT SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU NOT TO JUDGE, AND YOU WERE GETTING A DECENT TIP. BUT YOU DID. YOUR COOK IS RUINING YOUR BUSIEST DAY. YOU NEED MORE SERVERS. THERE'S TOO MUCH FOCUS ON THE DECOR AND NOT ENOUGH ON THE FOOD. I DO NOT RECOMEND STOPPING HERE IF YOU ARE FROM OUT OF TOWN. THERE ARE BETTER STEAKHOUSES ALONG THE WAY. IT RUINED MY PARTNER'S MEAL BC HE WAS ALMOST DONE, AND I STILL HAD NOTHING. IF THE COOK WAS MAD, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN ME A PRESSED STEAK. IF YOU PUT MY ORDER IN AS MEDIUM WELL, YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. IT WAS MEDIUM RARE. YOU SAID IT DIDN'T SIT THERE, BUT YOU SERVED THE TABLE BEHIND US WHO GOT THERE AFTER US, FIRST. DO NOT GO TO THIS STEAKHOUSE. THE OTHER WAITRESS TRIED TO BE NICE, BUT IT WAS ALL DOWNHILL FROM THERE. WE WERE AN AFTERTHOUGHT. DONT STOP HERE IF YOU ARE TRAVELING. YOU'LL BE IGNORED AND STARED AT. I'LL POST PICS OF MY PLATE OF...

We were passing through Moulton on our way to Dismals Canyon and wanted to eat at a mom & pop local restaurant, so we chose Mel's. We had a party of ten caravaning so we called ahead to let them know we were coming. We arrived at 6:50pm on a Saturday, and they were decently busy but had as sat fairly quickly.

The restaurant definitely has a family atmosphere and you could tell it's been around for a while. The staff were all cheerful and friendly and our waitress, Jasmine, was so sweet and very attentive to our party.

In all, our party had sirloins, ribeye, catfish, grilled chicken, pork chops, a hamburger, a grilled.cheese, and the salad bar. We also had fried pickles and cheese sticks for appetizers.

The food was all excellent, the sirloins were cooked absolutely perfectly (medium rare), the grilled chicken was incredibly moist and flavorful, the catfish was very tasty, and the pork chops were juicy and cooked perfectly. It was all so so good. The only minor issue was the ribeye, which was tasty but very, very thin. When we asked about it, the waitress went back to the kitchen and when she came back she cheerfully offered us another steak on the house. This time we chose the sirloin and as I said, it was excellent.

The salad bar was well stocked with lots of fresh vegetables and fixings.

At the end of our meal we got an opportunity to speak to Melanie, the owner, and complimented her on our excellent meal and staff. Our party all agreed that we would...

Oh Lord!!! Drive on down the road to the next one, it has gone down a lot too but not like this one. The table top and floor were sticky nasty. My wife was afraid the floor would pull her shoes off. Salad bar was pretty good. Food came out, my baked sweet potato tasted old so I did not eat it, my Hawaiian chicken was on a bed of mixed rice. The toast was very iffy, did not try it. My wife did not eat much of her chicken dish citing that it tasted "off". She did try a bit of toast, but spit it right back out....she ended up vomiting after we left. The decor was very dated and seemed dirty. The wait staff acted like they had not clue how wait tables effectively. They all seemed scattered and like the left hand had no clue as to what the right hand was doing. One waitress was loud and obnoxious. It's sad to see this establishment in such disarray, I remember going when it was the Stockyard and it was really good. Word to the wise...