Ricky's All Day Grill - Nanaimo South-In the Days Inn — Restaurant in Nanaimo

I have to start this out by saying that Ricky's used to be one of my favourite restaurants and I was really looking forward to eating here. Every time we drive by I said that I needed to get back there.

Last time I went to Ricky's you could order breakfast for dinner and that's what I was looking forward to. Apparently that's not an option anymore, so I had the all you can eat fish and chips, my son ordered the 8oz original burger, and my partner ordered the california chicken burger. We all got beverages as well.

The first thing we noticed was that the fries were dried out and from what we could figure, had been sitting there for a while. My son ordered the 8oz burger but received the smaller 6oz burger. Luckily that's what he was charged for. His tomato in his burger was hard as a rock, had a core in it and tasted terrible. He literally almost threw up in his mouth after tasting it.

My partner's burger had an absolutely tiny chicken breast in it and very little care was taken making the burger. The avocado was all on one side and she had to open it and spread it around properly herself. The whole wheat bun was flavourless and dry. Well, not flavourless, it tasted really old.

My fish and chips were so greasy that it soaked through the paper liner on my plate which I apparently ended up eating a decent portion of because it was stuck to my soggy greasy fish. The plate was served without lemon, which is a must with any fish dish, and without an offering of vinegar. I decided to be brave and order another piece of fish. I asked the waitress to ask them to please let it rest so it wouldn't be greasy and it came out much better. This time I asked for lemon and decided to try the fish without tartar sauce. Unfortunately the fish was completely tasteless and mushy inside the batter and the batter was unseasoned and bland. Luckily I had the tartar sauce to give it all some taste the first two pieces.

We weren't offered a refill on our drinks until we were ready for our bill.

On a side note, the table across from us barely ate their food and was obviously very displeased as well.

This is the first time I have ever wanted to warn the people coming in the door to go somewhere else.

It's a real shame because Ricky's used to be my favourite place to go for a good meal. I can't even say that the quality has gone down hill because there was no...

Stayed at the Days Inn for a week, ate at the restaurant for breakfast 3 times during our stay (hotel guests receive 20% off breakfast). First time we really enjoyed it, (ordered classic bacon eggs toast and hash browns) food was good and service was good with our server Jennifer. The second time we ate breakfast (ordered same thing) the breakfast was a little greasier and the eggs weren't as good, again the server was Jennifer and the service was good. The third time we ate here our server was Kelsey, not a good experience at all. We were seated and she took our order (ordered same thing), 5-10 minutes later a man was seated behind us and severed before us, he was almost finished his breakfast by the time we were served ours. The eggs were over cooked and rubbery, the rest was really greasy and we received 3 pieces of bacon as apposed to the 4 pieces we received the other times we had breakfast here(very inconsistent). Kelsey did not come and ask us how our food was(I wanted to complain about the breakfast but she never came). We were done eating waited, another server noticed and came to take our plates away, Kelsey then came and asked if there was anything else we wanted and I responded no just the bill, upon paying I mentioned to her that compared to our other experiences we were not impressed with the food or the service today. Kelsey proceeded to argue with us getting all offensive that we weren't happy. She argued that she did come and visit the table when she knows she didn't. She argued that the food was fine and that we told her everything was good. Voices were raised at each other, the whole restaurant had noticed and another server had to step in and was being apologetic asking if there was anything she could do to rectify this. Which is what Kelsey should have done. I wasn't trying to cause a scene and didn't want any handouts, I just wanted to give feedback and let her know we weren't impressed today. In my opinion this terrible review could have been avoided if she cared the slightest about her customer service. Kelsey should not be...

During my stay at the Days Inn in Nanaimo for a training session, I decided to try Ricky's Grill, which is conveniently attached to the hotel.

I wasn’t very hungry, so I opted for a starter—Southern Style Chicken Tenders. The restaurant's website was user-friendly and easy to navigate. Placing my order was straightforward, and it only took about 20 minutes for my takeout to be ready, which is pretty standard among restaurants.

When it was time to pick up my order, I entered the restaurant and noticed it was clean and well-maintained. There were clear signs indicating where to wait to be seated, where to pick up takeout orders, and where DoorDash pickups were located. This clear signage is excellent for avoiding confusion, especially when the place gets busy.

Despite there being only one server at the time, he immediately acknowledged me as soon as he came out from the back. He was very friendly and quickly retrieved my order. The efficiency and friendliness of the service were notable..

My order was packed properly, and the Southern Style Chicken Tenders were good. They were simple and easy to eat in my hotel room, which was exactly what I wanted.

While I only tried the takeout service this time, my experience was positive. The ordering process was smooth, the pickup was efficient, and the food met my expectations. The restaurant itself looked inviting and clean, with friendly staff. I hope to dine in the restaurant on my next visit to get the full experience.

Based on this experience, I would recommend Ricky's Grill for both takeout and dine-in options, especially for those staying at the Days...