Shelby's Legendary Shawarma — Restaurant in Oakville

Extremely Disappointed – A Decline in Quality and Service

As a long-time and once-loyal customer of Shelby’s, I am extremely disappointed and frankly disgusted by the experience I had at their Oakville location. This review comes not just from a regular patron, but also from someone who once considered owning a Shelby’s franchise. Today, I can confidently say I will never step into a Shelby’s again.

The portion sizes have drastically declined, and there is virtually no difference between a “regular” shawarma and the so-called “legendary” version. I noticed the minimal quantity while my order was being prepared but chose not to say anything initially. However, once I received the food, the disappointment was undeniable. I’ve visited multiple locations — Brampton, Erin Mills, and Oakville — and this experience was by far the worst.

We were charged for hummus, which was missing. We ordered shawarma in saj bread but were oddly served the bread on the side. These aren’t just minor oversights — they speak volumes about declining standards and lack of attention to customer orders.

Interaction with Staff – A Lesson in Poor Customer Service

I write this with professional insight as a Senior Manager in Customer Experience for a Toronto-based company.

Our group of five adults and one child asked to speak with a manager regarding the issues. The manager (a young woman with spectacles) responded dismissively, stating, “We prepare wraps according to our standards,” and offered hummus on the side instead of correcting the actual order. Her tone reflected arrogance and zero accountability. Her response to our feedback was a sarcastic smile and a suggestion to contact the owner directly.

About ten minutes later, another staff member approached us abruptly with a handwritten number — presumably the owner’s contact — which I declined. I prefer to address this matter publicly as a friend of mine personally knows the owner, Yazan.

We were simply trying to enjoy a meal as a family. Raising a genuine concern about food quality and missing items should not result in passive-aggressive treatment or condescension.

Final Thoughts

Shelby’s has clearly lost its way. From declining food quality and portion sizes to unprofessional and dismissive staff, the brand has strayed far from what it once stood for. Ironically, one of the criteria in their franchise application includes having relevant industry experience — something that seems sorely lacking at this location.

I will not be returning to this or any other Shelby’s location. Respect matters more than a meal, and there are far better places to...

The food tasted great and had a great flavor, got poutine shawama and a wrap. However;

Poutine Shawama fries were cold, the meat was dry, and sauces were cold. Didn't seem worth the price and almost 30 minute wait to get. Watched them make the food and it was just them pulling meat and fries from a bin at the front, didn't seem fresh or hot. Mostly assembling food like Subway/Harvey's but nothing reheated that could have been sitting there for hours getting cold. At least Harvey's makes the meat and fries fresh, the meat and fries just sitting in a bin at the front with the poutine sauce in a cold bottle.

The wrap was a big rip off for the price. The sauce and meat had good flavor, but the meat was dry, very light sauce, and half of my wrap was just filled with cold fries and almost no meat. Half the bites tasted like I was just eating a hash brown and didn't even have a single price of meat.

Also, compared to the picture on the website, the wrap didn't even fill half of the paper box/wrap, was maybe an inch and a half wide. For a new restaurant that just opened and was excited to go to, was a bit disappointed that the food wasn't fresh and portions were very small. Not good to be cheap on portion sizes after only 4 days of being open when I went.

The building looks nice, clean, and the iPad ordering at the front was convenient. Maybe will try to go back later on if I see that the food is fresh, good sizes, and they speed up times. Was only 6 people in the store and it shouldn't take 30 minutes to make a poutine and wrap where all the food is already cooked and just assembling it infront of you.

Edit (19/1/2023): Went back a second time. Got a wrap, this time filled up more and a good size and tasted great. Wait time still very long. For one wrap, took 34 minutes. There was 5 employees behind the counter and half were just walking around not actually making food. My half assembled wrap sat on the counter for around 30 minutes before the next person finished it and put the sauce and...

Oh gosh, where do I even begin with my recent experience at Shelby's Oakville? It pains me to write this because I used to rave about this place, even giving it a glowing 5-star review in the past. But after today, that rating has plummeted faster than a falafel hitting the floor. What happened, Shelby's? We walked in, excited for our usual delicious meal, and walked out feeling like we'd just paid a small fortune for a light appetizer. The portion sizes have shrunk so drastically it's almost comical. My son's shawarma, which used to be generously packed, had barely any chicken in it. It was more like a sad, lonely pita bread with a whisper of meat. And then there's the audacity of charging $1.50 for a little extra hot sauce! Seriously? After we shelled out a whopping $42 for two measly bowls and a wrap that barely registered as a meal, you're nickel and diming us for a condiment? It felt like a slap in the face. We've been loyal customers since you opened your doors, always happy to support a local business. But today's service and, more importantly, the food, were frankly horrible. If you were running low on ingredients and needed time to prepare more, we would have completely understood waiting. At least then we would have received the satisfying meals we were expecting and paid for. I genuinely enjoy Shelby's food when it's done right, which makes this experience all the more disappointing. I left feeling incredibly dissatisfied and honestly, ripped off. I really hope this was just an off day, but based on today, I'm hesitant to return. You've lost a very loyal customer, Shelby's. Get...