cordell's — Restaurant in Abilene

1/19/24 I was a loyal customer for years often ordering the tomato soup. Today it was terrible. I picked it up for some guests thinking it would be like it always was the previous hundred times Id ordered it. When they told me it was bad because it was very watered down I was in disbelief until I tasted it myself. The consistency was indeed strange and it did taste very watered down. It even separated after sitting with a thin line of clear fluid migrating to the top. Sometimes a restaurant gets it wrong but to be so consistent for so long and then there's the timing...

I also get my olive oil from them in the largest size about every three months. It is expensive. Id come in, try what they had available (its always changing), and wait a few minutes for the large jug. This was the way it went for years and all seemed fine until recently when I called in a food order a day in advance out of courtesy. When I went in to pick up I ask for my oil like I always did they suddenly got in a huff and asked for a days notice. I could tell this exaggerated response likely had more to do with stress from a busy day. I explained I was confused because I'd ordered for years and no one had ever told me. If I had been made aware I would've asked for it when I put my order in. I thought they'd understand, remember how it was handled so many times in the past, and say okay well just let us know next time but instead the employee got defensive. She insisted they were telling customers and called another employee over who'd never filled my oil order before to ask if she'd been telling people. It was hopeless, so I just changed my plans to pick it up the next day.

After this I received constant reminders every. single. time. I called or came in for the next couple weeks to the point it was purposeful pestering. They suddenly acted like any request was a huge deal such as asking for an extra dressing on the side of a salad. When I came to pick up the oil, the owner felt it necessary to make sure she checked out my order so she could once again, not even 24 hours later, tell me about the advance notice to which I replied yes Id just found out. No one said a word in response though the employees Id had that conversation with, who usually greeted me, were avoiding eye contact standing right behind the counter. I thought okay well maybe they're just having a bad couple of days until they randomly ask if I wanted more oil (though they would have denied the request and filled it the next day) when I ordered food even though as I said I was only getting it maybe every three months or more for years and they'd just filled it. I simply told them no and then I was given this altered soup. The owner again did not speak to me when I picked it up as she was busy gossiping about another customer but had a ten minute conversation with the next guest.

I never needed constant reminders or standoffish behavior to get the message they'd like notice in the future. I was also willing to overlook a rash reaction or two in light of our years of doing business. We all have bad days, but they persisted and the soup was taking it too far. They also never acknowledged they were refilling same day for years without question and its really not possible they dont know that. A little understanding for my position would've gone a long way. If youre making a change, give your customers some grace for heaven sake. After spending quite a bit of $ here and recommending it to my friends, I...

Usually, I do not do reviews; however, for the last couple of times we have been here the chicken has been completely dried out. I asked today about it and was told that the owner who cooks does it on purpose. As a person who went through culinary school and has training, I cannot comprehend purposefully drying out chicken! And then when you look at the salads nearly everyone of them has the same ingredients. A Thai salad should have peanuts not walnuts and I have never seen one that has cheese on it. Usually a Thai salad has a crunch like cabbage with bell peppers and shredded carrots to give it a different texture. A southwestern salad should have roasted corn, bell peppers, cilantro with lime and other flavors and maybe a creamy avocado dressing.

To me the food isn’t that great but I do love the fact that the people are friendly until you mention your dislikes then they get snappy but to have a good place to go is the key and for owners to listen to the complaints to make it better is always helpful! I’m sure not everyone is a fan of dried out chicken or the same salads…be a little more creative!

We love the oils that this place carries but the food is another subject especially...

This was my first visit here. I went for lunch not knowing what to expect but I heard it was good. They did not disappoint. The store and restaurant are kept very nice and clean. The staff was really helpful as well. I had a pear chicken salad that was topped with oils that Cordell's sells. It was delicious! I also tasted the chicken salad sandwich that my friend had as well. It was also fantastic. We then stepped over to their store, which is in the same building, and purchased some of the oils that we had just eaten in our lunches. The owner, Joy, came out to check on us while we ate and then later waited on us while we chose the oils we wanted to purchase. We had a great experience and we...