Sonny's BBQ — Restaurant in Apopka

UPDATED REVIEW: I have been back 4 or more times since this review, and felt the need to update it. Something has changed with this location since. Although I don't believe this Sonnys will ever match up to the one that used to exist on SR 50 that was closed down almost 10 years ago. That location was amazing and staff were more personal and genuine and it was always an epic experience.

This location has improved much since this review. I wanted to make sure before I updated it that it has improved much. My wife has even noticed it. The food has been great so far, and I hope to continue to see improvements and who knows, maybe it will one day be as good as my once favorite location was.

This restaurant isn't a Corporate restaurant but a franchise. And unlike some franchise companies (Chipotle and Chick Fil-A) that care who they franchise out too, this one is going down hill fast and clearly doesn't care.

I have had my last 2 experiences with this restaurant both in Drive Thru. First was my initial visit and I bought the Ribs (Ribs for Two) and I asked for smoked dry. They gave me SWEET ribs. Come on man... I don't like sugary meat. I called and was told my name would be written down and could come again another day.

Well I called and the mgr this time (different than the one I spoke to before) stated he did not see my name, and that usually they mail something to the customer..... Uhhhh ok... He was super annoyed, and yet told me to come on through. I came, and it was made up for. No complaints. Dry ribs, it was great.

Came here last night. Again Drive Thru. First I placed my order for 2 pork sandwhiches. Simple enough right? Well the cooks turned off the grill she says. Come on man... Really? Why take my order then to begin with and make me wait in line with another car in front of me. Then she asks me cause they cannot put it on Garlic bread if I wanted it on a bun..... Uhhhh fine, but it wont be the same. She disappears for about 3 minutes, comes back, they will put it on Garlic bread for you. Ok cool. BUT after 12 minutes, and I get my food, she tells me she put Sweet BBQ sauce in the bag..... I gave her that look... (That "Really??? Really??? look). I said ummmm I asked for Mild at the intercom. Turned out they were out of Mild and she assumed I liked sweet sauce on my meat... (I guess they didn't learn from the Rib experience from before). I said here take these cause I will just waste them in the trash, she went and poured some in a container with a lid. I thanked her and left. Got home. The Garlic bread was under cooked, and what happened to the garlic????

I dont know... I wish they just told me they were closed and I would of gotten a better experience another day.

And what ever happened to the old style they used to cut the meat. This meat is thicker and in strips and less tasty than before. I am honestly not a fan of it really.

But they are still better than 4Rivers...

Arrived to excuses before we were even seated. Should have left then but have had good experiences at other Sonny’s so we decided to stay (the hostess and another employee complaining that they had been too busy earlier and they were sooo tired). Was taken to a table with filthy seats. Thank goodness I carry baby wipes so I was able to clean it myself (again, should have left but previous experience). Ordered 2 sweet teas, they were anything but sweet and usually Sonny’s has good sweet tea. Ordered our food which consisted of brisket meal and a pork sandwich meal. Brisket had no flavor at all? Normally it is seasoned well. My sweet potato was so overcooked and shriveled up I had to ask for another. ALL of the food was barely warm. The garlic bread had been made hours earlier as it was not only cold but hard as well. When the server brought the new sweet potato she made a comment about how they were all coming out small? That was NOT why I asked for another and I reminded her again, why I had asked for another was due to the cook over cooking the one she had brought me. Husband ordered fries with his sandwich which were undercooked. His pork was old not fresh. This man will normally eat anything but this food was barely touched so I know it was awful. The whole experience was AWFUL. We both are SICK now, VERY SICK and are going to the dr as soon as it opens. EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK! I will be contacting the health department today in regards to this particular establishment. This place definitely needs an inspection. The bathroom……let’s just say it was so dirty I wouldn’t even use it. If the filthy bathroom is any indication of how the kitchen is kept then no wonder we are sick!! Do yourself a favor and go anywhere else! You will be glad you did. Cost of this nightmare that made us sick? Almost $40....

I used to come here at least once a month with my family growing up, and we always had the best food, service, and overall experience! I haven't been to this location since they renovated - which looks wonderful! - but my boyfriend and I went last night and were disappointed with the service we received. Although there were plenty of open tables, we were asked to wait by the hostess to (in her own words), "give them time to get their act together," which was odd to say to a customer. We went to the bathrooms, came back, and waited another few minutes before getting seated. We had to wait 10 minutes before being greeted (where we immediately placed our order), and after getting our drinks were told they were out of ribs, which is one of the things my boyfriend ordered. The server wasn't apologetic and was very awkward about it, but my boyfriend took it very well and we moved along. When the food came out, it was all wrong and the server blamed the kitchen, which didn't seem professional to me. Throughout the dinner, my boyfriend noticed the lights at the bar would randomly turn off and on every few minutes, and they never got fixed. After we finished our meals, it took a very long time for us to get a check and run the credit card. The server said she asked for her manager to come by and apologize for the meal mix-up but he never came and we didn't receive any comps for the mess up. Finally, our dishes were not cleared so we were signing the check among messy dishes until the manager finally came to clear them and said, "I hope you enjoyed everything." When my boyfriend replied, "It was interesting," the manager just walked away. It was not the Sonny's I once loved and knew, so I hope they're just working through some operational issues and are able to determine a better process...