McAlister's Deli — Restaurant in Athens

3 things were wrong while ordering at McCallister Deli in Athens Tx, starting off I ordered a King Club and the bread was soggy as if it was left out for a couple hours when I had ordered only 10 minutes prior to picking up like instructed to by the person on the phone, that was the first mistake. Upon picking up my order I was told the total was 22.38, after handing Dolese my card, I received a notification on my phone stating that I was charged 24.45. I thought it was odd considering she stated a different total, I figured she must have mistaken the total or something. After being charged she simply left the cashier in a hurry without handing my receipt, I knew something was wrong, so I waited for her to come back to get my receipt and after receiving it, I realized I was charged for a tip I never was asked about. I have no trouble tipping as I understand the work the food industry workers go through, although I have a HUGE problem with theft and although I was only charged 2 dollars extra the fact of the matter is, I was never given the option to tip. After realizing what she had done I went back to ask her what this was about and she stated that “the machine automatically tips” with a big grin on her face, I knew she was lying because I always go though drive thru and I have NEVER had this issue, this is a matter of poor employee training, I called the manager and she was very polite about everything and informed her about my situation, she offered me a refund on the tip but this whole ordeal is not about money it is about honesty and Integrity, which is clearly lacked. I was also disappointed to see that the strawberry purée I ordered was not added, but I was charged...

One of our employees was adamant about stopping by this McAlister's during our travel week (I'd never tried McAlister's before)! As a self-proclaimed vegetarian & salad connoisseur, the first question I asked her was whether they have good veggies?! She is a veggie-lover too, & she said they're way better than Chic Fil A salads, so I accepted this taste-test challenge 🧐🫣.

I picked the Southwest Avacado Salad due to my love of spice/black beans (without chicken, though, for me). I was impressed with the freshness of the tomatoes, avacados, & lettuce. All veggie-eaters know the STRUGGLE of finding fresh veggies! The tomatoes were so big, ripe, & sweet 😍🤤.

Dakota Baker made my salad. On top of the quality, she was so considerate & accommodating, asking about my diet restrictions as I am also a Type 1 Diabetic (T1D). With special diets, we all know how hard it is to find that type of exceptional service that cares about your health. If you are a vegetarian, or T1D, or gluten-free diet, ASK for Dakota Baker!!!! She didn't judge me and she also let me choose two dressings to try, because I had never tried them before and I couldn't decide!!!!

I went with both Chipotle Ranch as well as the Chili-Lime Balsamic, as I always struggle between the healthy balsamic or a spicy ranch 🤦‍♀️😂. I tried each with a little bite of salad, and I loved them both so much that I decided to mix them together. This was the best salad I have had in a very long time. Wayyyyy better quality and taste than my local Chick Fil A, or Golden Chic, and then better than the Italian restaurants. I will be going with McAlister's salads for the...

I’ve been a regular customer at this McAlister’s and usually order the McAlister’s Club Wrap. However, the past few times I’ve gotten it, it was very sloppily made — barely any meat, way too much honey mustard, and poorly wrapped. To avoid that disappointment again, I decided to order something different on Friday May 23rd 2025: the Spicy Southwest Chicken Sandwich.

When I received my order, I noticed it had a lot more chicken than usual — an unusually large amount. My gut feeling (no pun intended) is that they may have used the last of their chicken that had been sitting out for too long and piled it all onto my sandwich to avoid waste. I also want to mention this was the only meal I ate that day so I am very confident this is where my food poisoning came from.

About 6–8 hours later, I started experiencing severe stomach cramping and bloating. By 10–12 hours after eating, I was violently ill with vomiting that lasted all night and into the next day. I couldn’t keep fluids down and ended up needing prescription anti-nausea medication to stop the vomiting. This had all the signs of Clostridium perfringens food poisoning — which occurs when meat is left at unsafe temperatures and bacteria multiply rapidly.

I’m posting this review because I want other customers to be aware and to urge this location to review and tighten their food safety practices immediately. This was an awful experience that completely wiped me out all weekend. I’ve loved McAlister’s in the past, but after this, I’ll be taking a break from this location until I feel confident that food handling is being taken...