Western Sizzlin — Restaurant in Athens

My family and I frequent Western Sizzlin often enough to know if the food is consistent in taste and amount, and I can tell you it is not.. if it were not for the rolls and honey butter, I wouldn't like to go as much.. although the honey butter has not tasted very good the past few times.. enough to make me not want it.. It's ok because I probably don't need it anywa, lol.. what I have a problem with is the amount of food for the price. You can pay 10.99 for four of these pre-frozen chicken tenders that can run on the small side.. occasionally, you can get a couple bigger ones and two little ones.. like I said, it's not consistent. I'm not sure if they are switching chicken brands from time to time or what.. but for the price, the chicken tenders are not the best. I'd understand the price if the chicken tenders were fresh hand breaded and not frozen.. You get one side, and if you get the mac and cheese, then the amount you get is hit or miss too. If you dine in, sometimes you "may" get a decent amount, but if you get take out, then don't expect much. Maybe one half cup. The amount is just disappointing for the price you pay for it. Besides the amount, the mac and cheese can be VERY soggy! More "cheese sauce " not sure what they use to make it.. than noodles.. like I said before.. sometimes better than others.. It's just not consistent. Several times, I've gotten the grilled chicken over a bed of rice. Let's just say there's not much of a bed there. They put VERY little rice under the chicken, and that's one of my favorite parts.. actually having a bite of rice with a bite of chicken. A lot of times, the rice is HARD and crunchy and can hurt your teeth. The chicken has been undercooked more than once and seemed kind of rubbery.. I took it home before and cooked it in the oven. I don't want to go somewhere to eat and be nervous about eating the food or wondering if the food is real and having to go home to cook it.. the chicken breasts are definitely not fresh cooked chicken breasts.. more like frozen pre-sized. I like the Philly cheese steak, but sometimes there's not much on it.. more bread than filling.. I believe I should get a better/fuller sandwich at a nice restaurant than I would at Subway.. especially for the price. I know Western Sizzlin is a staple in the town of Athens that many people like, and I shouldn't feel bad for speaking the truth.. I just think they could do better.. I guess I'm ranting about a lot of different issues from different days in this one review, but I guess it all started bothering me enough to say something after my last visit when they messed up my order. We obviously go there for the food, so it is hard to look past when the food is subpar, but I can say the waitresses and waiters are almost always very nice and do a good job. The salad bar is usually good. The cookies are yummy.

I say give it a try and see for yourselves.. you may have better...

I have always loved this place but my experience yesterday changed my perspective. We had a group of 14 people. My boyfriend's family got together and decided to meet here for Thanksgiving dinner due to everyone's crazy schedules. They no longer have the buffet due to COVID-19 which was a let down but understandable. We had 6 kids in our group and all but 2 ordered adult entrees so I ordered a salad and kids chicken and french fries because I don't eat much at all and usually waste a lot if I order adult entrees. We all ordered and went to our table. I went to fix my salad and a lady I'm assuming was the manager comes up to me giving me down the road because I wasn't allowed to order from the kids menu. She let me have it for several minutes and I was very polite and apologized and explained I didn't know their policies. I was completely blown away because I didn't think it was professional for any restaurant manager to hunt the customer down and let them have it in a room with several other customers getting their salads. I have worked in restaurants and I have never seen this behavior before. We had a big party and spent a lot of money there. I understand restaurants have rules but if they are not made clear when ordering then it should be left there, not hunting the customer down in front of other customers and sternly telling them. I use to always like this restaurant but I am not sure that I...

Hi friends, Bubba "Big BM" Mack reporting from Athens. I don't go through Tennessee very often but in the future I can assure you I'll be stopping here. Great food, great service and real value for your hard earned dollar. When you're looking for a really good meal at a fair price you can't beat this place. And, you can't beat the BM you'll have later. I particularly enjoy buffets as they allow me to assemble my own meal, which is, in the end, a BM Kit. Not long ago I was reading some grant was let to a group whose task it was to determine what color would result if all things on Earth were blended together. Really? A grant? How silly is this? Any normal BM could give you the answer. Brown. A rich earthy brown. I hope tax dollars weren't wasted on this folly, but I fear they were. Think about it - leafy greens, white potatoes, some pink ham or light fish and BAM - a brown BM. Who's kidding who here? Now that we've settled this non-issue with little effort let me again say how satisfying my visit was to this Western Sizzlin and let me tell you, I have the BM to prove it!! This is Bubba "Big BM" Mack asking you to visit this establishment as soon as you can and enjoy a fine meal and a...