New Riegel Cafe — Restaurant in Big Spring Township

My extended family goes here every year. My husband and I quit going several years ago due to the VERY poor quality food and terrible management. The last time we went neither of us wanted the chicken, ribs, shrimp, or bologna (because their quality was so bad on previous visits) we asked for just an order of fries. We were told that wasn't an option. My husband settled on the shrimp. I said I would just eat some fries from the kids who we knew wouldn't eat all their own. I was told they didn't allow sharing of portions and I would have to order my own entrée. I said I wasn't paying for food I had NO intention of eating. Our server then asked why I even came. I didn't have a good answer so I ended up going across the street to the grocery store, got a bag of chips and something to drink, and sat in the car while the rest of my family ate. So for the last 3-5 years, we have gone elsewhere for food and met up with the rest of the family later.

Because my husband's father passed away recently, we decided to go to this restaurant one last time in his honor. I planned to order a hamburger and fries to give them another shot. The fries were hot and edible but had zero salt on them. The untoasted bun wasn't sufficient to stand up to a small amount of mustard and pickle and was practically dissolved by the time I had eaten half the burger. The burger was the most disappointing part of my food. It was gray and had definitely been frozen for a LONG time before being cooked. Since it seemed like a commercially processed burger, it was also no surprise to find the beef had zero seasoning or flavor and was dry.

Another example of the poor quality food in our party included "jumbo" shrimp that was really two shrimp breaded together and obviously originating from commercial food processing. This place seems to like to pretend that things are made in house but had some pretty glaring signs of commercial food production.

Our server at least seemed nice and happy to be helping us enjoy a meal. Although she seemed to be the only one happy to be there. Other servers were overheard telling customers waiting to be seated (I don't recall seeing a sign to "seat yourselves" and these people said they didn't either) that they would only be helped after they "finally sat down". Our server also seemed genuinely sorry to not be able to make changes to anything on the menu other than adding "extra sauce" to apparently everything.

This visit was by far the best service we've had there but it comes nowhere near making up for the terrible service and even worse food we've had in the past. Previous highlights include raw chicken the server insisted was cooked, french fries served burnt black, and shrimp without the poop vein removed. And nothing NOTHING can make up for serving chunky "BBQ sauce". I'm pretty sure this place has only survived because locals had zero other options. Now that more chain places are moving in closer, I would be surprised if this place is still open in 3 months. It's also surprising no one has died from the petri dish that is the wet rag that I have ZERO faith it is cleaned and...

Will not be going back. I am a big fan of BBQ and I personally would not call this that. We were first taken back by the menu that listed ribs, shrimp, ham, beef and a couple other items with no details. Didn’t think too much of it did feel weird having to ask. (Heads up, ham is cubed and beef is bite size slices)I got the beef. Beef itself was not bad but the “BBQ” was. Maybe I was confused and it wasn’t BBQ with the beef, but whatever it was or was supposed to be was bad. The best way I can describe it is watered down sloppy joe or chili topping you would pour over a hotdog (but more watery). I had to fish through my chunky sauce soup to find the beef. The sauce was so watery when I would pick up a piece nothing would stick. The BBQ sauce on the ribs my husband got tasted the same but was not as watery, so who knows. As to the actual ribs, which I saw most people getting were not good at all. My husband said they were dry and had a slimy film on the bottom. We had other people with us and no one at the table finished their meal and all said they were confused by the BBQ and the quality of meat was poor. Meals come with fries, shoestring, which were the best part of the meal, two small slices of celery and two slices of bread that were small enough they didn’t even add up to one normal slice of bread. Service was great, no complaints there. Atmosphere was fine, had that small town feel of a restaurant that moved into an old building. Overall though, the menu and quality for the price could use some work. Know people who have eaten there before and said it was good but I also saw that management changed so maybe that...

We came here because my hubby like the ribs. This was the second time we came back, and it wasn't at all what I expected!! Trying to get seated is appalling! Apparently, there is no hostess to direct people needing to be seated! We were unaware we needed to sign-in, and to do so was a task to try and find the sheet in the next room. The quality of the ribs were not that great! The meal consisted of the ribs, two small pieces of bread, fries, two small celery sticks, or an upcharge for a salad. Not the finest presentation! The ribs tasted like something you would put in your roaster or a pressure cooker, with seasoning mix and onions. Take it from someone who has been to Tennessee and other places with awesome ribs! New Riegel cafe was a huge disappointment! If you want good quality BBQ ribs, your not gonna get it here! The atmosphere no longer has a homestead feel to the environment, as they are merging the bar area where the gift shop use to be with extra tables. During our visit, we encountered rowdy customers getting obnoxious and loud, as we were waiting to be seated. This made me and my family feel unsafe. The Cafe was doing away with the gift shop, and the items were discounted, there was confusion where to pay for the items. In one instance, the female owner was yelling at us, because the cashier told us to take our purchases to the front. This is not good business for the establishment! I will not come back...