Big John Steak & Onion — Restaurant in Caledonia Charter Township

Not worth the wait any more.

I don't know what happened to this place. I've been going here for 30 years, but the service has plummeted drastically in the past 5 years. They always took a little longer than your average drive-through, but these days you might as well go inside a restaurant, sit down, and order. You'll get your food faster than you will going through Big John's drive-through. They have a sign up (probably because so many people are complaining) saying that they're not a franchise, cook food to order, etc. However, 10 years ago, you could be through the drive-through with your food in 5 minutes if they weren't busy. Now, you could pull up to a totally empty drive-through and you'll still be waiting 20 minutes. So I guess the same food takes 15 minutes longer to make than it used to...

...and the portions are sketchy. Your Super Steak might be overflowing the bun one time, and barely fill it the next...

...and the cashiers act like they'd rather be anywhere else, which may be true since I can't imagine the management has gotten better while the service has gotten so much worse.

Food is still decent though, and their prices didn't skyrocket post-Covid like most...

We all know that Michigan's economy is crumbling, but some culinary gems remain. Out of all of the great comfort foods in Michigan, the absolute best in my opinion is Big John's Steak & Onion. The taste of this shredded grilled Rib-eye with the caramelized onions, topped with banana peppers and their famous "red sauce" makes me salivate.. And who could forget the hoagie buns that everything is piled onto? I can't say enough about this place. I've eaten all across the country and have tasted some delicious goodness that earns the highest of praise, but my mouth keeps longing for another bite of one of these steak & onions. So much so that I make my mother bring me out a few every time she comes to visit us. These subs are similar to a Philly, but very...

The wait right now is long but it's not their fault because they can't get employees! It is nice that they now have a "runner" who brings your food out so it goes a little quicker. To be fair, the wait when they are busy has always been a little long. This is a small place and even before Covid they only have room for so many workers. I love the sandwiches, especially the grilled ham and cheese. But on my last visit they had changed the type of ham. Now the ham has a rind on the edge and doesn't taste that great, plus has hard chewy grisly pieces throughout. I did not like it at all! I'm hoping this is a just a temporary thing and the old ham will come back soon. Because if it doesn't I probably won't...