Ruby Sunshine — Restaurant in Charlotte

My boyfriend and I had tried to come here in the past, but could not wait nearly 2 hours for a table so went somewhere else; there is only a waitlist, no reservations allowed. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when we were able to be seated right away when recently looking for a brunch restaurant!

First thing I noticed when we were about to get seated: there was a dirty napkin on the floor at the adjacent empty table to ours. No big deal, maybe they hadn't gotten to it yet. Pushed to the back of my mind.

After the hostess let us sit down, we waited for our server to come. And waited. I should have timed it, but it surely was over 5 minutes before our waiter finally came. He apologized saying he didn't realize we were here, in his seating area to be taken care of. My boyfriend told me after he left our table that the server was just standing in the back (he could see from his side) chatting with another employee the entire time we were sitting there, waiting on water and the waiter. Not cool.

I told the waiter we would order everything (not just drinks) at once because we had been sitting so long, we knew everything we wanted already.

Once our meal came out, the server couldn't remember what each person had ordered. I was a bit shocked, because he already made us wait a long time just to greet us, and he couldn't even remember what entrees we had ordered?? Also, I wasn't impressed initially by the appearance of our meal. The mimosa I had ordered was in a plastic wine glass (not awful, but just... seemed cheap), and the fall special beignets fell flat of our expectations. They looked so sad I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture of them as its own dish.

I took an entire table picture of everything we got. I had chosen biscuits & gravy with fried chicken added. I had to add salt and pepper to my dish because it was so bland. The fried chicken was the only good thing I ate; I could tell it had probably been brined because it was pretty juicy. My boyfriend had an omelet that was a letdown, with breakfast potatoes that had looked like they were precooked and just reheated when he ordered them.

I had high expectations of this place because the menu looked amazing, the fact that it seemed PACKED all the time must mean it's good... right...? I spent over $60 with a 18% tip, and honestly I was tempted to tip 15% (which "was/is" the standard, anyway) because our server neglected us.

Atmosphere was like a super casual restaurant. Comparable to a a cheap to average breakfast restaurant or diner. Definitely not romantic or anything worthy of celebrating a special event. The only pro I can recall is that there wasn't any super loud music or anything to disrupt conversation.

I would have been happier going to IHOP or Waffle House and would have spent less than half the money (excluding the mimosa)... I would even go to fast food over this place, any day. I wanted to love this place so much, but the service, quality, and cost in relation to my experience butchered any hope of redemption.

Lastly: nobody bothered to pick up the dirty napkin by the time we left. We went on a Monday around 12:45, and it was a pretty slow time then. There is no excuse for the lack of cleanliness in a restaurant, especially when they are not...

Waited an entire 2 hours to o be seated only to be told we’re unable to seat you to a table as our cooking staff is backed up. I checked in numerous times and was told by management 15 min x 3 beyond the 1:15 min wait. Then finally when two tables opened up we were told oh I’m sorry it’s not the space, we’re not seating anyone else even if you’ve been on the waitlist. Like sorry not sorry sorry of ordeal. I’m very disappointed as I praise on how great the food and vibe is here but empathy goes far and communication even farther. Really disappointing how my family and I were treated today. Then to see people who came in after us being seated makes me even more upset. It cost $0 to be a decent person. We waited 2 hours 1 more would’ve have hurt for 3 people who clearly patiently waited that long. So to the “manager” who rudely turned us away after the kind young lady advocated to seat us, please know you’re in business because of your customers. Also manager, when your kitchen is moving slow, you don’t further exacerbate the matter by telling paying customers oh you have to leave because our kitchen is backed up. That’s not your customers fault and your resolution was not to appease your customers but to let your kitchen get caught up so the people seated could get fed. Well remember yall over extended our wait time so I should’ve been treated with the same courtesy. To make matters worse, your host seated someone as we were waiting to be seated and they came in way after we arrived and I was present when you added them to the chart so what’s really going on, is it the kitchen staff or management ? . There was no, I’m so sorry, just get we got a problem in our kitchen so who cares about your 2 hour wait we just need to go leave because we aren’t serving you today. Beyond dissatisfied. Again, act like you know why you still in business, it’s your customers. We don’t mind waiting but treat us like we matter. You don’t get paid if we don’t get fed. Work on your people skills while you improve your management skills. And just to be clear not referring to neither of the young lady host, the taller older manager is who I’m referring to. The other young lady was in the back helping out. Treat your customers like you want to be...

I’m super disappointed! I wanted to love this place but unfortunately it just didn’t do it for me.

Let me start with the good… The host Alex, was cool and affable! Later found out he was the district manager. Also, our server, LeRae, was nice and accommodating!

Now for the food… 2 thumbs down! I don’t know how they got such a high rating! Fellow Google reviewers, you did me wrong with this one! Maybe, it was the time of day… We came at around 12:30 on a Saturday. IDK! Either way I was hugely disappointed!

I ordered the Beignets and Fried Catfish and Grits with a side of eggs. Our server suggested the Pineapple Upside Down Beignets. I didn’t want all that stuff on them and ordered the plain beignets. She suggested we get the pineapple sauce on the side. I said cool but was disappointed that it only came with 4 Beignets as the plain Beignet order came with 6. Either way they were just okay at best.

My Catfish, Grits, and eggs were lukewarm at best. I can’t stand when my food isn’t hot! They took it back and brought me another order. The second time around was worse than the first because I got less food and my catfish and grits were still warm and the fish was so greasy I couldn’t eat it. The Tasso cream sauce looked more like cold gravy. AND AGAIN IT WAS LUKEWARM AT BEST! The eggs were hot and the biscuit warm. So I just ate some of the eggs and the biscuit. When I explained this to Alex he said he would have them check the temperature of the fryers.

They did give me a 20% discount. However, seeing as that I didn’t eat it, they really should have comped it. But I didn’t make a fuss!

My son ordered a chicken sandwich that he said tasted pretty good but his fries were greasy and soggy. The server said that that was how their fries were prepared. She said they didn’t make crispy fries.

Lastly, my cup was dirty and I had to ask for a new cup.

So, needless to say if I’m ever back in Charlotte, I will not visit this restaurant again. Having been to New Orleans, I can honestly say this restaurant was not a good representation of their awesome culinary scene!

I spent $65 on food and $16 for parking and walked out still hungry! We ended up grabbing something from the...