Red Arrow Roadhouse — Restaurant in Chikaming Township

I love the Road House. My husband and I eat here regularly and look forward to the good food. What I am so frustrated with and find hard to understand is, we are NEVER greeted in a friendly way. No HELLO nice to see you, No Hello with a smile, No sense of appreciation for regular customers that anyone in the service industry would have the sense to appreciate and understand the importance of making customers feel WELCOME. They may have many tourists that they only see once and for some reason that has tarnished their sense of hospitality but that is just bad business that should not have to be pointed out. Is it that they still pack the place no matter how cold and robot like they treat their customers so they feel no need to be friendly? We are regulars and other restaurants in the area and no one is as cold and expressionless as the majority of the staff at the Road House. The owners must pass this down from the top - the same woman who has sat me no less than 30 times has never once so much as smiled at me - she is like a robot with no warmth or friendliness - very sad. We have both been in the service industry and find it unnerving when we go there with expectations that it might change and never does. The gentleman that I assume is a manager and is there every single time we have been there - walks past us, helps clear tables when business is heavy and never says a word - removes dishes like the table is not occupied ... How was it?, nice to see you? H E L L O!!! It is like a group of zombies are running the place....I guess when you don't have a lot of competition, you don't have to work at showing appreciation for your loyal...

On the open road of life, nestled in the heart of Union Pier, there's a beacon, an oasis - the Red Arrow Roadhouse. Just like the beats of yesteryears, pulsing with the rhythm of a different era, the Roadhouse thrums with life, teeming with souls seeking solace in good food and company. It’s always alive, bustling, echoing the vibes of the beats that roamed free, telling tales of cities and dreams. The wait? Ah, the wait is but a testament to its legacy, and like any good journey, it's always worth the pause.

The staff - the true heartbeats of this joint - wear their smiles like the sun, warming your very essence, every gesture a dance of welcoming delight. The food, ah! The food. The blue cheese potato chips crackled like the stories from the road, while the turkey manhattan soared high like the tales from exotic lands. Meatloaf, grounding and hearty, echoed the grounded wisdom of those who've tread before, and the enchiladas, they swirled with the passion and fire of the very spirit of the road.

Amidst the symphony of clinking dishes and buzzing conversations, Kandace stood out, not just as a server, but as a guiding star of our evening. With the grace of a seasoned traveler and the enthusiasm of someone discovering the world for the first time, she navigated our journey through the menu, making recommendations with a sparkle in her eye.

One thing’s for sure, like the nomads of the pages, we too shall return. For the Red Arrow Roadhouse isn’t just a pit stop; it's a chapter...

The decor is something I would call quaint rustic. Personally, I liked it. Particularly that each tabletop was made up of dozens of license plates from all over the country. Judging by all the good review we must have caught the cook on a bad day. We came here after doing some hardcore beaching at New Buffalo. We started with the garlic mozzarella bread. It was good but the marinara sauce it came with made the dish; it was very good. I ordered the Char-grilled Flat Iron Steak and a Bloody Mary and my wife had the Oven-Fried Cod Platter and a blueberry martini. There was very little "char" and the steak was a bit dry and under-seasoned. Any less horseradish in the sauce and it would cease to be a horseradish sauce. The shining moment was when I tasted the onion rings that came atop the steak. They were some of the best I have tasted in a long long time. Unfortunately, I paid $8 for a $5 Bloody Mary. It was so-so at best with the garnish being the best part. My wife was neither here nor there with her cod. Not the worst but certainly not the best. I had a bite and I agreed, it landed somewhere just south of average. However, that tartar sauce was not good. Flavorless is the best way to describe it. Our server, Server 74, according to the receipt, was very good. Overall I would say the price-point for each thing we had was a touch high. Will we be back? Hard to tell with so many other potentially great...