Carolina Kitchen Bar & Grill — Restaurant in College Park

My niece made reservations at the Hyattsville location to celebrate her graduation. She booked one of their private rooms well in advance and sent a $300.00 deposit and was told she’d be refunded $150.00. When her guests arrived we waited a long time to be seated. I guess they couldn’t find the reservation or whatever. Her party was over 20 people. After waiting, we were finally seated. They had us filing into the room at literally the same time the previous party was filing out. Everyone was hungry after so long a wait and the waitress began taking our order. One waitress was assigned to our large party and to her credit, she did her best. We ordered drinks, and appetizers and then our entrees. The oysters were delicious but my entree was so salty (smothered pork chops) I felt my blood pressure rise at first bite. Normally I would have sent them back but decided not to add to the chaotic scene as the waitress was already overwhelmed. I tried one of my niece’s chicken wings, which were undercooked but considering the fellowship in the room and the happy occasion we were celebrating, everyone’s main consideration was to keep the mood a happy one. However, when it was time for everyone to pay, they told my niece they would not honor the room refund as she was told when she booked the room. Then the manager wanted to know who the person was whom she booked with. They acknowledged he was a employee but he no longer worked there. Why that should be a concern of the customer escapes me. But the manager seemed persistent not to manage this situation, while the whole time her party was waiting to pay their bills and and go home. Finally, after what must have been an hour wait to settle or bill, the waitress had to ask us all what we ordered again, …which was another time consuming process. I asked the waitress if she could have the manager come in and address our party because at this point each one of us had been unduly detained and should have been offered some kind of accommodation. But my request was never honored. I am on oxygen and was running out of charge on my portable unit which has a 6 hour life. But I was hot! This restaurant spoiled what should have been a wonderful occasion. Each one of us honored our agreement to pay our bill; but this restaurant needs to fire the manager or send her to management training because the only thing she managed to do was piss everyone off. She needed to ask herself why should the customer be made to feel as though she was lying when she made arrangements in good faith to patronize your restaurant. We will be making further complaint on the corporate level and I would hope the owner would extend an apology at the very least. Because customer service and fair treatment of paying customers should not have to be resolved through litigation. Thoroughly disgusted and no thanks for ruining my nieces...

My 2nd Carolina Kitchen experience was amazing. I'm talking about NBA Finals Game 7 4th quarter buzzer beater type feeling.

I got to restaurant at 8pm, mind you I they close at 9pm. I knew the urgency of the situation so I walked straight to the bar and ordered. "2 Rotisserie Chicken Dinners", which includes Two Sides (Yams, Cabbage & Collard Greens) and complimentary honey butter cornbread muffins".

The waitress placed two succulent buttery cinnamon cornbread muffins in front of me at 8:05pm. I'm not sure how but at 8:07pm the plate just had muffin wrappers and crumb residue on it. I they somebody stole them, I don't know.

I lie to you not, my order was in front of my face at 8:15pm. I decided I would try to finish both dinners before 9pm. I drizzled the Rotisserie chicken w/ The DMV's #1 sauce "Capital City Mambo Sauce" and got down to business.

One chicken was just bones at 8:25pm. Pairing the chicken with the sauce was the best idea I had all day. Talk about a delicious sweet and slightly tangy grill flavor. I took a look at the chicken and said I'll get to you later.

I went for the cabbage and the bowl was clean at 8:32pm. Though to some cabbage may be bland but im glad it wasn't salty like most are. It was sautéed for a nice soft chew.

Next I attacked both bowls of Yams, which i demolished in 8 mins. The yams were cooked enough to keep the yam in tact but easy to mash when chewing. It was paired with a nice sweet cinnamon/nutmeg taste. A true blessing to my tastebuds, thank god for the Chef!

I sat there for a for minutes and appreciated the ambiance and it felt like I was in Man heaven. There were about 10 flat screen tv's in front of me and were all showing sports. I was high on food at this point and in a euphoric state of mind. I thought about the cornbread I had earlier and asked the waiter very politely " can I please have more cornbread".

It was now 9:50pm and stared at the Chicken and Greens with a defeated look. I had to admit, I gave it a good try but who was I kidding. They give you a good portion for your money. I decided to box them up and save them for later. While I was doing so, the cornbread bandit took my cornbread AGAIN. I was through at that point. Though I didn't finished both dinners in time I'm grateful I got to enjoy a great dinner for an affordable price.

If you are in the area I recommend this restaurant and I recommend going to Giant across the street & picking up a bottle of Capital City Mambo Sauce to pair w/your Protein.

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Just left this location and to say that I am disappointed would be an understatement. Given the recent news coverage about restaurants in the DMV area mishandling food and the fact that we are not completely out of the woods yet with the pandemic (and all these other newer viruses popping up), you would think that when a paying customer tells you that they are not comfortable with you taking their plate to the back of the store to collect food (uncovered might I add) that it would be a no-brainer as to why. Typically when they are out of an item, they leave the to-go boxes on the counter where we can see them while they go to the kitchen to collect fresh food. I calmly informed them that I would not be accepting the to-go box he took to the back and asked for them to re-make my plate. I don’t care if it was for one piece of chicken or 10 pieces of chicken - you should not be taking to-go boxes to the back when I’m paying to have the food packaged in front of me. The “convenience” of it for you is not more important then my being concerned about the way you’re conducting business when I am the one paying and the one that’s going to actually be eating the food.

To make a long story longer, once I noticed they were not comprehending what I was saying and were persistently trying to explain their reasoning for doing what they did, I asked for a manager and reiterated my point. The manager advised them to bring the food to the front like I asked and remake the plate. However, next thing I knew, I was being met with looks and giggles from staff. Clearly they felt that I was making a big deal out of nothing and the condescending manner in which they spoke to me in and of itself is more reason why I will not be returning.

Additionally, there was no update about where the food was as I saw someone bringing a fresh batch of another item from the back. At that point, I just decided to leave because I was over it. I will never step foot in this restaurant again and it’s a shame because I’m a long time customer. Pro tip: when a customer has a concern, it is not for staff to roll their eyes or take it personally. Because it’s never personal. Understanding good business acumen and having good customer service makes all...