CAROLINA KITCHEN — Restaurant in Largo

Absolutely terrible. I have been coming to this location for years but because of the pandemic I haven't been here in a while. I walked inside and when I finally got to the counter I was immediately met with someone who didn't want to be there. I pay it no mind because it was like 2hrs until they close and I can understand being tired. First the guy tells me that I can't order a meatloaf dinner and have the sides upcharged to a larger size and pay extra for a second meatloaf. Once again, I have been going here for years so I didn't know what the issue was because I have done this forever. They were always quick to tell me how much extra adding things and getting a larger size was in the past and I always paid for those extra accommodations...so I just cannot fathom what had changed.

I obviously get upset at this but I just decided to get a large side of collard greens and a large side of mac and cheese and call it a day for that order. Simple right? Then I place another order for a 2 piece chicken dinner with a regular side of baked beans and mac and cheese. This guy immediately gets annoyed and proclaims in a boisterous fashion that the chicken was going to be 25-30mins. I say that I can wait because at this point I know he just wants to get the line down and he's trying to get people quick things so he can leave. The guy writes the items on the tray for the cashier to punch into the system and I go to the front to pay so I can wait in my car and come back at the time that was quoted. Because obviously in a PANDEMIC you cannot wait in the store because there can only be a certain amount of people inside because of COVID guidelines.

Tell me WHY when I come back into the store at the time the EMPLOYEE quoted for part of my order, I am greeted with "oh your name was called a few times already for the food".

...Excuse me? Not only that, but when I told the manager that I waited in my car for 25-30minutes because that's what her EMPLOYEE quoted she just responds with "oh yeah, the chicken doesn't take long".

Are you serious? No "I apologize for the misinformation" not even a "let me see if I can warm it up for you" or anything! Not even an "I'm sorry for the inconvenience!".

So you mean my food is now cold because YOUR EMPLOYEE quotes the wrong time? Why is nobody actually going back there to the kitchen to verify the times of the food? Especially when it's almost an hour before closing? The store already has my money, and it was presented to them to process in an orderly fashion because I can't get my food otherwise...but I have to wait for my food and when I get my food it's cold because your employee that didn't want to come to work that day wanted to tell people the wrong wait time for their food????

Unacceptable. Complete unacceptable. An absolute disgrace.

At this point I just take the food and angrily walk out because this order wasn't just for me but for someone who cannot drive here to get the food she loves so much. If it was just me I would have just asked for my money back and still made this review. Now she will have to wait longer to eat because I have to go home to heat up cold food that I paid for to be handed to me hot.

Completely unprofessional...

As a longtime patron of Carolina Kitchen's various locations in the DMV area, my recent visit to their Upper Marlboro location on Shopper's Way proved to be a letdown of epic proportions. Having enjoyed their soul food offerings elsewhere, my expectations were met with crushing disappointment.

I ordered what should have been a straightforward Southern staple - the 3-piece chicken dinner with collard greens and macaroni and cheese as my upgraded sides. The chicken emerged from the kitchen completely devoid of seasoning, tasting as though it had merely been introduced to hot oil and nothing more. Where was the signature Carolina Kitchen spice blend? The crispy, flavorful coating? All absent.

The sides fared no better. The collard greens were problematically prepared - swimming in grease and sporting a slimy texture that made them nearly inedible. Gone was the smoky, savory flavor profile that typically makes this classic side dish so satisfying. The macaroni and cheese, usually a comfort food highlight, was perhaps the biggest disappointment. It lacked the rich, creamy consistency and complex cheese flavor that Southern mac and cheese is known for, instead presenting as a bland, uninspired interpretation of this beloved dish.

To compound matters, when I reached out to the restaurant about my unsatisfactory experience and requested a refund, I hit another wall of frustration. Despite having paid through Apple Pay - a widely accepted digital payment method - I was told they couldn't process a refund without the physical card being present. While the manager did offer an apology for my dissatisfaction, this outdated refund policy is simply unacceptable in 2024. In an era where customers dine from all over the region and digital payments are the norm, the inability to process electronic refunds feels like a convenient excuse rather than a legitimate limitation.

For an establishment that prides itself on authentic Southern and soul food cuisine, this location has significant work to do to meet the standards set by its sister restaurants. The experience left me questioning not just the execution, but the basic preparation methods being employed in their kitchen, as well as their customer service policies.

★☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5 stars)

Would I recommend this location? Not when there are other Carolina Kitchen outlets maintaining far superior quality standards. Save yourself the disappointment and make the extra drive to...

• THE FOOD IS NEVER THE PROBLEM *

On August 17th, 2023, I walked into this establishment to order food. The attendant took my order and stated it would be a 10-minute wait for the wings. I waited longer than 15 minutes and approached the desk to check the status. I was told 2 more minutes. I receive the wings and noticed they were not hot like out of the grease, so what and why have I been waiting more than the promised time?

I ask for a manager to explain this and the fact that when I entered, the three Hispanic help made a comment about my locs; that I looked like a female. First, there are no gender-norms or roles to locs and that signifies cultural ignorance. Second, as a black patron entering a black-owned business, why does the manager not understand the gravity of the situation? The manager, returning from speaking in Spanish to the help, states that 'they say no one talking about you'. She has no timeline of what occurred concerning a logical reasoning for my inconvenience.

To add insult to the injury, she has verbal and non-verbal ques that lead me to believe she does not agree or believe my account of details. While she cannot manage a simple conversation or her people, she clearly has missed the fact that an irate customer has been inconvenienced and that if presented an opportunity to save their hide, people will lie. Who stood the most to lose from this accounting? Chile, certainly not me! I just wanted y'all lil food free of any static to be on my merry little way. Hello!

She did not offer any remedy, deescalation when one of them walked toward the counter to 'listen', nor a statement that said members of her staff would be held accountable for their behavior. I did not demand any three of the Hispanic men be fired, or a refund as compensation. However, it was her lack of taking any responsibility to issue an apology that let me know nothing was going to happen when stating what I did not appreciate. What I took away was that the manager, also Hispanic, was going to shield them and because she had no reasonable explanation that it was not at all important to any of them. I will not be returning to this location and would appreciate a call by the owner.

Whether I get to communicate this or not directly is irrelevant. No one should be made to wait because of people's biases; that any reasonable person would not accept from...