Big Mama's BBQ Express — Restaurant in East St. Louis

Please give people what they want, ask and pay for and the BBQ had a slight taste of lighter fluid. I called in my order over the phone and specifically asked for a rib sandwich with the large end. I even asked if it would cost more and if so I was willing to pay for it. They said it would not cost me more and added, they just cut the whole rib in half considering what end the person wants. So I was very happy until, I got home and saw that they gave me 4 bones from the large end and then threw in two little pieces from the SMALL END. The whole rib was clearly not cut in half like they said it would be when I placed the order. "Buyer Beware," they actually cut them off the bone and you get 6 pieces! I called back and talked to the manager on duty and very nicely he apologized and said they do this to control and cut cost down since sometimes the large end is so big to be fair. I told him since you're giving 6 bones and clearly cutting the rib in pieces and not cutting the rib in half straight down the middle like you tell people over the phone when they place their orders, wouldn't it have been fair and made good since that I would have gotten two smaller bones from the middle? I know my ribs, and I now know they cut the ribs up, eye them and divvy them out as they see fit. He offered me to drive back up there so they could replace my order, But I refused to waste my gas to drive back up there when they should have given me what I asked for from the start. He did not even offer to replace the two small bones from the small end they threw in with 2 small bones from the middle upon my next visit. And I can guarantee 99% that if I had driven back down there so they could redo my order, they would not have offered me anything for the inconvenience cause that's how it's done in the hood! Saying I'm sorry is the right thing to do BUT, it is not always good enough no matter how nice you say it. This is why it is hard sometimes to support your own people because most of our people in business always seem to care more about a dollar than about their customers! Yes, yes, yes, I knoooooow it's not just us, but I know about us and YOU know eXACTly...

The owner Craig called and confirmed a cake order I submitted multiple times over a TWO WEEK PERIOD via voicemail as they rarely answer the phone when I've called. I called MULTIPLE times throughout days and evenings. Option 4 is for Cake Orders. No one answers, they ask that you leave a message. What is the purpose of leaving a detailed message about a cake order for them to only call you back? It is STUPID...the cat and mouse game. If I placed an order....PLACE IT!! If you need a deposit or full payment, even though they've never required that in the past, say that. But that would require them doing a BETTER JOB when they call back. Craig, THE OWNER, returned my call verifying my order AND pick up date and time. He asked me to call back and confirm. I did. Now, they say no more cake orders even though only 24 hours in advance is required and stated clearly on the line you call. Craig, the owner and individual who personally called me and left a detailed voicemail, refused to come to the phone and even acknowledge me, his error, nor try to rectify it. He LIED and said he didn't call and confirm any orders on Wednesday. I literally only wanted two cakes. Instead, he ignored me and I was told he was "too busy". My family, my employer, colleagues, and I personally do business with Craig and his restaurant regularly. I can't change everyone's perspective, but I will never buy a thing from here again and will work to persuade others to not as well. Everyone deserves quality customer service, and at the very least a moment of your time with a SIMPLE APOLOGY. Craig, needs to do better and recognize that his restaurant's clientele extends beyond his settings. Bad business, CRAIG! Your behavior and response to the conundrum was just plain old ugly and...

I called on 7/4/2020 at 11:00am. I ordered 15 well smoked wings, 3 rib tip plates and a snoot plate. I was told by the owner that my order would be ready at 5:00pm because of the time it took to smoke the wings. I agreed that the timeframe was fine. I arrived at 5:00pm only to be told that they mistakenly prepared me fried wings. No one bothered to verify the order. Which means they could have called me to pick up the remaining portion of my order sooner. Basically I was told that they couldn’t do anything about it; they never offered me anything for the inconvenience. Needless to say they only had my order down for 2 rib tip plates. I ordered 2 rib tip plates with regular sauce, 1 rib tip and 1 snoot with sweet n spicy sauce. The staff took at least 7 minutes to get that correct. A young lady from drive through had to come to the front counter to get the order correct.The young lady at the front counter was in her feelings because I stated that this isn’t rocket science. Which is the truth, it’s not. My family could’ve eaten earlier had they reviewed the order and prepared it correctly. Normally I don’t fuss too much but this is the 3rd time for I’ve had an issue with this place when it came to smoked wings. When ordered, I even asked that they be cooked a little longer because I ordered $50 worth before and they weren’t...