Bad Randy's Hot Chicken & BBQ Lounge — Restaurant in Evansville

Update: We went back to Bad Randy’s for dinner last week. We got there during Happy Hour and were seated right away. It was not overly busy at first, and service was pretty good. As they got busier, service definitely got slower. I also noticed a different server at the table next to ours told them about specials and appetizers that weren’t on the menu - our server didn’t give us that intel. Also, despite our server telling us twice that she was getting our check, we still waited 10 - 15 minutes for it to arrive. We ordered the Hog Fries for an appetizer and Spicy Crab Linguine and Quarter Chicken (“Southern” -aka wimpy - heat level). The Hog Fries came out relatively quickly and were very good. The slightly sweet bbq seasoning played well against the rich cheese sauce and pulled pork. The entrees took considerably longer to come out - at least 30 minutes after we’d finished the appetizer and close to an hour after ordering. The linguine was very good. It had a nice tingly heat from Fresno chiles, but the vodka cream sauce kept it from being too overly spicy. The crab was noticeable - something not always true in seafood pasta dishes and, of course very good. It’s hard to go wrong in my book with crab, pork belly, and pasta, and this dish did not disappoint. The quarter chicken was encrusted in WAY too much breading that was also way overcooked. The inside chicken - once we were able to break through to it - was good, but nothing special. After we’d finished, we also noticed another table get chicken that looked much more reasonably breaded and a perfect golden brown so I’m not sure what happened with ours. Since our visit, I’ve also seen several photos of chicken that others posted and it looked way better than what we got. So ours was clearly way overbreaded and overcooked, and no one thought to say it shouldn’t have come out to the table. Since we’d never had it before, we didn’t know that wasn’t standard, but we’d also already waited nearly an hour for it so didn’t really want to send it back and wait another hour to eat. Aside from the chicken, the food was mostly good. Service was ok, not great. We’ll probably go back at some point, but this visit definitely didn’t put it on our regular rotation.

Tonight we went to the soft opening of Bad Randy's for dinner/date night. We wanted to try a few things off their menu so we ordered crab fries (because…crab!), chicken tenders - medium hot (because hot chicken is their signature), and ribs and grits. The crab fries were fantastic! I rarely rave about fries, but even the fries without the crab were great. Perfectly crispy exterior and nice soft interior. Also well-seasoned. The lemon-tarragon mayo was just the right accompaniment to the generous portion of crab! The hot chicken matched what we expected for “medium” heat. The heat was a dry seasoning - not the wet seasoning typically found on Nashville hot chicken. Very tasty. The ribs and grits came with collards and a vinegary barbecue sauce. The grits, greens and sauce were very good. The grits were the perfect consistency and well seasoned but not overly salty - a good counterpoint to the liberally seasoned ribs. The ribs had good flavor, but were not as tender as we’d have liked. That was literally the only “miss” of the night. We mentioned it to our server and she said “he” (I assume the owner) was very receptive to all feedback and she’d let him know. It was so great to have such a delicious meal. Unlike many local restaurants, Bad Randy’s is not afraid of flavor and seasoning. Speaking of our server, Jayda was excellent. Very friendly and attentive and earned every bit of her tip running up and downstairs - the kitchen is on the second floor. And she did it all with a smile. We can’t wait to go back and try more...

We've been seeing Bad Randy's menu online and had been anxious to try it. We finally went this weekend, and oh my - what an incredible disappointment. Absolutely nothing seemed to go right.

We had a 7pm reservation and were seated immediately. That was the best part of the evening. It took a while for our server to appear. When she did, we ordered drinks and an appetizer (fried jalepenos). The appetizer came out fairly quickly and was quite good. But our drinks took a disturbingly long time to be brought to the table. My wife ordered a margarita with a particular type of tequila, and the drink was very weak. So she asked for an extra shot, and our server said the bartender poured the last of that brand of tequila in her drink - that explains the weak drink...there wasn't enough tequila in it. The extra shot cost an astounding $9 - something we wouldn't have needed to pay for had the drink been made right in the first place.

We finally ordered our entrees. I ordered the Spicy Crab Linquini and she ordered the BBQ Cronchwrap (her 2nd choice because they were out of ribs - okay, it happens). Then the long, uncomfortable wait began. There were a fair number of diners in restaurant, but not a ton, and there seemed to be plenty of servers. But the whole vibe of the place seemed to go in slow motion. Our server (who was certainly pleasant and nice) was missing in action for much of the night. I finally flagged her down to ask for refills on water and another drink for myself.

After a very long wait, I managed to flag her down and ask her, "Is our food EVER coming out?" She assured us that she saw it in the kitchen and that it was almost ready. It was at that point I told my wife that if the food came out cold - which I had a strong suspicion it would - we'd be sending it back and not paying for it.

Finally, after over an hour and 15 minutes, our food was brought to the table. Sure enough, the food was stone cold. The linguini was cold and very dry and you can tell it had been sitting in the kitchen for a while. My wife's cronchwrap was fatty and mushy, and disgusting inside. We flagged down our server (who was still adamant that the food had JUST come out - I don't buy it) and told her we would not eat or pay for the cold entrees, and asked for the check. It pained me greatly to pay the $46 dollars for two old fashions and a margarita, and the extra tequila shot (at least they comped the jalapeños, so there was that).

Such horrifically slow and poor service. We won't be back. What a tremendous disappointment.

Update: After our experience, I read some other Google reviews. The bad reviews all had the same common theme. Incredibly slow and poor service. ...

Update 09/28/2024:

Service has gotten much better and food continues to be great. However we ordered broccolini for $10 and got 5 small stalks of what looked to be regular broccoli and sent it back, (for reference this side is more than half the price of majority of entrees). Waitress was awesome and took it back no problem. We will absolutely be back (:

My second time at BR’s and food did not disappoint. Some of the best food in town here (PS add an extra tender ;).

Unfortunately, the foods’ excellence is overshadowed by the poor service.

We sat down, ordered a bottle of wine, it was brought to us (good wine selection here) without a chiller/anything to put in it. This was a white wine and meant to be enjoyed chilled. We also were served our appetizer, the crab fries which were very good. However, service again failed and we waited ~5 minutes for silverware and bread plates.

No worries, they’re just starting out. BUT when you seat a table, it is customary to make sure it is set with silverware, water glasses, and napkins/cloth.

We got there at 7:30, ordered appetizer at 7:40 and ordered our food when the appetizer came out at 7:55. We then waited ~1 hour for our food, while we saw two tops next to us who arrived much later than us being served. The table next to was puzzled as well because they were there much longer than we had been, and still had not been served their entree.

Food came at ~9:00PM.

Menu needs to be seriously cut down in order to be able to prep and cook efficiently in a small (and damn hot) kitchen. It seems they’ve taken all of the Amy’s on Franklin dishes and just added hot chicken and a variety of other dishes. I also asked for an extra water and had to ask 3 more times for it because our waitress had forgotten (guys, it’s a HOT chicken place, people need water🤣)

Focus on the chicken and drinks, because it is damn good. I highly recommend the food and ambiance there, but maybe wait a bit until you visit until they straighten...