Village Inn — Restaurant in Fort Smith

I have eaten at this restaurant for many years and had great experiences. Food has always been good, waitresses always pleasant I would give it 5 STARS. The manager, Melanie was Always very friendly and easy to joke around with. Our waitress that we would always ask for is Tammy again always had a very pleasant experience she was always very friendly.. BUT this morning we went for breakfast , Melanie the manager is no longer working at this restaurant and Tammy was on vacation for the holidays. We were seated by the new general manager, CHELSIE SHELTON, this was the 1st time I met her and , as always I joked around and told her I was a health inspector and for a free meal I would give her a great review, (this probably wasn’t a good idea)she thought I was serious, she immediately became rude and hateful. I apologized and stated several times I was just joking. But she would have nothing of it. She came by the table twice after that and continued being rude and hateful . After I again told her I was just joking with her, she was not going to let this go. Then she came by and asked if I had a business card, I didn’t know what she was talking about then she informed me I was impersonating a health inspector and was not appropriate. I could not believe she kept this going. I asked if it was appropriate for me to get a glass of ice. She gave me a long stare ( I know I should have kept my mouth shut, but I couldn’t believe what was happening). I did get my ice . During all this she called the health inspector and the police and was asked to leave. There was another couple with us, they couldn’t believe what was happening either.I never got belligerent ,hateful nor did I make a scene. I’m shocked and embarrassed that this all happened over me trying to be funny!!! This is my story and I’m sure that Chelsie Shelton has a different story. But I want to stress that I hold nothing against Village Inn . I will still give them a 5 Star review. I will continue to patronize the restaurant, but not Ft.Smith, as long as CHELSIE SHELTON is manager. Thanks for...

Wish I could give zero stars. Upon entering, my wife and I were really excited to try this place. The chain has a strong following. Things went bad from the start. Aside from the dirt and dust on the walls, We asked for a booth and we were led to a half booth half table set up. No big deal. We asked if we could get a regular booth so we could have a little privacy while eating. The waitress said all of them were dirty. The place was mostly empty at the time. She looked very frustrated that she would have to clean one. Then, we asked for a high chair for our two year old daughter to sit in. She said it was against company policy even though they had one. Our daughter is too small for a booster. After she cleaned off our table with a very dirty and nasty rag, we were finally seated. It doesn’t end there. Then, we had a new waitress named Michelle. She took our drink order and brought them out. Then, she came back 25 minutes later to get our food order. Everyone who came in after us got their food before us. I ordered a club sandwich and she had a chicken sandwich. While we were waiting a cup of cold water from the ceiling’s AC vent dumped on my wife and my daughter. When entering, 3 booths down when you make a right has a dirty rag stuffed in the AC vent that lets out moldy water periodically on the table’s occupants. Check it out if you dare after reading this. The soda machine broke so we got no refills or compensation. Michelle asked every customer if they wanted a free piece of pie, it was on a Wednesday, except us. She never came back to our table either. Terrible service and terrible food. It was over $40 too. Take your money to a place that cares about it’s customers and cleanliness. The new manager is doing a terrible job. The employees were huddled behind the wall gossiping in lieu of helping customers or cleaning tables or walls. Now, I am at home feeling clammy and can’t stay off the toilet. What...

My friend and I visited the Village Inn in Fort Smith, Arkansas on December 8 at roughly 11AM. Our server, Rachel, was amazing, and other patrons seemed equally happy. At approximately 11:20, a woman later identified as the GM (she later refused to give her name) began screaming at someone in the server galley, before calling out for the entire restaurant to hear "All servers, meeting in the galley, NOW!" Once the servers had assembled, she proceeded to (loud enough for customers to hear clearly) verbally abuse the staff for not responding to kitchen requests. When one waitress tried to speak up (very timidly and politely) that she didnt hear the request, she was snapped at to be quiet. The servers left the meeting visiblily cowed and upset, but continued to provide exceptional service. I asked my server for the name of the manager responsible, which she claimed she was unable to give due to store policy. During this exchange, the manager in question approached, identified herself only as the GM, and asked what the problem was. I explained that I found the situation incredibly inappropriate and uncomfortable, and she only defended her actions as "running a restaurant". She further refused to give her name, and said "Thank you for the feedback" and walked away without apologizing or in any way resolving a direct customer complaint. I attempted to submit this via the website but the feedback form is broken, leading to my post here. I am a big fan of the food here, but will actively discourage people from patronizing a restaurant that allows such mistreatment of staff.

ETA I have been informed that the manager in question is Chelsie Shelton and that this is not new behavior for her, which unfortunately tells me that Village Inn does not care to protect their employees. I will...