The Construction Zone Restaurant — Restaurant in Four Corners

‼️‼️‼️MUST READ THIS REVIEW!! ‼️‼️‼️

I don’t write reviews, but this experience left a bad taste — in more ways than one.

When we first walked in, the place seemed cool. The hostess was kind and even gave the kids plastic hard hats, which was a nice touch. The theme is clearly designed for children, but honestly, it feels unfinished. If it’s going to be a kid-focused restaurant, there should be more interactive things for them to do — games, stations, something to keep them engaged.

Now the food… extremely underwhelming. I’ve had better at McDonald’s — and that says a lot because I consider McDonald’s pretty bad. The chicken tenders tasted like frozen ones from Walmart, the mac and cheese was bland and barely edible, and everything we ordered just lacked flavor and quality. On top of that, it took about 35–45 minutes to get our food. For a normal bill, the experience and quality didn’t come close to matching the price or the wait time.

‼️ But what really pushed me to write this review was how they handled my son’s birthday.

While we were eating, we saw the staff come out in full force to sing Happy Birthday to a nearby table — full staff, singing, candles, the whole thing. We thought it was cute, so we asked our server if they could do the same for our 2-year-old son. She responded, “Oh, we don’t sing Happy Birthday here. I’ll do something quick, but we don’t really do that.” That confused us — especially since we had just seen it happen.

Then, just minutes later, another group of staff came out to another table… singing Happy Birthday again, with candles and all.

So let me get this straight — you don’t sing Happy Birthday, but you have birthday candles stocked and ready to go? And you did it twice while we were sitting there? The inconsistency made it feel personal — my wife and I genuinely felt like we were being treated differently. Like a RACIAL thing. I hate even thinking that way, but it was hard not to. The vibe was off.

Eventually, our server came back and did a quick, low-energy birthday mention — no candles, no song, just to check it off the list. My wife was upset. I tried to keep it lighthearted for our son, but the moment was already ruined.

This place was a letdown. From the food to the service to the uncomfortable feeling we were left with — it’s not a place we’ll return to. What should’ve been a happy memory for our son turned into a frustrating and disappointing experience. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, especially families looking to celebrate something special. There are better places out there that treat all their guests...

Okay, so there I was with my family, sitting in our hotel room in Winter Haven during our LEGOLAND trip, when my wife recommended we swing up to Kissimmee for some shopping and dining, and we should check out this construction themed restaurant because my son is of the young age that he loves excavators and bulldozers. I roll my eyes at the idea but agree as it may be something fun for our kids.

After an hour drive, we walk in and I’m taken aback at how wonderful the theming actually is. The attention to detail is pretty staggering, even better than some big name dinner shows in the area. It’s just like walking into a construction site. The host even had our kids clock in on an actual time card and handed them hard hats so they could start their shift. It was really cute! So the decor and atmosphere definitely impressed. Very well decorated and fun to be in, but it never went over the top or became distracting.We were thankful there was no fake construction sounds being piped in over speakers or servers having to remain in character or anything like that. It was a perfect balance of fun but not in your face.

But what really took me by surprise was the food. When our waiter approached after we had been seated, he very kindly explained that the restaurant was construction themed partly because it was a scratch kitchen, and every aspect of every meal was made in house from scratch! Even down to the hamburger buns and dipping sauces, it was all done there.

Our food arrives and it was shockingly good. Like, I’m sitting there contemplating how some of the best food I’ve ever had came to me in a restaurant filled with shovels and tools, with scaffolding hanging over me and an excavator 10 feet away. My kids got the kids cheeseburger and the Mac and cheese, both absolutely loved it. My wife ordered their onion rings and a cheeseburger with fresh cut fries, and she told me she was surprised at how great it was. I got the wings and a French onion soup. The wings were honestly some of the best wings I’ve ever had, mostly due to the house made sauces they were tossed in. And that soup? It was served in a thermos, yet I’ll be dreaming about that soup for weeks.

Please do yourself a favor, and check this spot out if you’re in the area. Heck, we were an hour away and it was worth the drive for this meal alone. Thanks to the absolutely wonderful staff who answered all of our questions and made us feel welcomed from the moment we walked in until we stepped out...

This place was okay at best. It was quiet as there were only 2 other parties when I was there for lunch (about 11:30). The server was on her game and you can tell she cared about what she was doing. No complaints there. The soup, however, was not that great at all.

I had a side salad and the French onion soup. The salad was great. Everything was fresh, no wilting or food that looked like it had been sitting a while and the honey mustard dressing was good. The soup....not so much. While there was A LOT of onions, they were barely cooked. Caramelized onions for French onion soup should take about 45 minutes and they should be deeply browned as the longer you cook them, the more flavor you develop. These were BARELY golden brown. I also found a few pieces of onion skin in the soup....not pleasant. They also really didn't any flavor to them. The bread pieces used as "croutons" were decent and had some nice flavor to them. The broth tasted like....well, nothing. It was as if the broth of the soup was an afterthought. No salt, no pepper, no worcestershire sauce flavor. It just lacked flavor.

I didn't know what to make of the ambiance. I couldn't tell if they were designed for guys or kids. I'd go there with some buddies to watch a game but it's not the first place that comes to mind if my wife asks where I want to go for dinner.

Reply to the owner:

Yes, I did say "it was all about the soup" when asked about the meal. It was also asked when it was first brought over and had a chance to try it. I'm on a pretty strict diet and soup is one of the foods I can eat a lot of a long as it isn't cream based. French Onion is also my favorite. Yes, i did finish it. I paid $9 for it and I'm not going to leave a review on something that I only take a taste of.

I did take the discount card. I was going to give it to a friend who wants to check it out but hasn't gone yet. My thought process... just because I didn't like it doesn't mean they won't. I understand a low score and my intent is never to hurt a business. But when I leave a review, I'm going to be honest about it in terms of what I felt.

I do wish you the best and that your restaurant is successful. It just wasn't for me I guess, but others obviously disagree with me and seem to love it.

If you're a potential customer reading this, please go and try it for yourself. Maybe you'll enjoy it better than I did and definitely have the salad.... it...