Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Fuquay-Varina

Absolutely thoughtless manager, who is clueless about customer service.. by no means was this a fav Smithfield bbq of mine, but it’s on my Way home so I have stopped there a Many a time. So that Brings me to this evening at 9:30. I had to work late, out of town, but finished and knew I had time to stop at Smithfield’s before they closed.. my little 6 year old Cash has massive tonsils and as a result, has become just a picky eater.. So even though I’m planning to stop, my little boy calls me on top of my desire to stop, and ask me to please get him some tenders. He’s so picky we get excited anytime when he ask for food. I start ordering at 9:30. Tell them I want 2 Tender boxes. Everything is a go, and then the wait begins. I literally waited for 15 min in the line.. after waiting all that time.. I get to the window and they tell me they’re out of tenders, I kid u not. Now it’s 15 min to closing. And you can tell that’s all anybody cared about. Getting out of there. When you’re a dad who’s gone away from his kids all day. You visualize coming home the conquering hero. You envision Even your wife giving u kisses, because you got that little picky bird some food and he wants it bad.. now you get the opposite vision... a total letdown.. here’s the biggest problems.. when the manager came he made it clear that he knew right away that they were out of the tenders.. he said, that I had just left the speaker. So what did they do; they just let me sit there and wait without telling me. Just assuming I’d substitute at this point after waiting 15 min already. When I finally get to the manager, I hits me that there’s another Smithfield on my way home literally 15 miles down the road. The manager doesn’t offer me anything complementary. Not that I’m the type looking for freebies. I was just looking for freeking chicken tenders.. I tell him that there’s a store right down the road, would he please call and have them start my order . I Figured him being the manager, that he would the other manager and that two managers could work something out to make the situation right. This guy was clueless. Had no clue how to solve this problem, because his mind never left the fact that this was hindering The clean up. I was nothing more than a problem lol I could see it all over his face. If someone had of just told me in the drive-through; has of walked outside and told me, I would have had all the time in the world to get to the other location. So He picks up the phone and pretends to call. Then comes to the window and tells me how they’re not going to wait. Really? at worst I’m going to be 5 min late. Do you think the owner of Smithfield’s would want my money after this horrendous screwup on their end.. no. Let me help educate the manager on what he should’ve done. every step of the nightmare. First.. Walk outside and come to my car and tell me you don’t have tenders. I would’ve left, at 9:30 and would’ve had 15 minutes to spare. If you miss that opportunity, let me help you with fix #2. Sir I’m sorry.. we are out of tenders, pick anything else you want on the menu free of charge. Then if I still insist on tenders, call the other location. Ask them to please have two chicken boxes ready, Tell them you botched it bad. That you told me you had tenders, made me wait 15 minutes in a line, only to tell me that you were out. Tell the manager you owe him a big one. And since they probably need to go ahead and close down the register, go ahead and make it complementary for the trouble.. everybody would’ve still left at the right time! nobody would be mad, because I would’ve shown so much gratitude, that they would just be happy they did it. Instead this guy wanted nothing to do with fixing the problem he made. I honestly thought Smithfield was a different type of restaurant. I thought they had old school principles.. A desire to make the customer happy, especially when the blunder is all on them.. all that happened in this scenario, was I went from a hero to a zero...

I’ve been going to Smithfield for several years the only reason we chose it over McDonald’s or any other fast food joint was due to the fact that it offered 10% military discount. There’s a lot of people who serve a very long time in active duty military. They get out under honorable separation and cannot go do the same job they were trained for due to their body’s being destroyed, broken, blown apart or severally used. They then end up on disability and try to do other things to make ends meet. So yes a 10% discount is absolutely helpful and grateful. But today when I went to the drive-through I was told that this Smithfield or maybe all Smithfield‘s? haven’t called corporate yet. Does not honor the 10% discount? I showed them my white DOD card and my drivers license that has a veterans label on it. You cannot fake that you have to go to the department of motor vehicle present a DD 214 they check it scan it and keep the records and then send your drivers license. I was then told that I had to be in uniform?! So you’re telling me that you offer a discount for people that are only active duty? But you won’t offer me a discount if I was honorably discharged due to medical disabilities? So am I being discriminated against because I’m not in the service because I have disabilities that made me leave? but then come to find out that the police officers the firefighters in the emergency services they get a 25% discount and do not have to be in uniform? A lot of men and women go overseas in hostile fire zones in actual war and cannot get a simple 10% discount proving with their factual ID cards? But then the topper was I can get a 5% senior discount? What?? so just because I’m am older I now get a discount but because I’m not in uniform because I’m no longer active duty which is totally illegal to put on my uniform and pretend that I am in the military I don’t get a 10% off anymore? I wouldn’t have any frustration with it if they took the discounts away from everyone but again if I can’t even get a simple 10% off then why not just go to McDonald’s or Taco Bell or the countless other fast food joints so if 10% matters that much to them then I might as well go get dollar Mc chickens from McDonald’s, and just not go there at all🤷‍♂️. Again the workers are fine not rude they said it was corporate either way I feel petty over 10% and I feel it’s petty they took 10% away but still offer 25% to police and 5% for...

After eating at Smithfield BBQ for over 30 plus years, We will not be going back again. Had horrible service at drive thru last night. After watching the young lady open the window and pushing a bag of food to the driver in front of me and then just turn away and walk. He sat for about a min trying to get someone attention. They gave him the from order. So when I pulled up the young lady open the window and just said what my total cost was. not Hello, Welcome. nothing. While she was doing that she handed me my order. BBQ, platter with Stew and Potato Salad, 1 pint of Stew and 1 chicken leg and a help /half tea.. once she scanned my card and handed it back to me she turns and walks away, NO Tea, So I sit there and NOONE is looking over at Window, and they are all running about. I checked my order while waiting for someone to notice me. They had put my bbq plate in the paper bag. it doesn't fit flat in bottom so ended up with help of the stew spilled out in bag. Then finally the same girl comes back to window opens and then starts repeating the order for the car BEHIND me. I was like YOU just took my money.. Told her that I never got my tea. and I asked for the red sauce 2 times. at same time I'm working on my food that has spilled out. I tell her they need to be careful cause with the plate just being tossed in the paper bag it spilled. She said I'm sorry and turned (apparently walking away). So I end up pulling in parking space and re bagging my own order again, The chicken leg and pint pf stew was already in a plastic bag. and I NEVER got a receipt of what I paid for. So when I get home and start looking I find that I ended up with a Kids meal chicken leg. When i only asked for a single leg. $2.99 for leg and $6.99 for meal. I can only assume because I never got a receipt. I called and left a message but never heard back from anyone.

But what really did it in was the food. I'm not sure what has happened. But the BBQ has no flavor anymore. You used to never have to use the red sauce, but now thats the only way you and eat it. And the Stew and totally changed. The taste, the appearance it is just bad very very bad.

This is NOT the Smithfields BBQ I have known. So after 30 plus years, we will not be back. Please go back and fix the stew and the rest of the food, and the service. It is VERY VERY expensive now for the low quality of food...