McAlister's Deli — Restaurant in Grandview

Look, I want to give you five stars. I really do. That would be easy. It would feel right. Like a warm potato salad on a Sunday in July. But I’m here for the truth. The gospel. The sandwich scriptures. Let’s get this outta the way first: Your pickles. Not just good. Not just crunchy. I’m talking religious experience level pickles. I bite into one and I hear the faint sound of a gospel choir and the whisper of Morgan Freeman narrating my lunch. Best. Pickle. I’ve. Ever. Had. Like if cucumbers trained with a Shaolin monk and then got dipped in holy water brine. BUT… You hoard them. Like Smeagol with the ring. I order a sandwich, I beg, I plead, I even put in a therapy-level note: “Please, for the love of all that is good and deli’d… last time I didn’t get a pickle. Don’t do me like that again.” And what do I get? Nothing. Not a slice. Not a spear. Just the cold empty void where a pickle should live. Then, when I do get one? It’s like I won a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s pickle factory. I clutch it in my trembling hands like it’s a gift from Zeus himself. I call my mom. I weep openly. I show it to strangers on the street. “Look! A McAlister’s pickle!” They nod solemnly and whisper, “You’re one of the chosen.” Rant over. Now—everything else?  Your sandwiches? Phenomenal. Like someone massaged deli meat with affection and layered it with dreams. Your service? Top tier. Kind, quick, and always smiling, even when I’m emotionally unstable over my side item situation. But I’m gonna say it again: don’t make me beg for the damn pickle. Don’t make me live in fear. I want to believe. I want to trust again. Help me heal. Four stars. One hostage pickle short of a deli miracle.

Edit, a pickle miracle You know, life has few guarantees: death, taxes, and McAlister’s forgetting my damn pickles. It’s like clockwork. I order. I hope. I check the bag. Nada. Just me, alone in my car, screaming into a pickle-less void like a man who just found out his therapist was also his barista. Betrayal. But today... today was different. I walked in like a man on a mission. A cucumber crusader. I looked the the manager and said hope i have a pickle” Suddenly the kitchen stopped. The world slowed down. The sandwich station fell silent. Management did a dramatic 180 like we were in a Broadway musical. The manager said  “It’s him... the Pickle Guy.” We laughed and talked about my review.   I got two bags TWO FULL BAGS of pickles. Not slices. Not scraps. Whole dill dreams. held them like Simba on Pride Rock, glistening with vinegar and validation. I felt something stir in my chest. A warmth I had forgotten about, suddenly i was the grinch and whoville was singing. My heart grew three sizes that day. I am the Pickle Guy, baby. This is my origin story. Oh and the sweet tea? Nectar of the Southern gods. McAlister’s, you beautiful bastards. You remembered me. You fed the soul. And you made a grown man weep over brine. I salute you.  You've redeemed a entire pickle based trauma, you healed a man. And to everyone out there. Never give up on your dreams. 5 STARS, A...

First a little history... My first visit was to a store just opening in st.joe Missouri, a couple of years ago. Nice space, looked like a great menu. I ordered a sandwich that was about $10, and it did not come with any sides. Decided then and there that even though the sandwich was good,I did not think the sandwich without any sides, warranted the price and I've never been back... until today. Made a visit to the Grandview store, better menu than I remember and wonderful service. I had the grilled chicken salad, and to my pleasant surprise, this thing was huge! Got an extra side of dressing from the attentive staff swinging by our table about every 6 to 7 minutes, and the salad filled me up. Each of my two friends ordered a half and half be deal, (half a sandwich plus half a salad or half of a baked potato, which was way bigger than most half a baked potato, and cup of soup). They were very pleased with their meals. In fact one of my friends talked us into McAlister's because she loves the sweet tea 😄 Today's visit has made me do a 180, I even got out of there with change from my $10 bill and I will be back and back again. Way to go McAlister's!! You have...

I ordered the bean chili for pick up this evening. I have ordered and enjoyed this several times before. However, this time I received some type of thick soup which had barley, tomatoes, bell peppers and zucchini (so much zucchini) - the chili I have ordered before did not contain barley, bell peppers or zucchini. And the seasoning was that of a vegetable soup, NOT chili seasoning. It was not tasty by any stretch - I ate one bite. $7 well spent, right? MOST notable however is the fact that my BEAN chili contained exactly ZERO beans. Since it was pick up I am not in a position to go return whatever this concoction is for what I actually ordered. They have my information, it seems perhaps they would simply call to tell me they were out of what I ordered and see if I would like something else. I don't see anything like what I received anywhere on the menu. This is very strange - did they just not have any chili and go buy some soup thinking people wouldn't notice the difference? I have loved and bragged about McAlister's for years, but this has...