Fred's of Roscommon — Restaurant in Higgins Township

Walking into Fred’s, the place was very clean, and the food was equally impressive. We ordered the famous hamburger, which, although it was cooked well instead of medium-well as requested, was still juicy and flavorful. I have no complaints—personally, it was one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time. The calzone was also fantastic, with perfectly balanced ingredients—huge credit to the chef!

Unfortunately, the service didn’t match the quality of the food. The waitress was very assertive, almost to the point of being aggressive, which didn’t suit the laid-back atmosphere we were in. Our family is pretty passive and easygoing, so her tone really threw me off. I had asked if the burgers and fries could come out first, since the calzone would take longer and I didn’t want the fries to get cold. She insisted everything comes out together, and when the food arrived, the calzone was piping hot, but the burgers were lukewarm and the fries almost cold.

Another point of frustration was the drink situation. My wife had two drinks and would have likely ordered more if the atmosphere had been different. At one point, my wife even offered me half of her beer because my water and pop were empty, and my throat was dry. We most likely would have ordered dessert, more drinks, and even the prime rib to take home, but none of that happened because of the waitress’s attitude.

Her demeanor throughout the meal felt off-putting. At one point, I asked if the meat was locally sourced, and her response felt snarky and condescending. By the time we passed the 3 PM mark, I was hesitant to even ask about ordering the prime rib to go because of how uncomfortable her assertiveness made me feel.

What was even more frustrating was that she noticed my mom’s drink was empty and offered her a refill but didn’t acknowledge my empty glass. By the end of the meal, I didn’t feel comfortable asking for anything further. Despite all of this, we still...

Stopped in Saturday night after coming off the lake. Place was hopping. Waited a generous 25 minutes for a table of 9. No biggie :)

Sat down and Bob our server came. Grabbed our drink order and appetizers and off he went.

Some time passed by. We received the appetizers. Cheese bread. Very good. Bacon wrapped shrimp with bar b que sauce ( unexpected combination, but was very good ! Over onion rings !! Try it ! ).

Entrees arrived some time after. They were busy the kitchen was I am sure jammed.

Mac and cheese was said to be very good. Steak stroganoff is always consistently good here and that night proved no different !

Kids and I got chicken tenders kids meals and baskets. I had asked if the chicken that comes in the basket is the same hand battered beer battered chicken tenders as the appetizer selection and Bob said yes. NO. It's not. All be it. It is a quality chicken tender. Breaded well. And cooked perfectly. It is not. Slightly disappointed there. But we all ate everything put in front of us :)

Side notes. Applesauce the kids loved. Coleslaw is very good. Bob was on top of drink refills and kept us up to date on our food process during the wait.

You get a good meal at a honest price at Fred's :)

We like Fred's. We will be back :)

This is worth mentioning.

Emma the buss girl is very polite. Attentive to her job and always busy ! When a couple other staff members took a breather or sat off to the side for a moment, Emma never stopped. Polite as can be ! Always keeping dishes clear and out of your way. I pay attention ! And I noticed every table around us engaged with her and enjoyed her as she went about her business. She was the star of the show as far as staff here.

But to be fair. Everyone was welcoming with a smile and attentive to our party. She just stands out !

Go to Fred's ! The atmosphere is energized. And the good is...

Staff was snobby and rude. Something I rarely find in Northern Michigan especially in a dive place like this. You are a diner and bowling alley not a 5 Star eating establishment. Was there on 9-30-18 and my girlfriend and myself ordered the buffet. She had not been feeling well and we figured eating something might help. As it turns out after just a few bites it actually made her feel worse. Nothing to do with the food I don't think but just for the record it wasn't very good. The breakfast buffet is like $8.99 per person. We decided to go as she was now feeling worse than when we arrived. We asked for a box to take her food with us and you would have thought we killed someones dog. Both the waitstaff and some snobby little woman went off saying it's a buffet we don't give boxes for buffets. I understand the principal behind this rule as some would abuse it and eat several plates and then fill up another and box it up for home, but in our case she one made one trip and ate only several bites. They felt it better to throw the food in the garbage than to give us a 10 cent box. These are the worst kind of people with only greed in their hearts but in this case no compassion either. I will never eat there again or use the bowling alley either. I will not support people with this type of attitude. It kills me because as we sat there the owner (to cheap to hire extra help was trying to bus and restock food) dropped about 5 lbs of sausage on the floor and just laughed it off but went crazy about a styrofoam box. Karma will meet these folks head...