Ashley Macs Kitchen — Restaurant in Homewood

3.5/5. Visited here for lunch today. Had heard a lot of good things about this local chain and it seemed like a good fit for me as I recover from some kind of nasty crud -- lots of easy on the stomach, healthy options.

For anyone who may not have heard, this place reminds me of similar smaller scale chains like Chicken Salad Chick or even a little bit like Urban Cookhouse. If I had to compare it to a larger chain, I'd say it's kind of like Panera. The biggest difference I'd say is the presence of a very large cooler with grab and go/take and bake type of meals. Definitely seems like a nice service.

This location was larger than I expected it to be. Outdoor parking was a little crazy around noon on a Thursday, but I managed to find a spot inside a nearby underground parking garage and the walk over wasn't bad. They were moderately busy but there was plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Two cashiers were waiting for me to order at the counter. There's also a shelf where carryout orders are left for pickup. Oh, and I stopped in the bathroom before I left and found it tidy.

I was in a bit of a hurry, so I quickly scanned the menu and decided on the lemon rosemary chicken. It comes with rice, a sour cream biscuit, and your choice of a side. My stomach was feeling a little on the fritz so I chose a fruit cup to keep it extra light.

Service was polite and efficient, which is all you can really ask for. I thought the price was a touch high, especially when I saw what I wound up getting: almost $16, and that's before tip (and yes, they use the tablets that automatically prompt you to tip -- I don't mind tipping for the sake of the worker but I wish we as a society would just pay workers living wages rather than relying on tips, especially when there's not really much "table service" even going on!).

The food was okay. I was bummed to see they serve Red Diamond tea; it's not a favorite of mine at all, although I suppose it's local so it makes sense. The chicken was probably the best part, in the sense that it was actually cooked perfectly. Still tender and juicy! I didn't get much rosemary, though; the lemon and feta overwhelmed it and some bites were quite salty and/or acidic. The rice was also cooked well, not too mushy nor undercooked. The fruit cup was...fine. About one strawberry cut in halves, two apple pieces, a very small handful of grapes, and the rest of it oranges, which are not my favorite. Probably on me for ordering it, as I don't tend to think fruit cups are worth it when dining out, but I was trying to cater to my tummy. If I return, I'd get something different.

The sour cream biscuit made me sad, lol. When I hear biscuit I think of a bread item at least the size of my palm. This was smaller than even a miniature muffin like you'd get in a snack pack for kids. It was about the size of the half of a strawberry in my fruit cup. It was tasty! But very small. :( Maybe "drop biscuit" would've given me slightly more realistic expectations, haha.

Overall, this restaurant chain may fit the bill if you're looking for something fairly healthy, quick, fresh, and unobjectionable, or if you're looking to find an easy dinner to take home! If I return I hope to come back feeling more robust and ready to try something new like the poppyseed...

If you want to be treated rudely by all means please come here.The cashier gave my food to another customer. The customer realized this was incorrect when she opened and looked at her food in the to-go box. The cashier proceeded to give me the opened food that he gave to the other customer. I discreetly asked if the food could be made over since she opened the container. He took the food to the counter and advised the cook in the back. The cook made a very rude comment, the cashier laughed and she proceeded to throw the container down. I thought this was a simple request as I spent $18.00 on a sandwich and some soup. Also keep in mind it was almost 2pm and only 3 customers in the store. Once I witnessed this disrespect, I politely asked for a refund. I even asked the cashier to think of this from my point of view would you want food that someone else has opened? He agreed he understands but I’m the unreasonable one for requesting this. I had to go to the store next door which is Kale me Crazy to be treated with respect.

Ashley Macs please feel free...

Terrible experience. Let me start by saying I understand that many restaurants are understaffed right now but this experience was terrible. I put an online order (3 sandwiches and 3 soups) in the night before around 5p to pick my to go order up at 11:45 am the next day. I arrive at around 11:40 expecting my to go to be ready about 11:45. My order was wrong and was not ready until after 12:15. During the 30 minutes I was waiting on my order, I witnessed several dine in tables receive their food. But my order which was placed the day before was at least 30 minutes late, which made me late bringing lunch to my clients. I put the order in the night before because I needed it to be ready by a certain time.

To add to this, I asked an employee who was taking orders if my order was being prepared (after waiting at least 20 minutes). At this point, I was unsure if my order got lost or not. The employee working the counter was incredibly rude as well. The situation could have been handlers so much differently. I...