Long John Silver's | A&W — Restaurant in Houston

Normally I don't review fast food places unless they are exceptionally good, or exceptionally bad at what they do. In this case, I really hate to leave a bad review because I want to see LJS do well....there aren't many locations left around, and they've been a favorite of mine since childhood. On Friday 11/22, I went in around 1:30PM CST to order dine-in from the service kiosk. There were about 4 tables occupied by dining customers, and one lady ahead of me in line. I would not call it busy, but healthy operating volume. The restaurant clearly used to be a happier place, but the frills were all gone. The root beer tap that is trademark for all A&W locations was just missing, and probably has been for at least a year or more. There was a vintage jukebox in there but I would be afraid it would take my money, and the clerk would tell me I have to call corporate to get a refund..... Sad what happens when corporate business models take over a fun franchise like this.

Anyway, back to me and the lady waiting to be greeted.... We both waited and waited to be greeted, but it never came. 3 minutes turned into 5 minutes, and then I just stuck around to see how long it would take before either of us were actually served. By 8 minutes my hunger won out, and I left, disappointed that the only thing standing in between me and a delicious Long John Silver's meal was the employees and their inability to manage the restaurant. Not even a hello? I feel like if I had stepped behind the counter and rung myself up a meal, not only would I have eaten, but the people working probably wouldn't even have noticed if I stepped back there to fix myself a plate of food. We didn't even see anyone make eye contact with us or acknowledge that they were busy. This is either lazy workers, or terrible management that has killed the motivation of the workers. Either way, I don't know that I want to go back because if they can't manage the kiosk, how can I expect the food to taste as good as it did back in the 1980's when the standard was set? Two stars...fire your lazy workers, there are still old school people out there who care, and who know how to balance what's going on in the kitchen with what's going on at the...

Food was delicious. Service was friendly but that was about it. I was handed an empty cup so I assumed I get my own drink from the soda fountain. Well... The soda fountain nor the ice machine was working. They saw me struggling, trying to fill my cup up and nobody cared. They knew it was off and didn't even bother helping me. I needed something to drink so I poured what little was left in the unsweetened tea pot. No sugar available and since the ice machine was not working I was stuck with warm unsweetened tea. I didn't complaint because they saw what I was going through and didn't care. At this point I just wanted to eat and leave asap.Food came out fast and it came out hot, however, it was served on a food tray that seemed to have been used all day and never cleaned. Grease and old crumbs evident from prior use. Gives me reason to believe that they just pick up the empty trays from the trashcan area and send them back out. All, and I mean all of the tables were dirty so I just picked one that didn't seem so greasy. Condiment bottles were greasy and full of fingerprints. Again, nobody cared to wipe these off. All of this is tragic given the great tasting meal I had. Fish was flaky and the fries were cooked perfectly. The chicken was juicy and just as tasty. If they could just take initiative and keep the place clean and be more attentive to the needs of guests, this place would be fantastic. I understand that these folks are probably underpaid but to whomever is managing this establishment, do your job and train your staff better. I can only imagine the conditions of the kitchen and restrooms. To anyone reading this review, take your food to go or just take your business elsewhere. DO...

My wife and I were in Houston today for a doctor's appointment and stopped by this Long John Silver's for lunch on our way home. There was a sign on the door apologizing for the air conditioning being out of order. (I did notice an A/C service company truck parked in the parking lot and a serviceman on the roof.) We went inside anyway since we decided that we could order as take out and eat in the car. A delightful young lady met us at the register and asked to take our order. While she was taking our order and older black lady came up to help her with the order and apologized for the lack of air conditioning. She was as gracious as any fast food manager (I assume she was the manager) as I have ever met. She couldn't do enough to make us comfortable. Our food was hot and ready immediately and was cooked perfectly. We could have not experienced any better service in any fast food restuarant in Houston and during this she time she was having to apologize for the lack of air conditioning. We live two hours away from Houston, but enjoy Long John Silvers and always take an opportunity when possible to eat there. We enjoyed a wonderful experiece at this location today due to the out pouring of outstanding customer service and perfectly prepared food. I would stongly recommend this facility to anyone interested in great customer service and the Long John Silver's menu. We will be back, the next time we are in the Houston area. All fast food managers could take a lesson form this lady!!! She's a gem! Thanks for...