MCL Restaurant & Bakery Arlington — Restaurant in Indianapolis

My husband and I visited MCL on 10th and Arlington today after church, excited to grab some of our favorite comfort food to go. We walked in smiling and in great spirits, ready for a good experience—especially because we genuinely love the chicken dinners here.

Unfortunately, our visit took a disappointing turn almost immediately. The young lady assisting us seemed visibly irritated the moment we stepped up to order. There was no greeting, no warmth—just a dry, almost exasperated tone as she asked, “Do you want bread or something to drink?” We politely declined the bread and said yes to the drinks. When she handed us the tea, the lid wasn’t secured, which caused some of it to spill. We didn’t complain—we simply placed it on the tray and kept moving forward, trying to stay positive.

When we asked about dessert, her energy shifted even further. She looked at us like we’d asked her to go bake it from scratch. The expression on her face, the slowness of her movement, and the total lack of care made us feel like we were a burden. At that point, I asked her directly if she was having a bad day, and her response was, “I’m just trying to do my job.” We had spent over $50 and left feeling not only disappointed but disrespected.

The only bright spot came when I spoke with the manager, Carmen, who was kind and apologetic. She offered a meal card as a gesture of goodwill, which I appreciated. But the truth is, by the time I got to the car and my husband said he no longer wanted the food, I was relieved—because I didn’t either. He went back in, returned the food, and offered the card back. Carmen insisted we keep it, which was generous.

What hurt the most was hearing the original employee say, “I gave them everything they asked for.” My husband calmly responded, “It was your service.”

And that’s exactly it—sometimes it’s not about the food. It’s about how you’re treated while receiving it. Unfortunately, this experience left a bad taste that no good chicken could fix. We won’t...

When I first arrived at MCL I got out of my car and noticed that the parking lot was pretty full.. so Im thinking wow theres alot of people here, must be a great dine in place. I walked in to the resteraunt, and upon entry noticed two things the first was the smell. "It smells pretty good in here gigi! (My mom)" The second thing I notice is the decorum.. The wallpaper is very bland and dim.. also many of the pictures are black and white.. which usually dosnt matter when there is colour to back it up. The most colourful thing in the room was the flag mounted on the wall.. and even it was dull and almost lifeless. When getting to the buffet line, the food dosnt look bad but.. prices are written in chalk on the wall above making it hard to really know how much your spending if your not paying attention. I used my coupon for a prime rib, which came with two sides. The first I hot mashed potatoes. When asked if I wanted gravy I replied no, even after my reply she started to put gravy on, reminding her that I didnt want gravy she apologized and grabbed a spoonful of more mash and just topped it over. When getting to the register a few people ahead of me had been waiting a minute, because the manager at the register was on the phone with an employee, who called in reporting he was at his sister's and couldnt make it. After hanging up the phone she continued to talk with an employee about him for a minute or two. With the people in front of me still waiting. By tge time I was able to sit down. My prime rib was cold and had no taste. The waitress was good though checking on us every few minutes. And so this novel dedicates my experience lol I hope anyone who does go there has a better...

We just left the restaurant. While there these are the things we observed: One lady was serving food, then went to the cash register took money (no gloves) then went right back to the serving line. Did not wash hands or use sanitizer. A floor server took dishes off a table .,. Did not sanitize table or wash it all go at all. Another man who was on the serving line, put his fingers in his ear and then served food. No cleaning hands. Still another man was placing his hands over the steam table food. Close to the food and warming his hands. The counter tops by the bread and drinks were dirty. The floor in front of the food line had spills in several places and was not cleaned while we were there and people were walking through the messes tracking onto the carpet.

We have been going to MCLs for years. We have NEVER had even one complaint in any location.

I am so upset..with COVID-19 I feel that things were not being done to keep germs down for even normal times less lone today.

We will Never come into your restaurant again. I want to find a way to tell others what went on. What a sad situation.

Along with all this and not nearly as serious.... the food was not up to MCLs standards. My bun for my sandwich was not fresh. The meat was cold, the green beans had very little flavor the pie was also not up to par.

SAD. Just very SAD for those you are feeding and for your...