Fat Guys Fresh Deli — Restaurant in Meridian

Updated review: This used to be the best sandwich shop in the valley, full stop. I've come here for as long as I can remember them being open, it's been years. There are other good shops but this one was above the rest by a mile. Fast forward to today, the business is under new management and they've gone in a different direction and today was the most bizarre experience I've ever witnessed in any establishment.

Four of us went into the shop and noticed they chopped the old menu down and refused to make any of the old sandwiches, they had all the ingredients and you couldn't even offer to pay more for a "custom" sandwich. Whatever, I'll just order a different sandwich and not come back because the only ones they will make are exactly as they are on the menu and they aren't ones I like. Here's where it gets weird.

One of my colleagues is allergic to mayonnaise, so he always orders without. If someone were to forget to not include it and he didn't check, he will projectile vomit when it enters his mouth, every time. All their sandwiches appear to have mayo, or at least any of the ones he would want, so he ordered and asked for no mayo. The new owner was standing right there and told him "no, the mayo is what makes our sandwiches good, you have to have the mayo". He explained he didn't want mayo and she asked "well are you allergic?" to which he stated "it shouldn't matter, but yes" she then states "we can do light mayo, but not no mayo". He asked "well the bread doesn't come to you with mayo on it, can't you just not put it on my sandwich?" She responded they refuse to not put mayo on sandwiches, weird. We finally just gave up and left. What an incredibly bizarre hill to die on!

What a total disaster. I would be shocked if that place lasts any amount of time because they are going to be hemorrhaging loyal customers. We have (had?) about 70 people in our building who ate there regularly and cater our events and meetings regularly, and we travel in groups for lunch frequently. It's a real shame to see what happened to Fat Guys, it was a community...

Update: Seeing the snide, rude response to this from the owner solidifies that I will never go to this establishment again. What a creep. And for the record, she not go "straight to the register". There were people standing all over the place waiting, so she wasn't sure where the line ended. She stood behind several people who she thought were in line, and it turned out they weren't. And when she went to the back of the line, she let several people in front of her who came into the store after her. Because that's the kind of person she is. She is far from a "Karen". And saying you call every woman "princess" doesn't help your case. It's degrading and misogynistic.

Apparently this establishment thinks it's ok to harass, belittle, and make fun of people. A friend of mine that I work with went in there for lunch one day. It was busy, and she got confused and stood in the wrong place in line. When it was brought to her attention, she apologized multiple times, and went to the back of the line. The ENTIRE rest of the the time she was at the restaurant, the person taking her order proceeded to belittle her, calling her princess, making fun of her for ordering a salad, making weird snide comments about how she shops at whole foods (which she doesn't). When her order was ready, he yelled very loudly "order for the princess". An employee even spoke up and said what her name actually was, but the man at the counter didn't care. He just yelled that she was a "whole foods princess" again. This was several months ago, and she is STILL upset about this. She is the most kind hearted person I know, and she did not deserve this kind of treatment. Whoever did this should NOT be working a front counter...

I'm a huge fan of Fat Guy's for a good deli sandwich. It is priced on the higher side, but the quality of their ingredients justifies that in my mind. Expect to spend $12 for a meal here.

First, they have the best Reuben I've had in Idaho; possibly the best I've ever had. The amount of meat seems to vary slightly visit to visit, but it is always delicious and more than enough to fill me up. And secondly, their clam chowder is excellent. Their soups in general are good, but priced a bit high for the portions in my mind. But the clam chowder is good enough I just have to get it every time they make it.

I am slowly trying everything on the menu, and so far I haven't found something I didn't like. I seem keep coming back to the Reuben and the Trevor Melt. Their BLT is another favorite, as is the Silver Duck. It seems they season their food liberally, with strong combinations of flavors, but never overpowering. I have a low tolerance for spicy food, and their Big Chief is a bit more than I like, but they did warn me before hand.

If you get their potato salad, expect it to be a bit different. They cook their potatoes a bit less than most places, which makes them a bit firmer to eat, and seems to make the other seasonings "pop". I personally like this, but it is a bit odd the first time you have it.

The only real downside to the experience for me is the parking lot. The parking spots are quite narrow. I have a medium size car (not a compact), and it can be difficult to squeeze out the doors when the lot is full. I brought my truck here once. Once. This isn't Fat Guy's fault, but something to...