Newk's Eatery — Restaurant in Meridian

This is my first ever negative review. May the January 9th 2024 lunch/early afternoon staff at Newk’s in Meridian MS get all of the credit for this review. This was one of my worst experiences at a restaurant ever. The two young ladies who were at the counter seemed to immediately dislike me. The cashier being the worst of the two. I know I looked disheveled and out of it. I had been up all night with my sick father who was in the hospital in Jackson, MS. I stopped at Newk’s because I needed lunch on my way back to my home to TN. I had a good experience with this chain in the past and chose it because I thought it was better than typical fast food restaurants. WRONG! I think I hate poor customer service more than bad fast food so the cashier seeming to be so annoyed with me for no reason made me so mad because I didn’t see other people being treated the same way. I most noted her attitude when I asked what kind of soup they had. Sheesh! That was my first time eating at Newk’s in YEARS! After placing my order, I didn’t remember where to pick up my food so I walked up to the window where they do food prep to get the kitchen staff’s attention and ask where do I get food. The three people working didn’t pay me any mind. The second women who was at the register noticed and seemed to have mercy on me and told me that she would bring me my pizza, which she did and was polite about it. I placed a second order with the cashier to tip the staff because I didn’t initially do so due to her attitude. But I don’t necessarily tip on merit, it’s just what I do. I immediately regretted it. The ONLY words she said to me was the price of my drink. Never have I experienced such rudeness for no reason. The food…the WORST pizza of my life. It seems like the cook put an entire bottle of bbq sauce on my pizza and the chicken wasn’t fresh. I ate 2 pieces at most and dumped the rest in the trash can on the way out. I know this is only one side of the story but I give you my word, my worst infraction that day was simply walking in that building. Never again, though. As a matter of fact, Newk’s chains are now a no-go for me. Though others seemed happy that day, Newk’s Meridian was a huge disappointment for me at a time when a little niceness and good food would have...

I was travel through the area and was very excited to dine here as I was looking for quick and healthy meal options but was very disappointed. I am unfamiliar with the menu but knew I wanted a salad. I asked the cashier what was in the Green Goodness dressing. She thought it was important to inform me that the correct name was Green Goddess but made no attempts to actually answer the question. She said she didn’t know, full stop. I looked down at the menu to see if maybe an answer would be there. It just has 310 calories next to it. Now I really need to know whats in this dressing! Is it cream or oil based? Is there avocado? What makes it green? I think it’s reasonable to want to know what I’m going to eat or want information to make an informed decision.

Then a customer comes around the corner and says something to the cashier. The cashier walks away! Then she goes to the kitchen to get food for another party and delivers it to their table! I saw at least 5 people working, so I’m not sure why the cashier needed to also be the server. I’m still standing at the register, unable to make an informed decision. I recognized ranch and caesar dressing but all the others had names but no description. All the dressings were 200+ calories.

The bad customer service, high calorie dressings, and lack of information was enough for me to leave and go across the parking lot to Chick-fil-A. I really enjoyed my good and...

We eat regularly at the Newk's in Hattiesburg, and on occasion have eaten at the Newk's in Ridgeland . We were on our way back home from a trip up north so decided to try the Newk's in Meridian. I'm sure the crew needs encouragement, but my wife asked for the salad with dressing on the side, but it came with a ton of dressing already on it. They quickly made that right. No problem. I then got the Mediterranean pizza, my favorite pizza at Newk's. It was cold, undercooked (just look at the color of the toppings and crust), and really disappointing. Just look at the pic. I know we can say something in the moment but we were not wanting to wait around. Very disappointed and won't be stopping at this Newk's again. Sorry. I also truly dislike 'asking for a tip before we get the food' at any of the Newk's. That isn't necessary. On this occasion it was a small token tip, but wasted. I also added a pic of the same pizza from the Hattiesburg Newk's from Oct. 11. And I added a pic of my wife's salad, the same one she ordered in Meridian. Very nice. No comparison in food quality, presentation and taste. I read through a few of the reviews before posting, and it appears the manager or ? is responding to the reviews, hopefully making improvements. Glad to...