Ruby Slipper — Restaurant in Mobile

I have eaten at other Ruby Slipper's in different areas while traveling and have always had an amazing experience. EVERYTIME we travel I always search for one in the area. Visited Mobile for vacation and was excited to get some to go on our way back home. I was painfully disappointed to have walked in and was not greeted. Servers walking past me and no one acknowledged me. I finally had to stop a girl working the station to ask where do I go to place a to go order. She directed me to the bar. Stood there for a while longer. No one acknowledged or tried to assist me. Everyone just walking past and looking at me but not offering assistance of any kind. A man who I assume is the manager was at the bar on a laptop and still... No acknowledgement or help. Again, finally stopped someone to ask if someone could come take my order. A nice African American woman finally came from the back to assist me. I inquired as to why on the website the menu options are severely limited hence why I ultimately came inside to order. Waitress didn't have a answer for me which I understand. I came back 15 minutes later and got my food. Checked my bags and everything was there but my shrimp and grits were separated into separate containers which I inquired about and was advised that's just how they do it since the containers have lids. I was planning to eat in the car with my family since we had our dog with us. So it was very inconvenient to have to assemble my food. I asked them to provide it to me already made and was advised for me to use the plate that was included to do so. I spent $100 including the tip for three people. I shouldn't have to do that. This is not the experience I expected from this place. I felt unwelcome in this establishment. I think I would have been a little more understanding if it was actually busy. which it was not at all. I just find it ironic how all the non black customers that walked in were greeted and assisted immediately but I was not at all and had to ask numerous times for help and assistance. If you have cameras you can roll them back to today June 6,2023 at around 11:45 to see me standing around looking crazy and confused and no attempts to help me. I was wearing a green dress. The lady that did take my order was very kind and needs a raise. I hope you share this feedback with her. To the rest of the staff. Do better. Treat ALL customers with respect and be courteous regardless of skin color. Also, please make sure you all update the website to reflect your entire menu when placing orders online. Very...

The overall feel of the place as displayed by the employees is very laid back, relaxed and not an extreme sense of urgency. We are part of a small conference group and arrived shortly after noon for lunch. There were 5 people in our party. The space is well decorated and gets good sunlight, has fun drink options, and good foot traffic so although it wasn't packed, they have a consistent stream of business. Terrance was our server who assumed we were waiting on another person for our group so he didn't greet the table for 10-15 minutes after we sat down. After he finally came over, he asked if we were waiting on another and we said no, so then he apologized and took our orders. Then we waited. Our server didn't check back in with us at all to let us know the status of our orders, but around 12:50p, I did ask if he had a status update. He said no, that he looked at the screen and saw that it had already been 20 minutes so he was hoping it came out soon, and also apologized because there were only two cooks on site at the moment. Right after that, our food was delivered by one of the managers who asked which conference we were with. He said they (the restaurant) are usually notified when there's a conference in town so they can be prepared. I had the cobb salad, which was just OK, but not good enough to stand out or make me want to order it again. 20% gratuity is automatically applied to your check, but that is not posted anywhere on the website nor on the menu. Some places implement the tip on parties of 4 or 5 or more, but they let you know. Here, the tip is automatically added, and the handheld gives you more tip options, but they don't tell you the tip is already added, so it's an unspoken way to get more tips from your tables. To me, wasn't worth it. Wasn't worth the wait and the food didn't make up for the wait, plus the untold added gratuity, I wouldn't return or suggest this place to others, but I also wouldnt stop them from trying it out. Others in my group enjoyed their meals and drinks but I'm only reviewing based on...

I had the Southern BLT. It was delicious! the young lady who took my order was so sweet. I wish I remembered her name. But I made sure to tip. She was at the bar during lunch. She was in such a jovial mood. Perfect for the midday lunch crowd.

I only had 2 issues. 1- I tried to order my food online and I didn't see where I could enter the information from a gift card to pay for the order. So, I had to come to the restaurant and order and pay in person. Not too much of a big deal. But it took extra time and I only have so many minutes for my lunch break. It could have been an operator error. But I tried calling to inquire about it and i didn't get anyone. Like I said, not a huge issue.

2- The 2nd thing I saw kinda disturbed me. I saw a patron bring the wrong order back. And they fixed her order. But the food that she brought back was someone else's order. My issue with that is that the server took the food from the lady who brought it back and sat it on the bar. Then, when the right customer came for her order, that SAME food was given to her instead of new food being fixed and given to the customer who ordered it. That's kinda unsanitary. The 1st customer could have opened her food, breathed on it, picked in it, eaten from it, etc. I would make it a practice to get rid of food that is brought back and just make a new order. Because if I found out that someone else (another customer) had my food and potentially opened it, I would not be happy... especially in this Post-Covid society. Just a suggestion. I hope it helps.

Otherwise, great food, great service,...