Paula Deen's Family Kitchen — Restaurant in Myrtle Beach

The food may have saved my customer experience.

Let’s start from the beginning. The website is basically worthless and not very user friendly. I was able to schedule a reservation for six people at the desired location, Myrtle Beach. I never received a confirmation, so I decided to call the restaurant- only to find that this location does not take reservations, first come first serve. I finally received an email informing that reservations at this location does not exist. Unfortunately, the email was sent the day after our visit. Maybe there was a technical glitch, I will give them the benefit of doubt.

Second: When we arrived at the restaurant we were told for a party of 6 or more the wait time can range from 60-80 minutes. Understandable since it appeared to be a popular dining destination. We received our text and proceeded inside only to have the hostess inform us that we took more than 10 minutes, so our wait would be another hour. We asked for a manager and showed her the text that sent 3 minutes prior, mind you we were waiting right outside. The manager apologized and seated us within a few minutes. Another technical glitch according to the manager, so far between the website and their restaurant notification system to patrons needs a complete overhaul. We also were informed that they were short of servers and they were having a difficulties bring workers back due to pandemic and soon to expire unemployment benefits.

Lets talk food, which was probably the saving grace of my overall experience. The catfish was delicious, fried chicken crispy and delectable, the pot roast however….was average. We had a variety of sides, the creamy potatoes were amazing, and the poppyseed salad outstanding. The family was really looking forward to collard greens, which was a bust due to being too salty. The Mac-n-Cheese was disappointing and very dry. We ordered an additional entree of chicken and dumplings for the little one……it was tasty but after a few spoon fulls it was like eating raw dough.

Service: Our server was exceptional and due to the shortage of staff, she was clearly serving more than her fair share of tables. She was attentive, had a great personality and attitude. Actually, I gave an additional star on my review because of the service she provided. I wish I could remember her name- I would love to give her a shoutout.

Overall customer experience: Setting aside the technical issues which I hope “Team Paula” will address. The family had a good time, we all left with full bellies and smiles on our faces. It was a bit pricey but in-line with surrounding establishments. I almost forgot, the banana pudding was the star of the show, I had two helping and probably could have had a third, but I didn’t want to push it- the button on my pants was already at maximum breaking point.

I would recommend it for the experience but I’m still on the fence if I would be a...

Overall it was a good experience. We were gold that there was a 2 hour wait (and on the phone it clearly states that there is NO CALL AHEAD SEATING). They do take your number and text you and give you a 10 minute period to get back once you check in, in person. We ended up waiting about an hour. The way the restaurant is set up there is a "family style" ordering system. Essentially for one flat rate drinks NOT included you get to pick 3 main courses and 4 sides and a desert. Ends up being about $30 per person after drink, tax, and assuming a minor tip. Which on one hand isn't awful, but oin the other hand is, because you end up getting a lot more food than you would otherwise normally order. The portion sizes are relatively small as well for it being "family size" , it was just my wife and myself and the "family size was literally one serving each, so I can't imagine how well that'd go over with a family of say, 4. So the system essentially sets you up to spend about $30 per person at a minimum. The food itself, was decent. We had the fried chicken (very gopd), peppered steak (not bad), and pork chop (meh), because they were out of the spare ribs. The sides we got were collard greens (good), green beans (bland), mashed potatoes (really good but needed butter) , and candied yams (pretty good). The sweet tea was rather generic as well, but not bad.

Now to the service. We had a single waitress. I believe her name was Daniella? She was amazing. I don't think I've ever had so much service from a single server before. I go through drinks like an animal, and I literally never got below half. Absolutely amazing. Very concerned wikth making sure our experience was perfect, and she honestly made the dinner memorable.

The atmosphere. I loved that the restaurant was elevated above the store. The Windows overlooking the water were amazing. Servers were easy to be seen and to get their attention and the sound of them saying "y'all " was clearly artificial because it was actually getting annoying lol, but hey, that's the theme.

Verdict : not bad, but very gimmicky. Ends up making you order more than you'd need, so the price point is higher. Also you CAN NOT get leftovers to go, which is sad considering they offer to letbupu buy one of their $30 containers from below to do it (yeah, not happening), and knowing that the over ordering of food means that not only can you NOT get leftovers to go, but it's literally too g to be thrown out. Which is honestly a disgusting business practice, extremely wasteful, just so they can trick you into paying more per person. It was nice to give them a try, I might come back one more time. But that's only if family demands to try it.

For this review I will set aside my views on the owner as a person and focused more on the taste,...

We were excited to try Paula Deen’s cooking at her restaurant. The wait on a Wed for a party of 6 was about an hour long - we arrived at 6:10 and were told 25-30 min wait, but didn’t get seated until 7:15. Once seated, the service was on point - Anna was thorough in explaining how the family style dining works, find out which dishes would work for a party member with gluten, dairy and seafood allergy (Country Fried Steak without Gravy and Poppy Seed Salad) and take our drink orders. The food came out very quickly and she checked on us regularly to make sure none of the dishes or drinks needed a refill/restock and whether we were ready for dessert.

For dinner we ordered chicken and dumplings, southern fried chicken, and country fried steak with gravy on the side, as well as Mac n cheese, creamed potatoes, collard greens and poppyseed dressing salad. Chicken and dumplings and collard greens were extra salty and the collard greens got saltier as we got toward the bottom of the bowl. The rest of the items were good, though nothing earth shatteringly delicious that would make us rave about the food. From a drink perspective, all of the adult beverages we got were on point - the mules, bourbon smash, and margaritas. The garlic cheddar biscuits served before dinner live up to their name with the garlic and were certainly dripping with fat from the cheese and butter. Lastly, desserts can be eaten in the restaurant and taken to go. They are small portions but after a huge meal, it is fitting. That said, butter cake felt like it was more butter than cake, the banana pudding was good, and the peach cobbler had a rather mushy dough instead of what I was imagining would be a biscuit dough.

For folks who are not sure how the family style dining works, there is a set price per person based on whether you pick an option with 2, 3 or 4 entrees (plus sides) and the restaurant will replenish those dishes for your party until everyone is full. That said, they do not provide to go boxes, so my personal advice is to not ask for more refills than needed to avoid food waste :)

Parking is available behind the restaurant, which is located on the Broadway on the Boardwalk which felt like a heavy shopping/dining/entertainment area for tourists.

Overall, while it was good to try it once as an experience, we are not likely to come back. While none of the dishes were terrible (outside of some being extremely salty), none of the dishes were amazing. Furthermore, the dining space felt like any regular dining space and I could not see/feel any uniqueness or special decorations to suggest we were enjoying meals from the kitchen of one of the top southern...