Sam's Southern Eatery (Nacogdoches) — Restaurant in Nacogdoches

A couple of weeks ago I went in to place an catering order for an event for my son and the experience was nice enough with I presume the owner or manager that I placed the order for June 7th with a pickup time of 5pm. The day prior I did receive call ensuring that I did indeed what to continue with the order of 40 wings, 24 fried fish and 20 grilled tenders with some various sides. Come the day of pickup at 4 o'clock I called to see if order would possibly be ready prior to 5 and at that time I was told they wouldn't even be starting to cook order until 4:30. Upon on arrival I see a order on counter that I assumed was mine which I was correct I was a bit taken back that it was just sitting there like that and not being kept warm. That was my first issue but the second was when the cashier rang up order and the price was more than what I was told so I inquired about it and she printed a receipt that reflected what I thought the cost was but then proceeds to say that she added a gratuity which I was baffled by. Why would I pay a gratuity and why wouldn't you just ask if I wanted to possibly tip you. I paid for food and I and my son began to take food out to my vehicle with no at first no assistance after going back and forth a couple times when finally the cashier brought the last remaining bag outside. I've never encountered where you wouldn't be assisted with such a big order and at the point the cash I was going to leave which was double the gratuity she wanted to include I decided I would keep my money. Upon getting home and looking at the food I was highly disappointed with how the chicken tenders were so dry and the chicken wings appeared to be burnt. Forgot to mention the food wasn't hot at all. The catfish was great as always which I expected that would be the case to be for everything. I've been to this location and always had great food and customer service so I'm shocked and upset about the outcome of yesterday. I will not go there ever again and do not recommend...

I don't really do this but I made a nice sized order for pickup which was almost $70 not including the tip I left. One of the Philly Cheesesteak combo i ordered was made wrong and was missing my side, i called SSE as soon as I got home and checked my bag. a lady tells me to comeback and they'll make the order again which is fine but I explained i stay almost 25 minutes away from Sam's Eatery but i could come back tomorrow and get my meal that was paid for. The lady tells me that's fine just give them a call tomorrow before I head that way, and that's what I do and another lady by the name of "Carrie" answers the phone and I explained to her what happened, and she tells me to hold on for a sec while she has to ask her cook what to do lol???? So while on hold the fine cook by the name of "Chester" makes the decision for me to bring back the incorrect meal (cheesesteak) that Sam's fumbled so I can get a replacement. I explain to Carrie that's not possible because i put it in the garbage the previous day and I was missing my side item anyway, like I'm not about to go trash digging to retrieve this sandwich that you all made incorrectly in the first place like seriously lol?????? Carrie then advised me that without the sandwich she couldn't give me my order and there's no manager available for me to talk to just her and good ol Chester the cook. I work to hard for my money to just take a lost, Carrie and Chester please do better and Carrie learn some professionalism no need for the nonchalant attitude when you're not even trying to make things right anyway smh. I won't be spending another dollar in this place that's for sure which kinda sucks because the food is ok, but the customer service is lacking...

Let's cover the good parts first. The place is clean with well arranged seating and plenty of video screens. The staff was sweet, friendly and attentive. The sweet tea is delightful and generously served. The cole slaw was nice and the green beans were delicious. The fried green tomatoes/fried pickles appetizer was crispy and tasty. The sauces are good complements to the fried food. The fried fish is not bad but very basic. The grilled fish had an odd texture, not flaky interior but more like a jellied substance which squirted when I pierced it. I think it was done; but it didn't taste quite right. It wasn't well seasoned either. The shrimp were...interesting: I'd never seen shrimp fried in that tubular shape. One added challenge to our experience was, though we ordered one combo dinner with the appetizer, we were served two of the combo dinners; basically doubling our bill and our order of only "okay" food. We chose to say nothing to avoid causing trouble for the staff. But hey, any restaurant can have an off night. And perhaps other items on the menu are a better choice. However, I recommend being VERY clear when...