Melba's on Elysian Fields Ave — Restaurant in New Orleans

Well tried to stop by Melba's for a decently sized solo birthday daiquiri but only had my digital cash app card with me (no tap to pay). Thought I would be fine just ordering through their app like I have (in all actuality) done before in the past. Remembering they offered this supposedly developed application after seeing one of the many, many advertisements with accompanied QR codes for this exact time of need and service. Seriously. Anywhere they could let you know they have an app in this place (in and out) they are letting you know twice. Immediately the QR code is shown to not scan to the correct URL for the Melba's App; thus not getting you anywhere closer to a daiquiri. Yet I persist. It is my birthday and I need 44oz of this Strawberry Banana EverClear injected straight into my stomach just above the naval button. I open the Google Play Store that again I know I have found before on a different device; and the app is MIA. Now that area above my naval button is getting scared. It is getting angry. Alongside the unforgiving Louisiana August Sun? Was now this foolish promise to of a certain EverClear Treat looming over my birthday and alcoholism to ominate degree. Surely the web portal must still work right? The browser based service that must have even pre-dated the app even? I remembered the club that they annoyingly made me sign up for last year for an entire half an hour before serving me a daiquiri (then oddly enough just giving me a tiny, tiny free one to have before I ordered what would have been most likely a larger one...). Surely that club and service is still used and damn neared required right? I sign in. Get a prompt saying that they are too busy to take online orders. Looking around and it is barely alive in the place. Lying straight to the customer's face. Lying straight to my face. Lying straight to my face how many times now Melba's?! Why? Why do this!? What is this game you playin' with us in 2025? A.I. could easily write a better app for you or something. That is the second time I have gone by with just this digital card and no daiquiri special for me today. No free shot for a birthday boy. You owe me a 44oz. Make this right. Get at me please. I drink. live. love. eat. laundry. and pray to the melba's lord all the time. It ain't right. Was going to treat myself to a slice of pecan pie too while I hit the poker machine...

I have tried to love Melba's and I just can't. Months ago after moving here I began doing laundry there. The ATM, the timer on the dryers and the card readers on the dryers kept malfunctioning and a good number of actual dryers were out of order as well. Frustrated and hungry I went next door to their restaurant and ordered gumbo. BIG MISTAKE. They have the absolute worst gumbo in the entire city. I am aware there's many ways to make gumbo but this wasn't it.

Which brings me to today. I was passing through that side of town and decided I'd drop by and try a poboy instead, after all this is what they're known for. And again I was disappointed and reduced the experience to another BIG MISTAKE. Attached to this review is my receipt. My bread was old and hard, which doesn't make sense because it was also grilled. How can grilled bread be cold unless it's old? The onions I ordered to be added to the poboy were missing --nowhere to be found on the sandwich. But you bet they didn't forget to charge me for it. And the amount of mayonnaise used was so gross. Now I love mayo just as much as anyone else but the poboy was swimming in it. I also forgot they charge a 50 cent convenience fee for paying with a card. Which is crazy because we're in the middle of a pandemic and nobody wants to touch dirty money or an employees' hands.

Not to mention my wait time for just a single poboy with nothing else was like 30 minutes & it wasn't busy. While waiting I observed 2 employees fighting in the prep area and cursing loud, and Marty, the manager was trying to open the safe and switch out cash drawers during shift change --no intervention at all. I get that they charge a little more to keep their business sustainable and pay employees more that minimum wage, but so does Chik-fil-a. And you know what else Chik-fil-a has? Reasonable wait times, good customer service and consistent high quality food. So I don't mind paying an arm and a leg for a sandwich at Chik-fil-a. I'll stick to getting my poboy's from Orchid Seafood on N Broad. I think they actually value my business and I can get a FRESH fried oyster and shrimp poboy for $12 with no extra charge for onions that they actually remember to put on my sandwich and no extra charge to use my debit card. Turn around time...

I use to come here frequently in the past and couldn't remember exactly why I choose to stop patronizing there place of business. Unfortunately I was reminded why when I visited this week. There were two women standing at the counter holding a conversation with the cashier which when I came in and at first it seemed like friendly chit chat with a cashier until I realized one of the women had on a melbas shirt and had just finished her shift. After 5 or 6 minutes of talking about their fellow coworkers a line started to form and the cashier with much hesitation started taking one of the womens food order. When it was finally my turn to order the cashier seemed to have an attitude when I inquired about a menu item. I disregarded her tone and continued with what I wanted on my seafood plate. When she handed me my receipt, I stepped backwards and continued examining the menu because the place has been updated since the last time I visited. While looking at the menu, the numbers on my receipt did not add up. The plates are supposed to be $9.89 + $3.00 if you add seafood. My receipt said 13.89 plus tax. When I questioned her about the price difference she told me she'd have to get a supervisor. The lady that she came back with looked at my receipt and I pulled out a calculator to help them with the simple math and was told by the new lady that a supervisor would have to give me my $1 that I was over charged. 🤔 Why was I talking to this person if they weren't the supervisor that my cashier told me she was going to get? The cashier went to the back and eventually came back with the supervisor who looked over the receipt and at their menu to confirm that I was charged incorrectly. After waiting for the supervisor to get off the phone with whom ever she called about the price discrepancy, I was finally given my $1. It may not be a significantly large amount of money but the fact that the lady had an attitude and the nerve to seem annoyed when I pointed out that she charged me the wrong amount was enough to ensure that I will never return and encourage my friends and family to...