Big Buffalo Grill — Restaurant in Oklahoma City

Im reading reviews on how good the food is on a good day. Date night, my hubby and I saw reviews on how good it is. Get there, parking lot is full, i got excited. We both have handicap placard, no designated handicapped parking. He has mobility problems, i have severe copd, had to park second row by 23rd street. Walk in and a musty/ moldy smell hits me. We picked a booth by the door in case i cant breathe and have to make a hasty exit. Should have any way. There was only 3 people inside. Front door parking was taken up by bar patrons a few doors down. Ok waitress tells us to pick our seats asked what we wanted to drink. I order iced tea, it tasted really old. My mouth is set on chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and green beans, hubby orders roast beef sandwich, mashed potatoes and rice. Im watching and looking around, its what i do best, notice the cook guy, with a woman with long blonde hair behind window. No hair covering, hair down not in pony tail. Strike one....food handlers are required to restrain and cover hair when preparing and handeling food. Notice and older man and lady in motorized wheelchair come in. Extremely hard for her to get her chair in, if she would have had a larger sized one, she wouldnt have been able to get inside. Not sure where they parked. Waiting for our food, i watched waitress scrape a plate from a table the earlier diners left, with her bare hands into trash can in front of serving window, wipe her hands on her apron and never touched the hand sanitizer pump bottle the was clearly visible from where i was sitting. Should have walked out then, but was interested to see what the food was like. I kept hearing small door slamming and beep of microwave, but didnt think anything about it as menu said prepared fresh. Boy was that wrong. Hubbys open faced roast beef came out, mashed potatoes and green beans, no rice, said it wasnt oven hot, just warm. Salt and pepper, he ate it. My chicken fried steak came out. Didnt look anything like the pictures on here. It was oblong and stiff, NOT fresh out of fryer, no lil grease spot on the plate. It was luke warm at best. It tasted like unseasoned meat and crunchy flour. Tastiest thing was green beans. We will not go back, for one the loose hair and lack of hand hygiene is disturbing. While there a lady younger than me came in with a younger woman and man, they picked a corner booth, waitress (whose hair was also down) served them water and never returned to take order or tell them anything, they got up and walked out. Sure wish my first visit there would have been better, but was deeply disturbed by what i saw and smelled. Wouldnt even give it one star if google allowed no stars. Im a nurse by the way and started my working career in food service. Tonights observations can make...

Last night we ate at the Big Buffalo Grill at nw 23 and Council as we do 5-6 times a month, because the food is good, reasonable price and the service is good, but this time was a horrible experience. Tabitha was our waitress this time as well as the other 70 times we have eaten there. We all have bad days, but it always depends on how he handles the stress that makes all the difference. We were a party of five and a previous time we ate there about six weeks ago, the same couple ordered first but by the time they got their food, the others had finished eating and their meals were lukewarm. We overlooked it because Tabitha was obviously in the weeds (for those of you who have never worked in a restaurant, this means overwhelmed with work and unable to keep up). She said previously they had two other servers that were scheduled and did not show up and she had been there since 6am. Last night the same scenario, but the difference, she was terribly upset, yelling at the owner who was cooking, that she has too many tickets and does not know where any of this f*cking food goes. She then said, “if you don’t like it just fire me.” The entire restaurant looks up to see what was going on and it does not stop there, she is going to make sure everyone is going to hear how bad this evening is going, and she is deeply sorry. We all get stressed; with our family, friends, work, co-workers, traffic, bank tellers and yes restaurant service, but it all depends on how one deals with the stress. I gave Tabitha the 20% tip, but it will be several months or maybe never I return to have that...

Update: July 23, 2023 This little diner has always been one of my favorites but today I was sorely disappointed, my breakfast was cold. The peppers in my veggie omelette were burned and I had a piece of unidentified meat on top of my veggie omelette so I asked for a to go box and brought it home and heated it up. It’s just not the same. They weren’t terribly busy although it wasn’t as slow as some Sunday mornings. I received only one side and the bacon is no longer considered a side so it was extra. The only side that came with my veggie omelette was the fruit I selected but it warm and not very tasty looking. My favorite waitress Dee was not working. My waitress was Jasmine and I saw my order come up and sit waiting which is probably why it was cold. Not saying Jasmine is a poor waitress she did well with coffee and making sure I had everything I needed. So I would blame the cook more than the waitress for the cold and burned breakfast. Might be looking for another place for my Sunday morning breakfast out This little café is one of my favorite places to eat out for a casual meal.

The western burger is so delicious, try it with their homemade potato chips!

If you are ordering a breakfast that does not include bacon it will not be considered as a choice for 1 of the 2 sides for any other menu item although it is listed on the menu under sides.

I enjoy the veggie omelette and then purchase the bacon separately along with my two sides.

Service is usually very good, Dee is one of my favorite waitresses. Busy on Sundays. You won't regret stopping...