Chef Eddies Catering — Restaurant in Orlando

I have been hoodwinked! By not only the reviews left by other visitors to this restaurant, but most importantly by Essence Magazine! I receive emails from Essence, who recommended Chef Eddies in an article for families traveling to Orlando. After reading the article I told my family and even they were excited to try it out Chef Eddies once we went on Spring Break vacation. Needless to say I should have known something was amiss when my family and I arrived on a Monday and the place was not open. We were certain the website read Monday thru Friday 11a to 9p. So we called multiple times while standing outside the restaurant only to be met with a voicemail. So, we left. We decided to try again the day before we left Florida. But we called first! The gentleman who answered the phone stated they were open until 9p. I asked if they were closed on Monday's and he said...and I quote, " we used to be open from 11a to 3p, but now we just close." I explained their website said they were open on Monday's. He then tells me...and I quote, "we are open today." That should have been our 2nd sign. So, my family and I went to see what the hype was about. First of all we walked in at 530p and there wasn't a soul in the place (3rd sign). We were thinking it was going to be hard to get a seat. After being handed six menus and told to sit wherever we like, we were approached by a woman who wanted to take our drink order. My son and 6yr old asked for lemonade, but when she returned she said she had to make the lemonade. (Next sign- its lemonade, who doesn't have that on standby). Then we looked at the menu. There was nothing to it. We were looking for the menu we saw online...there were sandwiches, seafood, chicken, pasta, etc. We only saw on the left buffet and the items on the buffet and on the right, not even 1/3 of what they list online. My husband, older daughter, older son and I selected the buffet and my 6yr old wanted chicken tenders. After making our selection we started to head to the area we thought was the buffet area, but we were stopped by the waitress who said we need to wait until she returned with our drinks. WHAT! (another sign) So, we waited, and waited and waited. It was 15 mins before she returned with drinks. In the meantime, two women and three children came in, were seated and went to the buffet. Finally, the waitress returned with drinks and gave us permission to go to the buffet. We went to the buffet only to be let down, we had to wait for someone to come serve us. WHAT!! AT A BUFFET! We waited all lined up until finally someone came to serve us, but only to be let down again. Everything looked like it's been sitting since the lunch rush. There was no macaroni and cheese, but they soon brought it out. And let me just say it looked like they took a bunch of leftovers and sprinkled shredded cheese on it and popped it in the oven to heat it through. The only thing that was good was the collard greens and Turkey wings. The buffet menu said there was brisket so my son and daughter asked for some in the buffet line. The server said he had to get it from the back (another sign). When they brought it out the first thing we noticed it was covered in brown sauce. WHERE DO YOU PUT BROWN SAUCE ON BRISKET? (another sign) My daughter went to take a bite and it was hard to cut, but when put the piece in her mouth....wait for it....it was frozen! So now we are ready to go! Not to mention, we only saw our waitress twice during our meal, but the place was empty! My 6yr old asked if there were any desserts. I asked our waitress and she said she needed to see what was available. She returned with a tray of cake and pies. I asked if they were included with the buffet and she said they were $6 each. WHAT BUFFET DOES NOT INCLUDE DESSERT? (another sign). Last sign- There was a " Non-food Adjustment " of $2.59 on the check. I asked what the charge was and the waitress said it was the charge for using a card! I have never left a review for ANYTHING! But I could not let this...

I rated based on service, restaurant appearance, taste and plating location and parking and average wait.

First let’s tackle location: 4 stars For me it’s in a great location in the middle of the Orlando magic arena and downtown, parking was hard and this was a Sunday so I can only imagine what the parking is like on a weekday.

Next is Apperance: (1.5) stars Upon entering your shifted into the average soul food eatery with photos of various black celebrities and influential political leaders. Double booths scadly placed around along side a full service bar and drums set behind a set of double shutters is the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. With red and black decor from floor to ceiling and a several flat screen televisions that displayed the Sunday’s game and another that replayed a loop of past commercials for the place. In my opinion with the place being be settled in downtown it could use a bit of an upgrade.

Pricing: 4 star Pricing for me was a little bit higher than the typical soul food eatery but when you factor in the location it quickly evens out

Waiter service: 0 stars Now we where seated almost immediately by a guy who seemed to be a little rushed and with a menu as large as theirs to be rushed to order can possibly cause a loss of a chance to upscale a customer. He was friendly but didn’t have any customer service it was pretty much drop and go and drinks sat infilled for sometime not to mention we never received napkins. For me this is a major pit peeve service is key in any business

IFood wait: 2 stars We waited about 30 minutes for the food to arrive which tell me everything is cooked to order

Plating: 5 stars Now they did a pretty good job with the appearance of food it looked and smelled wonderful not to much clutter on the plate which is great

Food taste:2.5 stars Now for me chicken Mac and cheese and greens are a staple for any soul food community so anytime I visit a soul food place i usually get those things and for me it was missing that extra pizzazz now the food did arrive warm but from there it went down seemed as though the greens could’ve used a little bit of vinegar and a little less sugar. Then there was the occasional gritty ness or sand particles and large pieces of onions that I could look over. To the Mac and cheese that needed a bit more too cheese word to the wise when cooking individual Mac and cheeses in calinders be sure to top with more the a table spoon of cheese. Then there was the chicken that had an over whelming taste from whatever spice was used so overwhelming it required an excessive amount of hotsquce to enjoy it. The waffle was pretty good but beware the toppings are on top and not inside.

And finally the overall customer service: 3 The chef Eddie did come out and talk with us and was really nice if anyone had a complaint he didn’t hesitate to fix the problem which is a major plus but for me when it was time to pay and to hear other customers complain about having to a service charge for use of a credit card we quickly used cash. After giving the server the bill and watching him stuff the money into his pocket it made me wounded of the owner knew what was going on and was that protocol and this is what led to me feeling a bit uneasy about the server himself

Overall 2.75 stars or rounded (3) it was an ok experience and I’m not sure if I’ll ever be back. I think that with a bit of an upgrade a decrease in the menu items and a revamp of the ingredients on the menu followed with a customer service in service for. Staff then this place...

So I bought a Groupon for this place. It was like $30 for $60 worth of food, so I bring two other people with me and we order $60 worth of food and we try our best.

We started off with Fried Green Tomatoes (Dipped in seasoned batter, deep fried. With Parmesan grits & gravy), and we got the added crab meat for like $4 more. The tomatoes themselves were awesome. They were the diameter of about a soft ball, and they had a great meaty bite to them. The breading was light and wonderfully seasons. The grits were done just right. Perfect. Honestly, though, I don't think the crab meat added anything to the dish, so save your $4, please.

Then we ordered a vegetable meal with three different sides to munch on, fried broccoli, french fries, and onion rings. The fried broccoli was awesome. Fried broccoli always it. Neither of the people I was with had ever had it before, so if you're one of those people, please try this. It's unexpectedly delicious. The french fries were eh. Skip them. The onion rings were good. They had a good batter-to-onion ratio, but I wish there had been more of them on my plate.

We also had six of the Jalapeno Crackling Muffins. Six for only $5, and or server gave us seven. Score! They were good. Just imagine jalapeno cornbread in muffin form. I recommend them, if you plan on ordering the barbecue.

Next we got our hands on the BBQ Ribs/Chicken/Pulled Pork Combo Platter. The ribs were actually not very good. They were overdone and chewy. Enough sauce helped me with them, but they just weren't done right. I ended up not trying the chicken. All this food made me have to prioritize, and I just don't particularly care for BBQ chicken. The pulled pork wasn't pulled at all, but it was chunked and drizzled with sauce. These were actually very good. I enjoyed eating them with the muffins. Delish!

The two sides we got with the BBQ platter were the hush puppies and the mac & cheese. Both are very good. The mac & cheese actually won best side item overall for me. It's in a little ramekin and the whole top of it seems like it was broiled so the cheese is a little crust, and it's ooey gooey underneath. Please, have it!

Finally, we ordered two types of chicken and waffles, butter pecan and sweet potato. The chicken wings that came with both of them were very good. Not at all greasy and seasoned well. Really good fried chicken. The only gripe I have is that I wish that there were other pieces to the chicken there other than just wings. Ask your server about this if you feel like you might feel the same way. The waffles were good. I preferred the butter pecan. Those pecans added a real nice bite to the dish. I actually didn't like the mashed sweet potato on top of the waffle that much. I didn't hate it, but the flavor just wasn't strong enough to make me think it was a good idea.

Also, with the chicken and waffles, the only option for a sauce I was given was syrup. I love sweet chicken and waffles, but I would also like the choice between a sweet or a savory sauce to go with it. Honey mustard would have been appreciated.

Overall, I had a great experience here. It was good, home-style cooking that you don't find in most places unless you want to pay an arm and a leg. Head for the chicken and waffles, but maybe steer clear of the BBQ platters. There are plenty other options on the menu. I'm glad Groupon showed me this place, because I...