Mac's Speed Shop — Restaurant in Raleigh

Oh my gosh, this place has the best chicken salad sandwich (croissant!) I've ever had in my life. I don't know what the heck they put in the dressing, but it is absolutely addictive. I've ordered it the last three times I've gone there, and my husband liked my leftovers so much, he ordered it last time, too! They make it with their smoked chicken, so it has a delicious, smoky flavor to start with, and the dressing . . . I don't know what their secret ingredient is, but I'm thinking maybe they add a touch of bbq sauce to it? It's creamy, but also has a marvelous, hint of smoky tanginess that sets it apart from others. Even the croissant was good -- unlike most restaurant sandwich croissants, which are usually hard and stale tasting (assuming they just came out of the freezer and into the microwave), this one is always soft, buttery, flaky. The whole sandwich is perfection. I get it without lettuce and tomatoes, which are unnecessary additions to the addictive chicken salad. The tater tots are also stellar at Mac's -- they always come out crispy and have some kind of seasoning on them that is delicious. Oh, and did I mention the banana pudding??? I am a banana pudding connoisseur, and many bbq places have good banana pudding, but Mac's is the best!!! They understand that we all feel there are never enough cookies in the banana pudding, and they put lots of them in theirs!! Thank you on behalf of customers everywhere, who always wonder why there aren't more cookies in our banana pudding!! It's so creamy, delicious, with exactly the right bland of ingredients. My husband has tried many of the bbq meats, too, and they are all good. We are so happy Mac's opened...

TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE. I've never had such terrible food in my life. Based on the high rating, I thought we'd give them a try today. Ordered the sampler, drinks, and banana puddling go. The food was either overcook or both under/over (rids). I didn't know that was possible until now. The pulled chicken and brisket tasted like straw (about week old), mac n cheese was a joke, and the collards were a hot mess. We live too far to return but you better believe we will never try this place again. I wish there was such thing as NO stars. BBQ is not cheap. I feel like I just flushed $60 down the drain.

Update: Thank you for following up with me! Words can't express how much we appreciate everything you've done to make things right. The level of commitment to turn what was an unpleasant experience to a great one has been unlike any we've experienced. It shows that you truly care about the customers.

Brandon was professional and went above and beyond to make sure the food was perfect and that we received it on time. The flowers are beautiful!!! I was overwhelmed and it brought tears to my eyes.

I wrote a review not expecting anything but hoped that you would take note so that others would have a better experience than we did.

When I was asked to give you a chance to make it right, I had my doubts. I can say that you honored your commitment and that speaks volume to the way you operate! Well done!!! We'll definitely make this our go to for BBQ and recommend you to...

So, my experience comes by the way of DoorDash. I have ordered from here a few times (3, I believe). The single most consistent issue that I've come across is that if you order a side of sauce, get a dish that comes with sauce, or even order a salad with dressing - you will not receive your sauce.

Listen, the food is top notch, which is saying something because the sauce is the boss and for the food to be good without sauce, that says a lot. There is a reason why the traditional kitchen brigade places the Saucier as one of the highest non-leadership positions, and is something you have to work towards. Sauce is the make or break for most dishes. I have ordered the egg rolls, which are fantastic, but have never come with the sauce. I have ordered the sausages, which again, are phenomenal, but are supposed to come with a SC mustard sauce that I have yet to receive. I've also gotten the Buffalo Chopper, which is a buffalo chicken salad. Man, the chicken is crazy good, but again, didn't get any sauce (dressing) for the salad, so I ended up unable to really eat it because I'm not a dry lettuce guy.

What it really seems to come down to is a need for better training for whoever is running the expo station and packaging the food to ensure that the sauces are there are the order is truly complete. Once they get that little hiccup out of the way, I'll be able to raise to 5 stars.

But seriously, the food...