McAlister's Deli — Restaurant in Raleigh

I always feel bad leaving negative reviews as I never want to hurt the company as a whole, however, I feel it’s important to share my experience at this specific location on Capital Boulevard. I order from this place on DoorDash all the time! It definitely makes me second-guess doing so in the future. Since I was in the area, I decided to stop in with a friend after raving about how much I love them. I went on a Saturday around 2:45 PM to 3pm. There were three people working. There was one person in the back cooking, someone at the register, and one other person. One of the staff members had her two children there. I don’t think it should have been as obvious as it was that they were there with the staff members, But the kids went in and out of the kitchen several times. They had set them up at a table at the front, but the kids were all over the place. Even worse, most of the other tables in the restaurant were dirty. There was even a guy that went up to the counter to ask them to clean some off after asking to speak to a manager. While we respect that each order is made fresh, the wait time was really ridiculous. We watched the cook put our “to go” order on the counter and we didn’t receive it until almost 10 minutes later when the cashier bagged it, and handed it to us. It was just a...

Ok, not even joking, I eat here probably 3 times a week. I work at a dealership down the street so its convenient, and let me tell you: I live 36 miles away from the Capital Hills location and I have hardcore craved their BLT so much that I drove into Raleigh on my day off, just for that. Do you know what kind of magical food a place has to serve, for an anti-social hermit like me to put on pants, leave my house, drive a grand total of 70 miles, and risk having to actually TALK to people, in order to retrieve a sandwich? It's not like most places where you get 4 anemic strips of bacon and lettuce that is roughly the same texture as a wet sock, they load UP the sandwich and use actual lettuce that has like, actual flavor and structural integrity. And the pickles. I always get a BLTA on a croissant, with cheese, and I ask for extra pickles. I'm entitled to 1, with the sandwich. When I ask for extra, I get 3-5 every time. This sandwich has more food on it than I'd buy if I went grocery shopping like a normal adult. I've also had the French Dip and there was like NO fat on the beef. It was just all meat. If you're driving through, or really anywhere near, Raleigh, try the Capital Hills location. I can't vouch for the other ones, but this...

I was a big fan of McAlister's back in it's heyday (2007-2010). I stopped eating there for a bit because they didn't have a great vegetarian selection compared to other places but decided to give them another chance today since I was craving a sandwich and was in the area.

The online order system is a huge plus. I work a lot, so I don't like to spend my lunch break waiting for food and waiting in line. I was able to pay online and swing by to pick up my order within 20 mins.

The store seemed clean. This goes a long way for me, especially on Capital where a lot of restaurants (even the corporate chains!) are lacking in the sanitation dept.

I am a tad butt hurt because I paid .65 extra for cheese (should be free on a veggie sandwich IMO) and they forgot the cheese entirely. They also forgot the mayo, so I was left with a dry piece of bread with some vegetables on it. Not having the added protein left me hangry by 4pm, especially knowing I paid for it. Mistakes happen, so maybe I'll give them another shot.

I did like the balsamic onions. It's a tangy extra that sets them apart from other places.

Please don't forget the cheese and mayo next time! I'm a broke millennial and can't always afford the extra 65 cents. (Only...