Dude's Drive Inn — Restaurant in Redding

Updated - 11/04/2021: This was my last time going to Dudes. It just bad all the way around now. Thought I would surprise the kids and get them milk shakes. This became a $36.13 mistake.

Ordered three medium milk shakes. Two mint chocolate chip and one cheesecake. I also asked for a Big Dude burger. Pulled around. They ring you up first, which is normal except that want a tip at the same time. How are you to know if you want to tip until after you receive the food/service? So I have woman staring at me asking if I want to tip, but just sitting there staring at me. Sure, throw 10% on there. Nope. You can not tip the people at Dude's 10%. The LOWEST tip amount you can partake in is 18%. 18% and you have no idea what the ** the food/service is going to be like.

So I tipped 18%. Again, another mistake on my part. They bring out the mint chocolate chip milkshakes. Two white milk shakes with black spots in it. "Our mint chocolate chip is white, not green," was what they told me. My two children (One child was home and not with us) tell me it doesn't take like mint anything. I tried a sip. It was vanilla ice cream with chocolate chunks.

I set the milkshake on the ledge of the take out window. I had to order my daughter another medium milkshake to get something she'd drink. I asked for the receipt and they gave me the receipt imaged below. No details, just the totals. Very helpful. Paid for the 4th milk shake (First they told me $5.80 something, then the price increased to $6.37. I was a little shocked they didn't ask me to tip again.) and left the... whatever we want to call vanilla and a ** pile of large chocolate chunks shake there with them.

$36.13 for three medium milk shakes and a burger. BTW, ate the burger. Thing smelled very good. Taste wise, not so much. Ate half before a horrible after taste ruined my appetite. So, three milk shakes (with a 33.3% accuracy rating on getting the flavors right) and a moderately rotten/funky/whatever burger.

TLDR - Don't go there. Like, ever.

I used to really enjoy the food. I still very much enjoy their mega burger (The Dude or something), but everything else is... Getting worse. The French fries are borderline criminal. It was a greasy ball of potato-like product. Just thinking about them gives me the shivers. When my kids are talking about how bad they are you know it's bad. The desert products are great, if you're looking for a treat only. The folks that work there (An all women group) were respectful, polite, and all around pleasant.

TL;DR, good burgers, great deserts, great crew, retched fries, and overall declining rest...

The inside seating was infested with flies, we aren't talking like 5-8 were talking like 20 at least - and that's being kind. The lady at the front counter with longer dark hair was absolutely HORRIBLE. It was our first time there. We aren't from around there, so it was recommended by a local. As we were looking at their menu (fair options) the lady behind the window was literally tapping her finger nails on the counter, when I said it will be a minute so we can look, she scoffed and walked away. (Mind you, we were the only people inside at the time) After about 5 minutes of looking at the menu I told her we were ready, again, scoffed and said "go ahead, as she rolled her eyes" I politely ordered our food. (A burger, BLT, 1 small shake and large fries) $50(not including the extra $5.50 for two SMALL sodas) 😬 I pay, and sit down with my husband and baby. (Then the intensity of the flies kicked in) I understand it's a food place, and there will be flies, but I'm talking about A SWARM. She calls out our order, (about a 10-15 minute wait, not bad) and as my husband is grabbing it he asks for ketchup and mustard. She scoffed "it's literally right there- pointing to the counter" my husband said "oh, okay, thank you, we haven't been here before so I didn't see it at first" and then she just turned her back without saying anything and walked away. Our food was mediocre, nothing that we couldn't make at home, and better at that, but as I said, we were out of town on a family trip.

As we finished our meal, I said "thank you! Enjoy rest your day" at which she rolled her eyes and just walked away.

Moral of the story, $55.50, and a less than "normal" experience, I wouldn't recommend. HOWEVER on the flip side, our marshmallow shake was so delicious! Other...

Dudes is an awesome place to eat, and it’s always flavorful. However…the last few times I have been through their line, my order has been incorrect and I’ve had to go back to get it fixed. Most recent, I heard another customer had some things missing. I don’t know if it’s the constant new employees coming in with lack of training, but if you’re going to ask for a tip before I receive my food, please ensure all of it is there and correct. My last order I was told to park and wait for a Pastrami Burger, and they’d bring it to my truck. Waited approx 47 minutes, in that time my wife’s root beer was found to have more foam than liquid. After 20 minutes in my truck, I waited at exterior window to ask about status of my wife’s burger. Waited another 10-15 minutes. No employees asked if I’d been helped yet and completely ignored me while I watched the cooks make multiple other burgers and look at the plethora of wrapped burgers like they were confused. So I went inside to see if that would change so I can ask a worker. After 5 minutes an employee opened the exterior walk up window I was previously standing at and yelled “pastrami burger”. I assumed it was mine since that’s what I was waiting for. Employee who took my money who wasn’t, just standing around looking panicked, didn’t speak up and say “he’s right there” or even maybe another employee who kept taking smoke breaks walk it to my truck since they kept going outside anyways. After all that, paid about $45 for a medium shake, 2 large fries, bacon cheeseburger, and a pastrami burger. Except for the new burger I was waiting for, all my food was now cold and almost inedible. Perhaps if I had waited at the drive up window instead of parking, there would have been a...