Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse — Restaurant in Richardson

OMG so get ready for this review! A one-star was rated and I hadn't even touched my food yet because it was thrown away by Carl - who is a man who's worked there for over 20 years and thought that I was done with my plate when I had just excuse myself to the restroom and had been sitting for only 5 minutes! Really Carl?! The thing is, as soon as I walked in, I let him know that I was using my birthday email coupon that stated I get a free sandwich of my choice on my birthday. I explained to Carl when I walked in that it was my first time of coming and I ordered a side of beans and a iced tea to go with my meal. After I arranged everything and got my sandwich already to go with a barbecue sauce that they offer, I realized I had not washed my hands so I went to the restroom for not even 5 minutes to wash my hands and where I was sitting everything was organized where you could tell a person was just about to eat their meal. I can't believe this man picked up my meal and threw it away! When I walked out of the restroom everything was gone and it wasn't as if the dining room was full of people there were three guests in the dining room so there was no way he could tell me he thought I left. Then if that wasn't enough, a random customer that I assume goes in regularly said I did a very good job and called me a con artist not even knowing that Carl had thrown my sandwich away within 5 minutes so I can even give a proper rating to this restaurant I can only write it on the customer service I received and was only there for 5 minutes after I got my order. The manager apologized I ask for a refund which was just on my iced tea and the side of beans I ordered because I did not enjoy one moment that I was there! Everything went downhill after I returned to my table and my plate was gone and Carl laughed and said he thought I had left which was utterly ridiculous and he was lying. My suggestion - is you can't beat the original Sonny Bryan's it's worth the drive! I posted a pic of my meal that I would have eaten had Carl not thrown my plate away 5 minutes later when I was in the restroom. This is how my spot looked when I got up to use the restroom so it is very obvious and Common Sense tells you the person is coming right back! Horrible customer...

Lunch came about 2:15 pm. Empty as expected with occasional trickle and carry outs from UTD across the street.

Order 1: 2 meat with Sliced Brisket & pulled chicken. Side: green bean casserole & baked beans.

The pulled chicken may have had a smoked flavor but it was impossible to tell due to extreme saltiness. We both agreed this was a “never again” item. The Sliced brisket on the other hand had a visible smoke ring but was overdone or perhaps had been held too long in a bin. It was not bad but I’ve had so much better and would not buy a Lb of this meat to go like I do at the Sonny Bryan’s across from Southwest Medical. That one is very consistent and usually on point particularly with the meats. To be fair we ate the 3 slices of brisket (drenched in sauce) but I’m disappointed and would look for other options and not this location at the time of day. The roll was cold but not stale. It just was meh and didn’t add anything to the meal. The beans were also just barely better than most canned beans. The may have been canned and then touched up but not good. I wanted good beans and these were not that. The casserole looked good enough but taste was flat. Tasted like green beans with fried onions and cream of something soup but missing flavor. They had salt and that was not missing but they were not notable at all. The green beans did have a little snap and were probably made from fresh but they gave their tenderness for nothing. It was a fail.

Order 2: Chopped barbecue sandwich.

Sandwich was decent and meat adequately sauced to be more tender with a perceptible smokiness. It wasn’t great brisket and the base meat wasn’t particularly tender but as stated the sauce helped compensate.

Positive note was they did give a discount for seniors but price had nothing to do with the meal experience.

Wish this had been better because I was looking forward to this lunch since yesterday.

** NOT...

I was excited to discover Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse during a recent visit to Richardson while taking my son to UTD. I had fond memories of their Inwood location from a few years back, so I decided to surprise my kids with a visit this weekend. While I expected BBQ to be on the pricier side, I was looking forward to a great meal.

The atmosphere was nice, and the staff were friendly, which set a positive tone for our visit. I ordered the chopped brisket sandwich, potato salad, and the "World Famous" onion rings. My son opted for the three-meat plate with ribs, sausage, and brisket, while my daughters chose kids’ meals.

Unfortunately, disappointment quickly set in. My sandwich arrived lukewarm and had a strange texture that reminded me of soft wood chips—very dry and unappetizing. There was literally NO flavor in the meat, it was actually kind of bizarre. The BBQ sauce was overpowering, which didn’t help its flavor. The onion rings tasted like they were fried in very old oil. The potato salad was just okay; I prefer a more mashed texture, but this left the potatoes too chunky, and the mayo-mustard balance was off.

My son only enjoyed the sausage from his plate, and my daughters were only happy with their French fries. Overall, I found the quality and taste to be so disappointing for the price. I really wanted to love this place, but it didn't meet my expectations this time.

I hope this was just an off day for them, as I had such high hopes based on my...