Atlanta Grill Company — Restaurant in Roswell

I used to absolutely love this place, would drive 40 mins each way just to support AGC. To level set, I have a KJIII, a Blackstone, and recently got rid of my Traeger. I've worked in retail roles from frontline associate to management prior to starting my professional career in retail technology. Lastly, I don't subscribe to "The customer is always right" because I've seen how customers treat frontline associates. I spoke respectfully on the phone, & I stayed calm in the presence of the staff and my 7 year old.

On the weekend before Thanksgiving, I visited AGC to purchase a new fiberglass gasket for my KJIII, post oak blocks, dry rub, & fire starters for a Thanksgiving Day brisket. My typical go-to for lump coal is Jealous Devil, but the associate helping me (he was friendly & the only one who greeted me) convinced me to buy the AGC brand. He raved about the consistency in the "fist sized'' coals that AGC offered. Knowing its a far drive, I went ahead and bought two bags. Again, the sales associate, whose name I don't know, was friendly and seemingly knowledgable. He recommended a dry rub that was incredible and we joked about bourbon.

Fast forward to the day before Thanksgiving. I opened the bag to prep the smoker & saw mostly tiny pieces chips of coal with a few pieces that were the size of a small fist. I immediately snapped a picture & rang the store. Marcus (the guy with the shaved head and earrings who appears in other negative reviews apparently) answers. I greeted him & was explaining the situation when he abruptly chimed in with "I can't take it back since it's open & can't sell it." We went back & forth with me telling him that the other guy assured me the coals would be fist sized & that there was no way for me to know until I opened the bag. He finally relents & says just bring it in & we'll swap it out. As I walked into the store, I greeted the group (which went unreciprocated) & asked which one was Marcus. I was trying to show him the contents of the bag but he interrupted & said, "I told you I'd exchange it so just go get what you want." I replied that I understand that but I wanted to show them that the information being given out was misleading and that his knee-jerk reaction on the phone was unprofessional. His response? "It's not a big deal. If I bought charcoal & didn't like it, I just wouldn't buy it again." At that moment, a women who was not dressed in an AGC shirt (perhaps the owner?) stepped up, didn't greet me, and just began conducting the exchange. Meanwhile, another associate (heavy set older man) went and grabbed two bags of JD, walks out past me, & literally dropped (emphasis on dropped) them behind my SUV in what appeared to be a gesture to get me out of the store quickly. Around that time, Marcus was reiterating that it wasn't a "big deal", and then he turned and walked away. I responded that "If it isn't a big deal, then why are you walking away & being unprofessional?". He walked back over but the lady over talked him & told me my total for the difference in the product prices. She didn't apologize, didn't try to address Marcus' behavior, and effectively brushed me off. As I walked away, I heard a very snarky, "Have a good day" from the woman. In an effort to not lose ~$20 on an open bag of charcoal, they've now lost a loyal customer who will never spend another dollar there.

If you are the woman who stepped up that day & are reading this, you should look into the principle of customer LTV. Neither myself, nor my friends who are all avid outdoor cooking enthusiasts & each own literally thousands of dollars worth of grilling/smoking equipment will be taking our business elsewhere.

After seeing other reviews that highlight similar incidents with this store, and specifically Marcus, I would venture a guess that the AGC company culture is accepting (and possibly enabling) of this type...

This is my first ever google review. I was so disappointed on how the man with the shaved head and ear rings handled my return.

I came in to return a meat thermometer because one of the cables was having issues. I just wanted to exchange it for a new one. I politely said I wasn’t happy with it and I wanted to swap it out. First thing he said was “Is it used?” No sorry to hear that or what can we do to make it right. I said yes and before I could say anything else he says In a condescending tone: “Well I can’t put back on my shelf because it’s used.” So no store credit or anything from something that failed after one cook. I used it Saturday and came back Sunday.

I’ve worked in retail for 5 and 1/2 years from a bottom level employee up to management. I know you can get credit from your vendors if something is broken. Also, it is just bad customer service to treat me like an idiot. This is why I struggle with small business they’re more than happy to provide good customer service when you’re buying something. However, when it comes to returns many of them drop the ball.

I was going to buy a kamado joe gen 3 and a halo flat top griddle, but I guess I’ll go somewhere else. Say what you want about big box stores, but they take back your returns. How can I trust this place if they won’t insure my big ticket items? I’ll go back for small stuff,...

Mixed experience here. First of all, I got a killer deal on a Big Joe II. I bought a demo unit for nearly 50% off. Even though it was used, it still comes with the lifetime warranty. That part was great. But the bad parts: the front staff isn’t really friendly. They acted as though they were doing me a favor selling me the grill. As many others have noted, there were 3 staff members standing around the front desk when I walked in at 3PM on a Friday afternoon, and none appeared thrilled to see me walk in.

The grill was filthy. They didn’t even bother cleaning it after their demo day. It was caked with grease and soot. Worse, it had mold growing on it.

Finally, I was told over the phone that the grill was kept in a warehouse since the demo day. Apparently “kept in a warehouse” means kept outside in the back. The grill was sun faded and some of the metal parts were starting to show some rust.

I wish I could have given them five stars. It’s a local family owned business, and I got a great deal on a Kamado grill. But they have a lot of unforced errors that keep them from being great. Of course, when most of your business comes from their website, and not in person, I guess your people skills aren’t...