McAlister's Deli — Restaurant in Ruston

There were several DIRTY tables with dirty dishes and food left on them. I noticed about 4 people just standing in the back. When we talked to the manager on duty, he said they were “short staffed”, but there was a girl at the counter and at least 4 just standing around.

My husband and I both got grilled chicken salads. Mine with Ranch and his with Chipotle Ranch. The salads were subpar. They looked pretty, but the vegetables were not the freshest. The cucumbers were cut in big chunks and no knives were given or available to help me cut my salad up. We could tell the chicken was just something out of a bag.

We also got a plate of nachos. When they were brought out to us, the cheese was in one spot on top, and there were a bunch of broken chips. The cheese didn’t even cover the chips. My husband did complain because the plate of nachos was almost $9. The manager did send out more cheese dip for us. For that I was grateful. Of course, the cheese dip is your regular Velveeta and Rotel dip, but I like that, so I was fine with it.

There were no napkins on our table. My husband had to get up and get his own refill.

Again, there were employees just standing around.

After I asked the manager about getting someone to clean the tables, he did send someone to pick up the dishes from the tables right around me. They never came back to wipe the tables down or sanitize them.

One customer near me remarked, “This is the worst...

Not quite sure why the average score is not higher. Although I did notice only one person working the kitchen, considering the times at which I visited it seemed only one was needed. I'm sure ( or maybe I should say I assume) they have additional kitchen staff during peak hours.

My first visit was about 15 minutes before closing. Ran in and ordered salad with grilled chicken. Even so close to closing, the staff members were very nice. No sighs and sideways glances! Smiles. And my salad was perfect. It was a last minute decision, and I wasn't dressed the best, so after I ordered and paid I asked the cashier if I could go back to my car and use the pick up window. No problem! An employee even came to the window to ensure I actually asked for for a particular type of cheese. Needless to say, the order was accurate. Fresh greens. In fact a greens medley. Well-seasoned chicken. Cheese crumbles. Diced tomatoes and apple. Nutritious (yes, even after 9:00 pm.) Delicious!

The second trip was the next day right at opening. Yes, the salad was that good! Great service. Accurate order. Two days in a row! Was able to have an early lunch and get on with my day! Thanks Ruston McAlister's!

Oh, I have to admit. On that first trip I got a sugar cookie, also. And yes,...

Traveling through Louisiana, I stopped at this location. I ordered the sandwiches and soups. The potato soup looked like they had just poured water in it. It was so watery. I asked for a refund for the soup substitution which was a $4 upcharge. The manager, Janesha, (I guess that’s how you spell it) she didn’t have a badge on, I wanted to get the macaroni for one of the orders and chips for the other order. Macaroni is a $1.49 upcharge. She tried to charge me $4 for a side of macaroni when I bought my sandwich but had to return my side because it was not fit to eat. She stated macaroni is a premium charge. I was trying to explain to her that I’m replacing my side so I can pay the $1.49. She wouldn’t come from the back. She just talked loud behind the counter. I will never come to this location if this is how they treat their patrons. Also, the young gentleman at the counter was very pleasant. He should be the manager. He was trying to do service recovery and explain it to her, but since she holds the management title she didn’t want to...