Wintzell's Oyster House — Restaurant in Saraland

Unbelievably bad experience on a Tuesday night. Food was very mediocre, but my complaint is about service and cleanliness. Sat at the bar and waited.... 18 minutes for someone to ask me what I wanted to drink after I had to go find a menu myself. Had to grab my own silverware and straws from the hostess stand, where the two hostesses were playing on their cell phones and hanging out with their friends and random other employees who constantly approached the front of the house to share cell phone photos with each other.

Meanwhile, I have a pile of trash left from the previous patrons at the bar that- after 25 minutes- I moved aside myself so I could have room to place my drinks. I ate my meal next to someone else's trash the entire time. Silverware was also disgusting, so I ate the sides with my fingers, finally receiving napkins 3/4 of the way through my meal.

Trying to pay my bill and leave was painful. My server grabbed her cellphone and disappeared for a long time... long enough for me to finally lose patience and asked one of the hostesses amongst the 4 employees gathered chatting in the front if she could find someone- anyone- to process my card. She walked to the back of the restaurant, bathroom, everywhere. Couldn't find anyone, much less my server. Finally, she came back from her 10 to15-minute cell phone break to take my money.

I haven't left a mere 15% tip in years. I always tip 30%-40% to take care of wait staff, but she got 15% tonight. I tip based on principle, but it certainly wasn't warranted tonight.

There's no way a manager was present tonight based on the foolishness occurring and complete filth lying around everywhere with plenty of employees doing absolutely nothing but standing around on their phones.

Unfortunately, this isn't the...

Today my Wife, my son and I visited your facility in Saraland AL. We visited the facility because the sign outside the restaurant illustrated "Oyster House". The restaurant was clean and the service was very good. My son ordered Blackened chicken Alfred, my Wife ordered a dozen of "chargrilled oysters" and I ordered the Oyster Sampler which also contained "chargrilled oysters". When my Wife and I received our order we both observed the size of the oysters to be extremely small. The small oysters on the shell were not attached to the shell it was placed upon. We also noticed the "chargrilled oysters" did not contain any chargrill marks or any sign the "chargrilled oysters" to ever have been on a grill but instead, seem to have been baked in an oven. Both dozen of oysters ordered seem to have been over cooked/baked as well. My Family and I went to your Facility because it is labeled and advertised as an Oyster House. After visiting your facility, we don't feel the oysters were of adequate size, were not chargrilled and in fact, my wife found a piece of brillo pad of some sort as though the shells are being reused to place oysters from a bucket onto the shells to be served. I am by no means being derogatory nor belittling your facility. However I am saying we as avid oyster consumers from Louisiana were not satisfied with your facility as serving oysters as an Oyster House. We as consumers feel the size of oyster during the summer months may be small, we as consumers feel the facility should show good fate by adding several oysters to compensate the loss. Feel free to respond to our observations and opinions to your facility and "chargrilled oysters" from an Oyster House. Thank you in advance for your...

If I could give 0 stars I would. Lindsey, you were awful. I should have given you a $0 tip. Woman from downtown location you were also awful. We waited to be seated for 30 minutes. That's understandable as everyone had the same idea for mother day. Come in the day before. The two teenage hostesses were scrambling around like idiots. The place stank like a dumpster. We were finally seated and immediately ordered. We waited and waited and waited. Saw people seated way after us getting there food. My mother is a diabetic and yelled at lady from downtown location. She said Ohhhh I'll go check on that for you! It immediately came out! Therefore it was there sitting! And Lindsey ( who was late to work) slammed it down with attitude! And it was lukewarm therefore it had been sitting. And i didn't have my sauce for the salmon, that's the only reason I ordered that dish!!@@ asked for the sauce. She slammed that down with attitude as well! Had the nerve to ask if we wanted desert! Hell no. We don't want to sit here another 2 hours while people way after us are served!😡🤡 and while we sat there..they were just pumping out those to go orders pumping them out pumping them out pumping them out. Last year was good but we will NEVER be back. Also the lady from downtown location chased a man with his elderly mother our in the parking lot as they were leaving. Immediately sat them. They were Immediately served. And came in way after us. My mother is also elderly was getting sick from hunger being diabetic! What's your explanation wintzell's???? I want a refund to take her somewhere better! And I am a great tipper at 25% LINDSAY was lucky she...