Reed’s Place: Steak and Chop Shop — Restaurant in Seymour

Visit on April 5, 2025 – arriving around 4:31 PM. At the time, there were several booths occupied—possibly a dozen or more—and about 10 tables sat empty.

We were seated promptly, which was appreciated. The atmosphere is open, but it does not convey the ambiance one would expect from a high end steakhouse.

A major issue that immediately stood out was that restroom access is through the kitchen. In my opinion, this is unsanitary and concerning. The path runs directly by areas where food is being prepped, and it creates a clear opportunity for contamination—intentional or not. That alone raises red flags about food safety practices.

We ordered two filet mignons, each priced at $29.99 and advertised as 10-ounce cuts. My steak, ordered medium well, was rubbery and severely overcooked—closer to well-done than what I requested. The second filet in our party, also ordered medium well, arrived medium instead. While it was slightly better, it still wasn’t prepared as requested.

All the steaks were served with some type of butter on top. This was not mentioned on the menu and didn’t enhance the flavor or presentation—if anything, it detracted from the dish.

We added macaroni and cheese as a premium side at an additional cost, but it was served cold. The baked potato, requested with sour cream and ranch, came with butter instead, and the ranch was entirely forgotten. There seemed to be a lack of clarity or attention from the server when entering our order.

One person in our party ordered a side salad with ranch, which had an off-putting taste—possibly homemade, but not in a good way. Additionally, the salad was made with spinach leaves instead of traditional lettuce, which may not appeal to everyone.

The one bright spot was the candied pork chops, priced at $28.99. They were flavorful and cooked well—perhaps the only item we all agreed was worth the price.

We finished the meal with dessert, but unfortunately, that also missed the mark. The chocolate cake tasted like a generic boxed mix, such as Duncan Hines, and was clearly not fresh—it was at least four days old. For that reason alone, a discount should’ve been offered. The coconut cream pie was even worse—strangely compelling in its flavor, but ultimately unpleasant. I didn’t even finish it.

Update 4/6/25 following owner’s response: We spoke with Karen, who confirmed the chocolate cake was not made fresh day of our visit. In fact, the cake was several days old. She stated they like to sell desserts before preparing new ones. She also confirmed chocolate cake sells quick!

Service was lacking in communication. Our waitress never brought a check and failed to mention that we were expected to walk up front to pay. A simple heads-up during the meal would’ve avoided the confusion. There also seemed to be a pattern of poor communication throughout the entire experience, from orders being entered incorrectly to the absence of important details like payment procedures.

According to their menu, the desserts and pies are “house-made,” but based on staff comments, they’re prepared on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and still served days later—meaning by the weekend, they’re far from fresh.

Final Thoughts

For the prices charged, the experience simply wasn’t worth it. Between the overcooked steaks, cold sides, questionable sanitation, and stale desserts, we left disappointed. This establishment may try to present itself as a quality dining spot, but it falls far short. Keep in mind, this is Seymour, Indiana—not a fine dining destination. If you’re looking for a high-value meal with great service, this place is not it. Save your money and...

Got right in on a Friday night around 6. Was approached by our server right away who took our drink order. The first thing I noticed on the menu was the absence of any appetizers, so started looking at the entrees. I ordered the tomahawk ribeye and the server told me at that point that you have to call ahead 45 minutes to order that steak (it is supposed to be between 2 and 3 lbs) because it takes so long to cook. She said that she would ask though if I could go ahead and order it and just wait (which I definitely was ok with). When she came back she said that would've been ok except they were out of that cut and they were out of the T-bones. At that point I considered leaving except I had my son with me and had told him that's where we were eating and that wasn't the steaks he was going to order. I decided to go with the 12oz ribeye and my son ordered the 10oz ribeye, both of us got bake potatoes and green beans, also got mushrooms and onions on the side. At that point she informs us that they do have a few appetizers they just aren't listed on the menu. I went ahead and ordered the pretzel bites with cheese. The pretzel bites were like Bavarian style and were good with the cheese, an order was like 7 pieces. She also suggested adding a shrimp skewer, which is also not.on the menu, which we both did. When our food came out the steaks had quite a lot of butter on top and my son's 10 oz was very thin for a ribeye. As I took the 1st bite of mine which had a bit of fat on it I noticed the fat was tough and not like a ribeye type fat. As I ate I also realized the only fat was on the edges and not marbled fat anywhere in the steak and the steak was dense more like a sirloin. The shrimp skewer had good flavor and was cooked just right. There is also 2 very thin slices of bread (pretty sure its thin sliced French bread) that has been buttered and cooked on the grill, also good. The green beans had good flavor and the baked potato was good but they should give you 2 sour creams as big as the potatoes are, lol. The onions and mushrooms wer good but wish they had a little of the steak flavor cooked into them. A guy (not sure if he was the owner or manager, he never said) came to our table and asked how everything was I told him that my steak was not a ribeye and was more like a sirloin. He said that's funny we sell thousands of them a week (obviously not the truth 🙄 ) and left our table. Pretty sure most of the flavor in our steaks was in the butter and not in the steak and there was basically no juices from mine even though I ordered it medium. I will be back (and call ahead) just to try the tomahawk ribeye but I was a lot disappointed in this experience as they were out of what I actually wanted and my substitute was not at all up to standard. They should put all the options on a menu and post that you need to call ahead for the tomahawk. Hopefully I won't be...

I’m all about second chances, so when my wife and I went to Reed’s a few weeks ago, and our Reed’s signature smoked pork chops were less than the quality that we have been accustomed to over the past few years, (no smoky flavor, very little seasoning, and overcooked and dry) we were needless to say disappointed. Those chops used to be the absolute BEST. Perfectly smoked, perfectly seasoned, and grilled just right. They were smoky, savory, juicy perfection…but not that time. I was willing to say “well maybe they just had a bad night. We’ll give them a second chance…”

So tonight was our “second chance”. Wife ordered a mixed drink, and I ordered a beer. Then we ordered some cheese sticks for appetizers, then our usual smoked pork chops and our sides. When my wife’s mixed drink arrived, she said it didn’t taste right - something was missing. Told her to say something, but she didn’t want to.

Then our dinners arrived…no appetizers, so I asked about that. Our waitress kind of laughed and said they didn’t put them down (into the fryer I assume), but that she’d get it taken care of. So we started our dinner. The pork chops were just like the previous time we were there. Something has dramatically changed in the way they are cooking their chops - and not for the better.

One thing that we enjoy about Reeds is the music they play in the restaurant. It’s a local 80’s rock station. About half way through dinner the cooking staff started playing some kind of head-banging music in the kitchen. Basically drowning out the music playing in the dining area.

We never did see our appetizers, our waitress never even mentioned them again. Fortunately they never made it onto our bill.

In conclusion, poor mixed drinks, poor signature dishes, poor wait service, and poor ambience. Safe to say we won’t be going back for a...