Mellow Mushroom Lexington — Restaurant in South Carolina

I want to extend an opportunity for you to reassess the situation, as I believe in second chances and constructive dialogue. I will withdraw my previous review, but I feel it’s important to bring some critical observations to your attention. Upon reviewing feedback from other patrons, it’s evident that your restaurant is facing multiple concerns, particularly regarding the condition of your bathrooms and the behavior of your staff. These are not isolated incidents, and if left unaddressed, they may have significant long-term consequences for your business. With the increasing competition in the area, including new restaurants such as Outback and others, complacency could prove detrimental. I urge you to recall the challenges you faced while building this franchise and reflect on whether your current staff was part of that journey. This is essential because the team you have now might not be aligned with the values you once had when striving for success. Moreover, there is a pattern in the reviews indicating that your staff is not only unresponsive but dismissive to customers. Whether due to a lack of training or simply an unfit team, this behavior is a major liability. In today’s competitive market, excellent customer service is non-negotiable, and your competitors—like Outback and other establishments—are already capitalizing on this by offering better overall experiences. Your cameras should be a tool for continuous oversight, not just for incident review. If you were truly monitoring the day-to-day interactions between staff and customers, it would be clear that service is a consistent issue. Staff acting like they are in charge, ignoring patrons, and failing to maintain the necessary level of courtesy is detrimental to your business. You need to be proactive, not reactive. Your customers are vocal about the lack of attention and courtesy from your staff. If you are, as you claim, observing your cameras, these issues should already be apparent to you. If not, I advise you to be more proactive in monitoring not just during isolated incidents, but consistently. Moreover, your response should not merely be reactive to complaints but proactive in identifying and resolving issues before they escalate. You should consider retraining your staff or even overhauling the team if necessary, as their behavior is directly affecting the customer experience. Remember, as a business owner, your livelihood depends on your patrons. Unlike your staff, who can move on to other opportunities, your success is tied to the performance of this restaurant. The presence of larger franchises like McDonald’s and Outback nearby signals a shift in the local demographic, with more competition and higher customer expectations. You should be wary that while food quality is important, it is the overall dining experience that retains loyal customers. As marketing fundamentals suggest, people often return for the experience, not just the product. And while you may serve excellent food, if the customer experience is subpar, the quality of your offerings becomes irrelevant. Furthermore, I recommend a couple of strategies for you to gain deeper insight into the issues. First, mystery diners or trusted friends could visit your establishment unannounced and provide you with candid feedback about their experience. This method allows you to identify ongoing issues without your staff knowing they are being observed. Additionally, sit in at other successful restaurants—especially within your franchise—and take notes on what they are doing right. These actionable insights can then be applied to your own business. In closing, Mr. Bradley, the competition in Lexington is intensifying. Time is of the essence, and you must take immediate action to prevent further erosion of your customer base. The success of your business hinges on how swiftly and effectively you address these issues. I genuinely wish you success moving forward. Your business has great potential, and with the right adjustments, it can thrive in an increasingly...

I can't really say that I've every really had a bad experience at the Lexington Mellow. In fact, my visits have been both satisfying and pleasant every time that I can think of. Service has always been attentive and friendly, whether I'm there on my own or with the family or coworkers. Things can get backed-up in the queue when it gets really busy, but that's to be expected at peak times and I've never felt like I've been forgotten.

The food is quite good in general, with some of the specialty pies being particularly so (Holy Shiitake and Thai Dye, I'm looking at you). Other menu items are good as well (take-out calzones are a family favorite). Pizza by-the-slice and lunch specials are a nice draw for the lunch crowd, and the Lexington location has some nice daily specials to boot.

I'd be remiss not to mention the Mellow draft beer selection, which is large (around 30 beers on tap) and rotating. There's always a good mix of brews coming in, covering most of the major beer styles, with a bit of a lean toward IPA's, stouts and porters (which works for me). Throw in $2.50 pints on Tuesday (except for the high gravity brews), along with a nice selection of bottled and canned beers, and you'll more than likely find something to like if you're a beer drinker. Wine and mixed drinks are also available.

One thing is for sure, I'll keep coming back, whether it's taking my oldest for her daddy-daughter date (she loves the Mellow too), hitting it up for the weekly Tuesday lunch or stopping for takeout and having a cold one while I wait, the Lexington Mellow is the best beer and pizza spot in town.

UPDATE: Just want to point out that during a time when everyone seems to be raising their prices 30%+, Mellow has kept their prices pretty steady. There are some markups, but it's been about a 10-15% on most items and the quality seems to be as good as ever. They still have $2.50 pints on Tuesday as well...a miracle in and of itself. Note to corporate...don't make them remove all of the stickers. It gives the...

took my wife, an 5yr old granddaughter to your restaurant to celebrate her graduation. we asked for a table, as my wife is handicapped. there was a clean table in view, she let 2 other people go ahead of us. at that point (ok). My wife ordered one large meat lovers , and one small cheese, and peparoni half ,and half. i ordered the meatball trio, some Italian sausage, onions, and peppers on the side, i clearly did not ask for a 3rd pizza. she brought 3 LARGE PIZZAS, to our table. our original teas, warm, and low on ice. She later walked by our table 6 times never offering a refill, while i was munching ice from my glass, with her looking right at me (NOT OK). WHILE THE WAITRESS, AND HOSTESS were crouched down on the floor @ the hostess counter, eating food, they both watched me get up, walk to the fountain area , get our own teas, while they ate, and laughed. Now don't get me wrong, if they are hungry, i don't mind seeing them eat, but in the interest of patrons, good customer service, you never let the customer refill their own drink. LATER WHILE LEAVING MY WIFE OVERHEARD THEM ridiculing us for not leaving a good tip. what she did not know was that my wife, and I always tip as if we are dinner for another adult. ( unfortunate for her ,that would have been $25.00). instead of $2.00. I told the manager before leaving, and pointed out the 2 employees but unfortunately as we were leaving, it looked like he was stepping out back for a smoke. Like i stated the food is great, but it takes more than that to keep clients coming back. subpar workers can close the door for good, as they can always go help close another eatery after they cause you (the owners) to lose an otherwise great eatery due to poor customer service. In short we are not criticizing all of your help that night , everyone looked very busy, and working hard, while 2 workers were out front KILLING THEIR GOOD EFFORTS. VISIT WAS FRIDAY NIGHT 5-23-25 @...