The CODfather, Proper Fish & Chips II — Restaurant in South Carolina

Perhaps I chose the wrong day for my first visit. Good Friday at 5:00. CODfather is relatively small and was jam-packed with customers. You order at a take-out window and either leave, or try to find a place to sit and eat. My partner and I wanted to dine in and have the pub experience, so we got the 2 available spots at the bar. The dining room is small, the bar area is small and there were a few tables on the sidewalk outside. Since we ordered at the take out window, we had to order beer at the bar. The solitary bartender was serving bar customers plus all the other diners who wanted beverages PLUS was serving take out customers and answering the phone for additional take out orders. The wait for a beverage was lengthy.

Our food arrived several minutes later wrapped in several large sheets of packing paper (like the movers use). This was OK, but once you unwrapped the food, there was no place to put the paper, so it sat on the small, crowded bar top. The food came in paper containers which is quaint and included plastic forks and knives which were mostly unusable. I literally could not get the fork to penetrate a french fry, so I ate the fries with my fingers. A lady sitting next to me was eating the fish with her fingers.

My partner wanted fish and chips, which she said were excellent. Cooked perfectly and a nice blend of spices in the batter. I ordered the meat pie which was simply "OK" and quite bland and not going to bring me back. The choice of beverages was quite extensive for such a small establishment. Overall, the fish and chips are what they do very well, and I believe take-out is the better choice. If you are seeking a "pub-type" or dine-in experience, this...

I went here this evening to try it out with my father. First off, I’d like to say the fish and fries were perfectly done - so the food was great! Anyway, so we walk in to what appears to be chaos, people standing in front of the door, we asked if they were waiting to get a seat and they said pickup order…so we walked into the “dining room” (sorry, not sure what to call it - it was the room where the bar was not at) assuming there might be somebody there to seat us or give us a menu…nope. So we sat down on a whim wondering if somebody was going to show up or what. About 5 minutes later my dad decided to ask an employee who was bringing out an order to somebody else and she told him sit wherever and order at the bar. Clearly, it works and we must be out of the loop…but I would think there would be a sign or something at the door. From there on after, it was great. The bartender was awesome, super helpful (don’t know her name, but she was working Friday night 13 MAY). Now that we know how it works it’ll be way less aggravating. Regarding the chips, great texture and flavor. Fish; could not have been done any better. Hot, flaky, large and light; with just the right amount of grease. I also loved that it was not salty and had a great taste without any additions Tartar sauce took a minute but then it grew on me. Great...

This review is solely regarding the recommended tip line:

First, this establishment is counter service aka you order at a counter, find a table on your own, fill your drinks on your own, throw away your trash, refill your drinks on your own, I think you get the picture this is NOT a full service establishment with a waiter and waitress. I have no issue tipping but I do have issue tipping 18% at an establishment like that, tipping 20% is my standard percentage at full service places so at this place you tip 2% less and have to do all that extra work. I believe their was even a 35% option but 18% was the lowest option on the standard options. Absolutely insane.

Then if you want to leave a custom tip you can’t leave a percentage you have to leave a dollar amount but no cents yep you cant leave $4.50 just 4 or 5 bucks. Horrible interface. It’s quite honestly dishonest business. At this point they should just be a full service restaurant if they are gonna awkwardly guilt you into tipping 18% or fiddle with their computer system.

Next time I want to tip 18% or higher I will go to a full service establishment that fills my drinks and takes my trash rather than what is basically a fish and chip McDonald’s which also...