The Backyard of Kalamazoo — Restaurant in Texas Charter Township

Showed up on a random Thursday afternoon about 2pm. 9/12/24. Giant outside area. Inside dining area good size. Seats maybe like 40 people. Ordered rodeo burger that was good. She ordered some chicken taco. She said it was the best taco she ever ate. 3 year old ordered pig in a blanket. It was not a good choice but there are other things on menu that would have been better for him. He was so distracted by the inside play room that he had no want to waste his time messing with food. Waitress very nice and welcoming. Adult beverages available. Inside play room available. Inside play room is 2-5 year old age based toys. Bunch of barbie, cars, trucks, dress up costumes, and other stuff. We were pretty much the only ones there. Everywhere inside was very clean. Then we ventured outside. Random outside yard games scattered on the property such as a giant connect 4, cornhole, life sized checker board, basketball hoops, a pool table, pretty much anything you would see bring played at a back yard bbq or campground. Then the children area..... I must say,,, they hit the nail on the head on this one. With zero bad intentions, it totally looked like they went to every yardsale and grabbed all the kid equipment they could find. Equipment being the little houses, activity center with the slide attached, fake bbq grill, a pink vanity to do your makeup, like everything. All lined up in 2 rows, side by side by side. Maybe 200 feet long. Outside green carpet creating a kind of neighborhood 50 feet wide. Then down the middle of this neighborhood, there are seesaws and other bulletproof outside kid equipment. Then, at the far end, there were an assortment of tricycles, push cars, scooters, Flintstone powered kid cars. Nothing that could go fast and run over other kids. Mr Lee, the 3 year old with us, was the only one out there. After we eventually ripped him out of the inside play area, he was kind of bummed since inside had everything we wanted to play with. We went to the kids area. There is a chalk wall to doodle on maybe 40 feet long. Random stuff attached to wall like xylophone, random noise maker, activity boards. Then he spotted all the stuff. He went door to door of those play houses and had to check each one out. If it had a button, he pushed it. Sitting pavilions are providing with outdoor couches, chairs, and tables for us grown folks. He eventually ran back and said he found two spaceships and invited me to go blast off with him. So quite content with sitting, I drug my carcass up to go to blast off. At the other end of the neighborhood, there was another sitting pavilion. That's when he checked out all the cars and scooters. While we sat in the pavilion, we were served fake imaginary banana bread fresh from the kids' grill that was placed in the neighborhood. I ate all mine. .... all in all,, perfect idea. Great concept. Don't know what it will be in the winter months. Waitress lady, while giving the initial lowdown, said that on occasions, that they have inflatable stuff out there. Conclusion, bring your kids from 0-6. Let them loose outside and let them go at it. Good food. 2 bucks for outside area wristband.... oh, I talked to the guy working out there. I asked about all the equipment they had. He said much of it purchased new. Some were from marketplace. I know each of those houses are like $200 each. There is a jeep one out there that I know...

Beware Kalamazoo. This place is incredibly sketchy and is run by two people who have zero business sense. Multiple incidents have happened there but I will just tell you about two so as to not make this post extremely long. An employee who worked there made the owners aware that their chef was going to the bar and making shots while on the clock and not paying. The chef who is the kitchen manager is a man. The employee who reported it, wanting to protect the business, was outed to the kitchen manager. Her name was given to the chef as the one who reported him, what type of business does that?!?! Do they not have any training for how to run a business? She’s a younger woman who was then put in a hostile work environment because this chef then came out to the yard, ripped his apron off and aggressively confronted her. All while another male manager stood by and watched. Doing NOTHING to help all while doing this in front of patrons. How unprofessional. Then last night a business colleague was there for a birthday party and service was so bad out back that she had to go inside to pick up their food and place a drink order. Where they took her credit card and held on to it. Which isn’t unheard of if you’re running a tab. But here comes the kicker. When she went to tab out, they couldn’t find her credit card. And while she’s waiting at the bar; while the employees are looking for it, she gets a text alert that her card has been used in Paw Paw for two transactions transactions totaling over $300. The female owner acted like it was no big deal and she wasn’t too interested in even helping the patron. In fact she told the customer that it was closing time so she couldn’t help her. To which the customer replied that the police were on their way and she wasn’t leaving. Again, who does this?!?! No concern for their customers and no concern for their staff. It’s mind-blowing. I’m sure this review won’t stay up long. But Kalamazoo needs to be aware of what’s happening. Do with the information what you will, but I know my friends and I will never be returning...

The Backyard of Kalamazoo is a spectacular and indispensable space that was much needed in SW Michigan. It embraces the community in a way that is nothing short of admirable, providing an unforgettable ambiance of warmth and familiarity. The bubbling atmosphere of the restaurant extends into the camaraderie of the yard, filled with endless games and laughter. This past September I had the favorable occasion of having my wedding and reception hosted here. From the very beginning the owners embraced my vision, and all the changes I made to it throughout (thanks again!!) The staff did a beautiful job setting up and taking care to ensure a smooth and joyful experience from start to finish. Our bartender, for our private bar, crafted pretty and delicious drinks all the while making engaging conversation with our crew. (A little shout out for crying along side the rest of us and being a truly special part of our big day!!) The food was easily as remarkable as the rest. Both the charcuterie board for our cocktail hour and the BBQ buffet were displayed beautifully, delicious, and priced to please! Although I had my doubts about quantities, we had leftovers enough for a week, (bonus points in my book). The chef and all the kitchen staff were fantastic and catered everything beautifully around our festivities. In a world where wedding planning can be overwhelming & expensive, The Backyard of Kalamazoo provides a charming and quaint alternative without sacrificing any of the magic. Thank you once again, to the owners, staff, and customers who congratulated & celebrated with us. I loved every second of my wedding day here. Everyone got to relax, be present, and fully enjoy themselves in a space, that without a doubt, is built for families of all shapes and sizes to have...