Hungry Jack's — Restaurant in Crosby

Hungry Jack is a "hole in the wall" type of place. Situated in a store front open air plaza, the large simple sign of "Hungry Jack" cannot be missed. The interior is quite utilitarian (just like their sign). But, one can envision locals/regulars being greeted on a first name basis, such is the warm atmosphere. The menu boasts dishes from breakfast, lunch and dinner options (breakfast all day). The portions are very generous and the prices are pocket friendly. I have enjoyed different dishes and always am pleased. I also always take home a to go box with enough left over for another meal (which is delightful!). This last weekend, my sister and I decided to stop in and have breakfast...but we changed our minds and opted for lunch, instead. I am quite happy we did. We both got the Country Fried Steak (CFS) which is a generous portion of real meat. And, it is not pounded down to create a larger surface, rather it is a cut and batter like I would prepare at home. I chose a dinner salad and mashed potatoes for my sides. The salad was huge and delicious with fresh greens and grape tomatoes with a smattering of purple onions to enhance the flavors. The croutons (yes, croutons are important!) were large, crispy and seasoned perfectly. I chose ranch dressing...basic and classic goodness...on the side. The mashed potatoes were yukon golds. The skins were on, which is delightful, because yukon gold's have a very thin and delicate skin, so incorporating them into the mash is brilliant. The butter to salt ratio was perfect in this fluffy, not sticky or gummy, dish (which is a hard thing to find in many restaurants). My sister chose sweet potato fries and onion rings with her CFS. I tried them. They were very good! I don't know if they are in-house made, but even if they are not, they are scrumptious! Brown gravy (enough to float a boat!) was served on the side, as requested. It was smooth and flavorful...one could easily sip it from a spoon without regard for the foods it is designed to accompany. And, their coffee is very good. Not a fancy smanchy brew prepared on an expensive machine by a trained barista who grinds and weighs freshly roasted beans but an off the shelf brand that is prepared in a coffee pot machine, in bulk, by hands that know how to make coffee...period! So, if you are over that way, make it a point to stop in and grab some grub at Hungry Jack...but be sure and take...

We visited on a Tuesday around 2pm. The restaurant was not very busy, which was good for us because we had a large party of 12. The host was attentive and friendly. Since we had a large group, she said our table would take some time. It took about 10mins, which gave enough time for the majority of our party to arrive. Although the restaurant was not very busy, our server didnt come around much. He looked young (high school/college-aged) so I think he just needs guidance/feedback. He came out and asked for our drink order. He forgot one of the drinks and I assumed this was a "no straw" restaurant because we didnt get offered any. Regardless, I didnt really need a straw because I was drinking out of the glass cup, but one of the cup's lip was chipped, which made it dangerously sharp (slicing sharp). My sister, who had visited several times knew they had straws. So, once our server came back around, she asked for straws and the missing drink. Throughout our visit, it took us a while to get what we needed, including drink refills. The food was delicious and didnt take long to come out (maybe 10-15mins). It did come out in batches, which is understandable because we were such a large group. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered so a "good job" to the chef. Overall, very good food for a reasonable price.

My recommendations for the restaurant and the reason for my 3-star rating are these:

1. Inspect your glass cups for chips before handing them to the customers. Unfortunately, there are petty people in this world that would've used this as an opportunity to sue your restaurant. I would hate to see you shut-down because of something like this.
2. Either, give guidance to servers or provide a small survey for customers who would like to give feedback. Although not all servers want to improve, some do so that they can increase their tips.
3. Probably the most IMPORTANT recommendation: invest in a small vacuum/sweeper to remove the need for a broom and unexperienced sweeping employees. Sweeping kicks up more dust than it removes, especially when your employee does not know how to minimize this. All this dust is being kicked up to our food because the dining space is not very big, but especially when the sweeping is happening at the table next to the eating customers. I do hope these recommendations help your restaurant stay open for many more...

On Sunday 3-9-2025 about 4:30pm. We arrived an for once no long lines out the door. We were told to just wait, it would only be a few seconds for us to be seated. 15 to 20 minutes later we were seated, only to feel as though we were forgotten about, it was another 10 to 15 minutes before the waiter came to take our order, clearly he was new, he struggled to use the machine used to oder and pay with. I order sweet tea with extra ice, lunch chicken fried steak with cream gravy, mashed potatoes with brown gravy. and salad with ranch. Salad came out, no extra ice in tea, some time later food comes out, my order is wrong brown gravy all over everything. So I tell the girl who brought order out, she seemed upset when I told her my order wasn't right, attitude said I'll fix it, left much later my food comes back, fixed the way I order it, only now the steak it good an hot, the potatoes and gravy are cold, I just left it alone.

I've never received service like this in this restaurant, even when it's extremely busy. I usually see the owner this time I didn't see him at all. I feel like when he's present everyone is on their best behavior.

The hostess need to be careful about what they are talking about when customers are around, some conversations should only happen in private setting.

This is a great place to eat and visit, I just think some times it's a hit or miss.

Also needs to expand...