Ole Red — Restaurant in Tishomingo

Food and waitress was great. Love the atmosphere and live music. Your problem here is your management and how they handle customer service. No soap in the ladies room, and a broken dispenser in the sink. It wasn’t busy and we were there over 1.5 hours. Our party made 3 separate trips to the ladies room. Once on arrival, during the meal and after. Never any soap. I let the young ladies at the cashier/hostess stand know that their was no soap. I was told they know it and don’t have any soap. They are hoping to get some Monday. This was Sunday. I stated that in a public bathroom, in a restaurant, in the middle of a pandemic they should have soap and that they could probably pick some up at the dollar general down the road, instead of sending people back to eat their meals with dirty hands. A smart mouth little teenage employee named Phoenix told me next time I can just try rinsing my hands with water. SERIOUSLY??? Like I didn’t scrub my hands with water continuously since there was no soap?? The proper thing to do is apologize and simply say, We are so sorry, we will take care of it right away. I asked for a manager, 2 came. One was apologetic but the other was very aggressive and defensive. She made excuses why there was no soap and that “we already filled it once when y’all complained”, and that they caught some little boys emptying the soap earlier and refilled it again . Ok, so this is a large bottle. I was there at around 2:45 when this happened. They weren’t very busy. They open at 11:00. So you’re telling me, in 4 hours on a slow day, they started out with soap, then it was emptied, received complaints from “ya’ll”was refilled, little boys caught emptying it, was refilled again, and empty by the time I needed it at 2:45. FOUR HOURS. And this is all AFTER the other young girls at the counter told me they have been out of soap and hopefully getting some Monday. I didn’t even want an apology about the soap, I was just giving them a heads up, hey you need soap in there. It was the smart mouth teen that I didn’t appreciate and the entire reason I asked for a manager. Again, all the manager had to do is apologize and say she would take care of the situation. Terrible representation...

We went a couple of weeks ago to see a Shania Twain tribute band which was a reserved seating event hosted in the Dog House. Dinner was included in the cost of the tickets and we were told it would be barbecue. We were served pulled pork, which was not bad, except for the fact that my husband is allergic to pork. It didn't seem like there were assigned servers to each table, just several servers walking around. I asked a waiter if there were any beef options but he said he wasn't sure and would go find out. He came back and just simply said "no, sorry there are no beef options." I then asked a waitress if we could order food from the Ole Red main restaurant next door because my husband is allergic. She said, "you can, but you have to eat over there." I asked what the people who were unable to eat the food provided were supposed to do. She pomuted to a man said, "that guy's my manager go talk to him and he can help you." He happily obliged and offered my husband a chicken fried steak. When the chicken fried steak came to the table it was sat atop a scoop of mashed potatoes with no gravy. The chicken fried steak was clearly out of a box and frozen...not homemade. Beyond this,it was not a bad experience. The atmosphere is fun and we had a good night out. The beers were slightly overpriced, but that was due to me getting a souvenir cup that I was not aware cost $13. We will not be making any special trips back...

I’ve been to Ole Red’s in Tishomingo several times over the years, and unfortunately, this was by far the worst visit yet. It feels like the place is coasting on the name at this point. The quality just isn’t there anymore.

Food: The chicken was rubbery and unappetizing. Onion rings were bland and greasy. The salad was borderline inedible. Even the soft drinks were flat and watered down—something you don’t expect when you’re paying restaurant prices. Nothing on the table made us want to come back.

Service: The wait staff seemed more glued to their phones than actually taking care of customers. It didn’t feel like anyone cared whether we were taken care of or not.

Entertainment: There was live music, and I’ll give credit to the performer—he was talented and covered a lot of classic country songs. That said, the setlist felt more geared toward a retirement home than a family crowd. My kids were completely disengaged because they didn’t recognize any of the music. It wouldn’t have hurt to throw in some modern country for balance.

Final Thoughts: Ole Red’s used to deliver a solid experience, but it feels like the heart’s not in it anymore. With the current kitchen quality and disengaged staff, I can’t recommend it—especially not for families. Hopefully, they can turn it around, but right now, it’s just not...