Marky's Kitchen — Restaurant in Vestavia Hills

Jan 2025 Update: I gave this place another try last week, and I’m happy to say they’ve changed their stance on modifications to the burgers. When I asked the gentleman behind the counter if I could get a burger without pickles, he was super friendly and said, "Absolutely, we’ll make it however you want." I was pleasantly surprised, and the burger was absolutely delicious. I’m glad I went back and had such a great experience this time!

Original 2-star review from April 2024 I was so excited to try this place, especially given the family’s very reputable and longstanding history starting successful restaurants.

However, I was very disappointed by the inflexibility regarding menu modifications. For example, my request to have pickles on the side of the smash burger was met with a VERY firm no, which seems unusual for a fast/casual food restaurant. The staff was not entirely rude, but they were very firm in emphasizing that they will not allow any modifications whatsoever with the smash burger. I do see other reviews mentioning the same thing and the owner replied that they should have just gotten a child’s burger… so I guess that is their position on the matter.

While I understand the importance of consistency and the culinary vision a restaurant might strive for, the customer service aspect seemed very lacking, particularly in flexibility and responsiveness to customer preferences, which typically seem valued in the restaurant business.

Despite the potential for a great experience, the rigid approach and the focus on policy over customer satisfaction were disheartening. Unfortunately, this has influenced my decision to not return in the future. I imagine the food is probably good considering the family behind the restaurant, but the customer experience was unfortunately very negative. Maybe one day they might reconsider their policies to enhance the customer experience while still feeling like they are fulfilling their...

REVISITED- Markys graciously sent an apology and a gift card, so we returned. THIS visit all was as it should be. It's a pretty typical fast-casual place. The burgers seem to be the best choice on the menu. Never seems to be anyone obviously 'in charge' on premises. Dunno. ORIGINAL POST- We've been here a few times before, always fine. This past Sunday 9-22 was a major disappointment. I ordered a quesadilla with added chicken and it was inedible. My wife tried a bite and concurred. Something in it was spoiled. It had a very nasty taste. I've had this at Markys and Zoes Crestline many times, it was an aberration. Well, things happen. The real disappointment was the reaction from staff. I carried it to the counter and engaged a cashier. My MAIN point was that the spoiled ingredient needed to be identified and pulled from service. I was very clear that Something was rancid. I expected to get a visit at our table from someone....nobody came so I tried to find out who was in charge. This was met with millennial babbling. I hope nobody become ill. My wife had the same chicken on her salad and declared it was Sysco quality. I tried some (I was hungry) and it was indeed a stringy overcooked mess. Huh. As I said, we've hade good experiences before. Hopefully this...

We were really excited to try this place but were very disappointed in our experience. We arrived around 6:30 and placed a to go order. The atmosphere was nice and it wasn’t very busy. We waited until about 6:50 and finally asked about the order. It had been sitting there ready for…im not sure how long. Of course at this point, our food was warm at best but figured it’s not too big a deal. The food is rather flavorless and just not that great. We spent $35 and could have bought something better for less. The hummus was chunky and only comes with 4 slices of soft pita (flavorless pita) if you want anymore they charge $1. The chicken roll ups were soggy and didn’t have much flavor and the fries were the best part. Lastly, the Markys Special, which is supposed to be their signature item, was basically a ball park burger. We wanted to love this place since it’s so close to us but we...