Skrimp Shack — Restaurant in Virginia

I experienced one of the worst customer service ever at this place. I ordered a Nashville catfish sandwich while talking on the phone with my husband and was charged $9.45 plus $.75 for the Nashville sauce. I went ahead and paid for it but my husband informed me that I shouldn’t have been charged the $.75 because two days prior to that day, he had ordered the same sandwich and he wasn’t charged for the $.75. I then asked the cashier why was there this discrepancy when my husband had previously came in and purchased the same sandwich without being charged $.75. She’s said the $.75 was extra for the Nashville sauce, but there was a sign advertise there that said Nashville sandwich (you choose the meat/fish). I asked her how much was that sandwich and she told me it was $9.45. I told her that was the sandwich I wanted the one where I was not charged the extra $.75. I politely asked her if I could speak to the manager so that she could fix the error. She then proceeds behind the counter where I can clearly hear the manager yelling,” I already made the sandwich! I can’t remake it!” The manager, then comes around the corner and I explained to her that I simply wanted the sandwich that was advertise on their counter, which was $9.45, which was what I ordered. She then begins to yell and say that they doesn’t put the sauce on the sandwich and that I have to put the sauce on the sandwich. I told her the sauce on or off the sandwich wasn’t the problem, but the problem was me being charged an extra $.75 when I should’ve only been charged $9.45. She kept telling me that she doesn’t put the sauce on the sandwich. obviously there’s a comprehension problem with the manager. I then asked her if there was another manager that I could speak with, and she told me that she was the manager in an extremely rude and condescending way. Now as a business woman and owner of a few businesses, I know that is not the way to conduct business. My husband was on the phone the entire time and he said he wanted to speak to her, and I had him on speakerphone. She then yells and says that she’s not gonna talk to him and for him to call the store. I let her know that we were both trying to call the store and put in the order before, but no one answers the phone. To diffuse the situation, I simply asked for a refund. She went to the cash register and printed a receipt and put it on the counter and then walks away while I’m standing there not sure what was going on with our situation because she never said anything she just put the receipt down on the counter and walked away. After about a minute or two I asked her am I done? Did you refund me my money?She then points to the receipt on the counter not saying a word. I will never return to this business again due to the lack of customer service, respect and comprehension skills. Absolutely terrible, classless and...

I'm not sure if this place has changed owners over the years.

Although the look and feel of the place feels the same, there's a subtle difference. I'm not mad at the different feeling. Its not good. Its not bad. Just different.

I remember years ago, this place was so popular the line was out the door. That was shortly after it opened. Its fallen from grace. I'm not sure what happened. Things have definitely changed.

When I arrived on a Friday night, there were 3 people in line, to include a small family - a mom with her kids. The line grew after me. Service was slow. By the time I reached the cashier to place my order, half of the people behind me had left.

Tip #1: Bring your patience.

BLUF: I do not recommend this Skrimp Shack.

Pros: Location - right off of Richmond Davis Highway and less than a mile from I-95

Parking - ample, free parking right in front of the restaurant

That's where the pros end.

Cons:

Now, to what makes me not recommend the place.

Wait time - the folks in the back worked hard to help the cashier, but she still came up short. She is challenged when it comes to multi-tasking. I'm not sure if she's doing the job of two people or what, but it did elongate my wait. With three people ahead of me, I was there an hour and the lion share of my time was spent waiting to have my order taken. The poster on the wall commits to "a made-to-order seafood meal ready in minutes." That's wholly inaccurate unless minutes includes 60 or more.

Sanitation - The soda machine and that whole countertop was disgusting. Don't take my word for it, check the photos. The drain was full or clogged and soda was literally spilling on the floor. It made for a safety hazard that the employees ignored.

Service - Most of the condiment baskets were empty. Check the photos. I also heard one customer say that the ice tea didn't have sugar.

Food - Most of my order was okay. I got the BigCat (catfish) dinner with hush puppies, Cole slaw, added shrimp and a size of pudding. The shrimp had a metallic taste that still has me feeling uneasy. The catfish was okay. The hush puppies were delicious and cooked well. The Cole slaw tasted like it was pre-made, but I liked it. The pudding is all custard with maybe 4 cookies. I threw most of it away.

Price - My order came to $26 and some change. I ended up throwing the soda out, because it just didn't taste right. I imagine that if the sugar was missing from the ice tea, there was something missing from the soda machine.

When I say this place borders on the line of ridiculous, its really sad. When I walked out, I noticed there was no one in line. I drove by today to get storefront photos and noticed the parking lot empty again and no one in line inside. I hope the owners take notice and take the necessary steps to bring this restaurant back to its original heyday before they end up going out...

I had the absolute worst service of all time at this place. I walked into the establishment, and made an order for take out. While waiting on my order, five or six other people came in after me and ordered takeout. After watching three of them get their orders and leave, I got concerned. I stood up and went to the counter to investigate. The lady (Spanish speaking I believe) at the counter who had previously taken my order, didn’t acknowledge me at first so I spoke up, she took my receipt and went to the back, she brought out two more orders for people who had come in long after I did. One of them said to her and to the others waiting, that I had been there much longer than they had. By that time, the black female came out from the kitchen and claimed she had called my name and gave it to the runner, I objected by saying my name was not called, if it had been called, I would have heard it. She then started making excuses by saying door dashers took precedent. Another male patron, also objected by saying my name was not called and suggested they gave my order to someone else. By then I said to the female from the kitchen, who was making excuses for why my order was not filled, “I don’t care”, either get my order or give my money back. I had been waiting for at least forty five minutes, yes 45+ minutes, and that’s me being very generous. It would have been better if they had just apologized for the mix up and offered to compensate me for the inconvenience. The black female from the kitchen said to me, she was personally working on my order. I wasn’t sure I even wanted it by then. I normally would have demanded a refund over this type of situation, and refused the food altogether, but this time I waited. I don’t really know why I waited. I just did. I could also see the lady from the register talking on the phone. She was not concerned at all about the error she had made, she didn’t even come out to assist the new patron waiting at the counter to place an order. About ten minutes or so later the lady from the kitchen handed my order to me. Still no apology! By then I was very visibly upset. But I kept my composure. She was not rude, but she also took no accountability for what had happened. Before leaving, I told her that what they did to me was not right. Absolutely not right.

I know how good customer service looks and how it feels. This was not good customer service. Good customer service, would have acknowledged the mistake and apologized at the very least. Great customer service, would have offered to pay for my meal or provided a voucher for the next meal on the house. They did neither! I am so disappointed over the service at this place. This used to be my favorite place for a quick seafood meal. But now, I don’t think I will be back. It is unfathomable that this was the best they could do. Signed, Very upset...