Tuffy's - Orange

This was my boyfriend’s and my second date, and we still laugh about how awful it was, even five months later. Our waitress claimed the rolls were world famous, but honestly, they were the worst rolls we've ever had. They reminded me of cornbread, and my boyfriend joked that they could be used to build houses. He ordered catfish, which was reportedly the only somewhat edible dish there, along with some sides, while I opted for a burger and onion rings. I didn’t think it was possible to ruin so many different foods in one meal, but Tuffy’s managed to do just that. The atmosphere was also quite noisy, reminiscent of a school cafeteria. My boyfriend even admitted later that he was worried there wouldn’t be a third date because of how bad the experience was (which obviously wasn’t his fault). I generally dislike Mexican food, but I’d choose Taco Bell over returning to this place any day.

It was immediately obvious that our two servers were overwhelmed. I'm unsure about the young lady who was serving us, but the young man definitely seemed inexperienced. Initially, we all received our drinks without a hitch—great! We waited for the guest of honor to arrive before placing our orders. The appetizers came out, which was a nice variety, but the only ones I tried were the fried pickles. While they looked appetizing, they were thin and overly salty, tasting mostly like batter. We ended up with several extra side salads, which I suspect the kitchen prepared twice by mistake. After about 20 minutes, some of our food finally arrived—great! However, many of us were still waiting for our meals. It took an additional 15 minutes for some of the plates to reach our table. At this point, we had already been there for an hour! Throughout this entire time, we didn’t receive any refills on our drinks. When everyone eventually got their meals, only some of it was eaten. I ordered the Chicken Monterrey, which had a strange flavor. My husband had a burger and fries, but by the time it arrived, it was lukewarm. Sending it back felt pointless since it would take another half hour to receive it again. Others ordered the country fried steak, which had mostly batter with very little meat. Still, we waited in vain for drink refills. I asked for one when my meal arrived, but it didn't come until we were waiting for the checks. Speaking of the checks, where do I start? As we were boxing up our leftovers, the servers came around again and asked us to repeat all of our orders. Apparently, there was a glitch in their system! All of our meals were on one large ticket, and for some reason, they couldn’t split it. We ended up waiting nearly an hour for them to resolve this issue—30 of us just waiting around! Eventually, we were told we’d need to repeat our orders for a third time to settle the bill. There was no apology, just a "thank you for your patience," no offer of cake, no discount, and gratuity was included without question. I understand that servers often rely on tips, but given the numerous issues we faced that night, we should have had a say in our gratuity. I also heard that the lady handling our checkout was rude to several guests. At that point, I was so fed up that I just signed the check and left without further complaint. Having worked in the food industry myself, and with my handler's license still valid, I can confidently say that these servers need significantly more training. The kitchen staff should use less salt, and the overall customer service must be improved drastically. I'm extremely disappointed with the service we received tonight. To have spent 2.5 hours from start to finish is simply unacceptable. We weren't just enjoying ourselves—we were kept waiting by the staff.

The restaurant offers fantastic home-cooked meals and delectable cakes. With live music, it has become our local favorite.

Great food and excellent service! The entertainment was a wonderful bonus! Well done, Tuffy's!

The restaurant offers delicious food and has a welcoming and friendly staff.