Nikiba J.
Yelp
Hmmm, this is a hard review rating y'all.
Ok, so I'm staged downtown waiting on Chef's as I'm their transportation for the week, I wanted something light to eat. I knew Pappadeaux wasn't too far and a bowl of gumbo, bread and butter sounded good to me and my taste buds dittoed that motion. Houstonians and "bus drivers" like myself know for sure Pappadeaux from Houston, Tx to Beaumont, Tx have a lunch menu AND famous for offering french bread and butter. As a side note, I'll eat on the bread and butter to save on spending money on an appetizer (you too don't play) AND again it's lunchtime people like to eat on a budget.
Ok, so I'm seated and handed a menu. I'm looking at the menu and I see an increase in prices, I look quickly on the table for a short menu and still didn't see the lunch menu. I ask the greeter for the lunch menu and she tells me I have "the menu". Looking dignified and cute I smile and "get" what she's saying.
My waitress comes over and introduces herself, Mercedes takes my drink order as I tell her I'll take my bread for now. Mercedes tells me as sincere as she could THEY DON'T offer the complimentary french bread and butter at this location anymore. I smile as not to come off like I can't afford to eat at Pappadeaux or stereotypical, so I ask about lunch specials. Mercedes again, with an embarrassing look not for herself but as a representative of Pappadeaux. She tells me she'll be right back, she was fully aware I needed time to digest what I was experiencing, told and decide how I wanted to proceed. She comes back with my strawberry lemonade with xtra strawberries (how she knew I liked xtra strawberries? Because she knows her people/job, that's how.
I ordered the House Salad with no beacon, xtra croutons, no onions. I couldn't decide on what to eat because I came in for something specific now I had to rethink things. My lunch time was limited, no bread so now me, my stomach, mind, wallet and taste buds was talking things over. Look y'all, judge me all you want I'm not alone with my thinking :) I'm a real individual and I just say what others think to themselves.
Mercedes returns again and I order the seafood gumbo and before I could say NO ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE, she says no meat right. THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT, a waitress who knows her audience/job as she's expected to "know". I smile then she asks, if I wanted my rice on the side I said yes because WE/PEOPLE try to pull one over on the kitchen. I believe Mercedes knew it because she stated "I got you", that's slang for people do it all the time. My gumbo arrives and the life must have drained out of my face when I saw the 2 teaspoon of rice that accompanied the gumbo in the separate bowl. I promise on everything, I bursted out laughing and snorted and so did Mercedes, enough of the small talk between us. Bread is need to slop up the gumbo rue and rice is included with every bite..da *^#% is going on around here I thought to myself? Mercedes said "Girl, do you want a side of rise it's only .60 cents". Before those trigger words had a chance to register she said "It's on the house". She brings me back the rice and so our conversation began.
Mercedes explained to me this particular Pappadeaux slowly did away with so much after Covid, specifically the complimentary french bread and butter, a rise in prices, they did away with the lunch menu and our favorite dishes. WHY I exclaimed, she pointed to the supervisor over the GM who was there at that time and said it was a way to bounce back after loosing profits due to the pandemic. As a fan of Pappadeaux, doing away with what they're known for is NOT acceptable, however being that its the downtown location, visitors to our city wouldn't know the difference is all that made sense to me. I try to understand how business people think and I read a lot so I get it. While I was eating my girl brought me garlic bread also on the house asking me to please understand and as encouragement to please come back and visit.
I couldn't do anything but smile me, myself and I was please and decided not to have a talk with Mr. Boss Man until I noticed something on my ticket. I had already pulled out cash for her tip but was flabbergasted at what Pappadeaux thought of their waitstaff and bussers efforts! Any other time, I complain about starting their tip at 22% but Pappadeaux raised their prices, located in Houston's downtown ACROSS from George R, Brown Convention Center, 2 blocks from Minute Maid Park and a famous 5 star Hotel and they had the nerve to start the suggested tipping at...?! Mercedes had to hold me back, I was ready to let Mister have a piece of my mind (j/k) :))
Anywho, my seafood gumbo, house salad, garlic bread and strawberry lemonade was exactly prepared in the famous Pappadeaux way!
Would I return, I DON'T KNOW... only if I had to and support my girl Mercedes!