Jessica P.
Yelp
Here's a refined version of your review with a more annoyed but still fair three-star tone:
I arrived at the restaurant at 5:45 PM and waited in line for about 10 minutes--not a big deal. The place was clean, and it was nice to see them getting support. However, I immediately noticed a woman seated who had clearly been waiting a long time for her food, which wasn't a great sign.
I tried to order the party wings but was told they were out. Fine. I then asked for the 5-piece chicken since I saw them taking out a fresh batch. We also ordered mac and cheese, collards and cabbage, and rice and beans. The owner mentioned they were backed up with a previous order, so the chicken would take 30 minutes. Since it's a new business, I wanted to give them some grace. We agreed and waited in the car.
Then, things got frustrating. I looked back and saw that someone who was two people behind me in line was already eating their chicken. Maybe they called ahead? Doubtful, but okay. We waited 40 minutes, went back inside, and were told it would be another 15 minutes. At this point, we were already committed, so we waited.
About 10 minutes later, the owner came out and explained that one of the fryers was down, they had a catering event, and--surprise--there was no chicken. By now, I had been stuck in the car with screaming kids, which only made the situation worse. They gave us some sides and refunded the chicken, but there was no mac and cheese, which is a big problem when you have kids.
I really want this place to be great, but the food we actually got was just okay. The yams were still a bit crunchy, the rice and beans were fine, and the cabbage and greens could have used more seasoning. Honestly, they would've been better off closing for the night instead of making customers wait around for food that wasn't coming. I'll give them another shot in about eight months, but they have a lot to figure out.