Revisited by General Managers Invitation
I received an invitation from Alex Stevenson, the general manager at this location, through my Review on Yelp to return to this restaurant for another try on him. I called him in advance as per his request on an early Sunday evening for dinner for my wife and I. When we arrived I asked for Alex at the hostess stand and he was standing nearby, he greeted us with a smile and a handshake. This time we were seated to the left of the hostess station towards the kitchen. The booth we were seated at was the last booth before the kitchen. It is a standard booth as opposed to the booths that were located in the bar area last time we attended which are decorated with cow skin, complete with hair. This time there were no springs in the seats poking up at me, thank goodness. The lighting in this restaurant remains horrible and way too bright. It's a shame really with this kind of theme Pappas could easily add small table lamps to each table which would match the chandeliers and really give it a homey feel. In the end we did suggest that to Alex, hopefully something is done about it. There was a spotlight to the left of me in the hallway that is "designated" by some large carpet/tapestries hanging from the ceiling that was pointed right at my face, in addition to the already bright lighting above the booths.
The service this time around was much better. Our server's name was Kelly she was quite attentive, smiling and efficient. There was really only one moment that I didn't feel very welcome and that was when I had asked her for a side of Greek dressing to go with our individual chopped Greek salad, when she returned with the small plastic cup of dressing she merely dropped it at the table and kept going. It's the little things really, as any good restaurateur will tell you.
We did manage to get a basket of bread this time though which was quite good although it is served cold, the butter was whipped which allowed for easy spreading. The bread was fresh with crisp outside and a nice soft inside, perfect.
We opted for sharing and individual chopped Greek salad as I mentioned earlier. It is served in a bowl and it is such a large portion that it is heaped in the bowl and way more than enough for two as a side salad. Highlights of the salad include really good anchovies and big hunks of feta cheese. Disappointments include; not enough beets, potato salad, and tomatoes, and a Greek dressing that's flat and somewhat sour. Â In my opinion, no one beats Little Greek rendition (see my review) of this item.
For an appetizer we tried in off the menu recommended potato skins. Since I love potato skins we decided to give them a whirl. They arrived on a larger oval plate accompanied with garnish and a small plastic ramekin of sour cream. There topped with melted cheddar and real bacon pieces. There's plenty of potato in each slice however we found all to be quite dry and overcooked. What a shame really these would've been splendid had they have been cooked correctly. When Alex came by and asked I did tell him and show him visibly.
On to the entrées, my wife ordered the prime rib (12oz) medium rare and I ordered the smaller (6oz) filet also medium rare, both recommended by Alex. We each ordered green beans or what is classified as the fresh vegetable of the day. When they arrived they were both cooked to perfection. My wife ordered fresh horseradish and was not disappointed. The prime rib was served in a large oval plate and swimming a little bit of au jus. My filet was topped with crispy onion straws that were perfectly battered and whose taste complemented the steak nicely. My filet was a great cut of meat tender and buttery. The green beans were slightly garlicky but crisp and fresh. Both portions of green beans were quite adequate in size. Overall the entrées were above average however they are also priced above average, with my small filet and the prime rib both ringing in at $18.59 each.
We finalized our meal with a recommended dessert from Alex the cranberry bread pudding ($5.49). I could sum this up with one word (unbelievable), but that wouldn't really be fair to you, my readers. Arriving as a 6" x 6" x 1.5" tall piece of buttery, melt in your mouth goodness, it was perfect. The right amount of cinnamon, butter and cranberry kept it from being overly dry which is the most common problem with bread puddings. It's all too easy to go overboard and go really, really moist having the cake fall apart as well, but fortunately this was not the case. Each forkful, even though we were full; found us wanting more and more, it was truly the highlight of the entire evening.
To summarize my overall opinion I take in consideration, the service, the decor and atmosphere, the price, and of course the food I still feel this place is at best just average or slightly below. I did add an additional star from my original review for the handling of my review by the management team.
Food is okay, service is good. Worth a try to determine if YOU like it.
It's a large establishment with lots of different levels of seating areas. GREAT outside seating area.
I got tacos, (I know... tacos at a steak house) Â they were nothing to write home about, but just enough to write Yelp about.
I have had their burgers as well and they are good. I love their chicken pot pies.
We used to go to Pappas Ranch but haven't in a while. We decided to go tonight because I hadn't had the fusion wings in a while and was looking frward to them.
The first thing I noticed while waiting for a table was the greasy stink in the air; kinda like cooking onion rings in too hot an oil and forgetting to turn the exhaust fan on. While we sat there with our eyes burning I looked around and watched the staff at work. I am in the restaurant biz so I tend to observe the goings on at other restaurants. The first thing that stuck out was one of the waiters; a highly tattooed guy who went from table to table using very few of his smile muscles. Â I watched as he went to three tables whose guests had gotten up and just picked up the credit card slips but didn't do anything to prebus. The busboy was running around quickly doing his best to get tables reset. On a side note, with four hostesses at the door chatting and running their fingers through their hair, why did we have to wait as long as we did for a busboy to reset Mr. Tattoo's tables? We wondered why there were four hostesses. Anyway, we were sat at one of the booths and were promptly greeted by Victoria. She seemed pleasant and gave us the impression that we were in good hands. She took our drink order and delivered them promptly. We weren't ready to order at that point so she went away. About five minutes passed and Mr. tattoo came over and asked if we were ready to order. Â I asked if there had been a server change and he said that Victoria was his trainee. Â We ordered some appetizers, wings and guacamole. I noticed that the fusion wings were no longer on the menu but I ordered the wings with the Greek fusion BBQ sauce hoping that it was just a word change. So we continued with the order process. My friend ordered the street tacos. Mr tattoo just looked at him and asked "which ones?" as if he was just annoyed at having to prompt for it. We finished the ordering process and discussed the experience up to that point. Then the appetizers arrived. The guac was really good. The wings did not live up to my hopes. They did not resemble those big, delicious, smoked beauties that I remembered so fondly. The entrees arrived and they were pretty tasty. Our server seemed to have a bit of a personality with the table behind us but when he came to our zone he seemed to leave it somewhere else.
We felt that the experience this evening was memorable only in that it makes us want to forget knowing Pappas Ranch. Between the stench of grease in the air, the disheartening new wing preparation and the "barely give a crap" attitude of our server, Dan, (his name on the check was Dan), we can check Pappas Ranch off the list of go to places. Â Oh, the experience didn't end at door but in my laundry room where I had to strip off my clothes that stunk of grease and then dash to the shower to degrease myself. Needless to say I am not returning.
On my second trip to Papas Ranch, I sat at the bar (I can't remember my experience from the fist visit which was some time before)
The Good: The food was really good. I ordered a steak sandwich and baked potato, both of which were tasty.
The Bad: Â We sat at the bar to watch football and enjoy the "atmosphere" Unfortunately the female bartender was too busy complaining about something to offer us menus or prompt service. The male bartender came over and too care of us, but neither one checked in that much if at all.
After my last review I was pleasantly surprised at the response from Luke Pappas himself. He contacted me and offered me a gift card to "give them another chance" to prove themselves. I graciously accepted and was eager to see if they could get it right the next time. Well that eagerness was short lived. After a long day of youth football with the family we decided to call in a to go order from here. As I pulled in out front I was confused by the signage - wasn't sure if the carry out was brought to the car as the sign sort of implied (says curbside service) or if we had to go in for it. I decided to go inside and was greeted by the host who told me carry out is at the bar. I walked up to the empty bar and stood for a few minutes until the bartender came back from who knows where. He was obviously behind because the waitresses were stacked up waiting on drinks from him. He started making their drinks with his back to me and never once acknowledged me. I spoke up after several minutes and asked if anyone was taking care of carry out orders. He glanced over his shoulder and told me he'd be with me in a minute ( but in a rude way ). After waiting on him to finish he went to the kitchen for my order and when he came back  I asked if we got the bread with our order. Snottily he said well you're not suppose to but I'll get you some. Comes back with the bread and out the door I go. I ordered the prime rib , fiancé the BbQ and my daughter had the kids meal chicken tenders. The prime rib I asked to be medium was a bloody rare hunk of meat with absolutely no flavor. It was depressing that such a nice cut of meat was wasted like this. My salad was missing from the bags. The BBQ plate was equally disappointing - DRY AND  BLAND! My daughter did enjoy her food. We ordered a pizza and threw this garbage in it's place. So I email Luke Pappas back as requested and give him my concerns and complaints. No response from him at all. Finally I get an email but not from Luke Pappas but the bartender I had complained about in my email to Mr. Pappas. ARE YOU KIDDING ME LUKE PAPPAS? You pass on personal information of a customer to an employee of yours? I was and still am shocked by this unprofessional approach. You took a very serious , potentially dangerous chance Mr. Pappas. Lack of customers will drive you out of business soon enough. I see the empty parking lot still.                                     PS - Mr. Pappas I am appalled at your breach of trust and confidentiality.
Review Source:We visited this place twice - the first time was a little bit of a let down. After my husband wrote a less than favorable review the staff reached out and asked us to give them a second chance. The first time the atmosphere of the place was a bit cold and stale. Upon our return we were greeted happily and warmly. The food the first time around I ordered a chicken wrap and fries. It was just ok. The second time I ordered the southwest chicken. It was good, but I was more impressed with the concern the manager and owner had towards their food and service. It is obvious that this place has some kinks they are working out. While the food was good, it was their service and willingness to address issues that pushed this up to a 4 star rating for me.
Review Source:**Revision**
I was actually invited to come back to Pappas before we left town. I was told by Alex the GM that my below review wasn't how they want any customer to leave. Well on my second visit he showed me that Pappas is a quality place to enjoy dinner..
My waiter was prompt ... Friendly ... And offered great suggestions.
My dip trio appetizer was top quality.
My dinner was good ... Wasn't a fan of the baked beans but overall quality was great.
The homemade cheesecake was amazing!
I know that Pappas is working really hard to have a solid reputation. I believe they are on a solid road and this is a good place to have dinner. I can't wait to come back in a few months.
--- Initial Review ---
I really wish that I would have listened to the other YELP reviews on this place. I don't imagine it is going to be open for much longer and that is sad. The overall look and feel of this place seems great but when you experience it.
I had high hopes for this place and it was a real let down.
I have mixed feelings about this place after eating here several times. Â Some food items are better than others, but the service is generally pretty good. Â The Greek salad for two (chopped) is excellent, as is the dinner bread.
My real complaint with Pappas Ranch is that it is a bit too expensive. Â Entrees running $15 to $21 is just too much more this type of place.
HAIR IN THE FOOD - Taking Orders at the Hostess Stand for Take Away ? What Kind of so Called Steak House behaves this way. NEVER IN LIFE AGAIN. OH NO. NASTY and I mean both the food and the service. Â I'm very forgiving of first visits but this place wouldn't ever see me again, in this lifetime if I have anything to do with it. the visit was so poor, I wrote them a snail mail letter including a picture and asked for my money back - even called them after I found the hair in my sandwich. They Didn't Refund my $15.00 beef brisket sandwich (wayyyyyyyyyyyy overpriced) and so I decided to share their truth with the world. Go Here and You'll Regret It - Guaranteed.
Review Source:Today I had a chance to revisit the food at Pappa Ranch today for a takeout order.
After my review of an extremely disappointing Sunday brunch here two months ago, I was contacted within a day by Luke Pappas. Â In his message, he noted that I visited the restaurant on it's 3rd brunch serving, and that they were a bit overwhelmed as it was Mothers Day and they were "ironing out the kinks". Â He made no excuses for their failures, and promised to take my criticism (which he called "constructive") into context as they prepared for their next brunch serving. Â He also apologized adding he was sincerely sorry for my experience they looked forward to hopefully having me back as a guest again.
I was and still am impressed by Mr. Pappas willingness to take responsibility quickly for what happened, and displaying an excellent example of how restaurants can and should respond to bad customer experiences. Â
With that in mind, I have not made it back for brunch, but I'm glad I was able to get back and try the food again. Â This time I had their pulled pork sandwich and a side of their "kickass beans".
The sandwich was a large serving of well cooked & seasoned pulled pork with some nice sections of bark included for additional flavor. Â It also includes a large slice of bermuda onion and pickle. Â I liked the fact that there was not a lot of fat in the meat, but it still tasted fairly most, and for any sections that weren't, the huge serving of their tasty barbecue sauce they included took care of it in fine style. Â Also notable is that they serve the sandwich on Texas toast which I definitely prefer over the soft buns so many BBQ places offer that tend to fall apart in short order. Â The kickass beans were quite good as well. Â While I usually like the traditional baked beans with BBQ sauce served by so many BBQ restaurants, often they are cooked too long making them a bit mushy. Â Instead these beans tasted very fresh and cooked until just tender with a more clear broth than the thick sauce of baked beans. Â With some tart fresh onions and I believe jalapeno pepper included, the beans were definitely "kickass."
With an $8 price for the sandwich and beans, I thought the value was very good. Â While this was not the finest pulled pork sandwich I've ever had, it was very good, and I'd definitely have this meal again.
One can rate barbecue on many criteria, but I do it on appearance, taste, and  tenderness/texture:
Appearance: Â 4
Taste: Â 4
Tenderness/Texture: Â 3.5
It's no wonder they have a person outside waving a sign for people to come in there. This place was nearly empty when we walked in and were seated. After waiting 15 minutes NO ONE even came over to acknowledge us. Ridiculous considering there were so many employees just standing around. This place is extremely poorly managed obviously. We just got up and left.
Review Source:Stopped in for the chopped greek salad, added some blackened chicken and once again impressed with the friendly professional service and the quality of the food. Not that my menu selection was difficult or too complicated but other establishments still cant figure it out. Will go back again sooner than later
Review Source:I go here for lunch about once a week. Â Other than the $6 specials, it is not a cheap lunch, but I've been happy with everything I've ordered so far. Â
I haven't tried the steaks yet, but I've been very happy with ribs, pulled pork, burgers, and chicken pot pie I've had. Â
The staff have been great and even when it's busy, the service is still plenty fast enough for me to get back to work on time. Â The beer selection is mostly low-end stuff (bud, bud lite, etc.), but that's not a big deal during the weekday lunch. Â
If the beer selection was better and the prices a little lower, I'd go with more stars.
My wife and I had driven by Pappas Ranch several times before actually stopping in, and we're glad we finally did. Â The country decor and ambiance was really cool.
We ordered apps and main courses, and loved the taste and portion sizes. Â I actually ordered the Mahi Mahi and was surprised how great it was seeing that they pride themselves on their steaks. Â Also our server was attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu.
After dinner we had a couple drinks at the bar, and we left satisfied. Â A great experience overall. We will be back for sure!
Overpriced steakhouse!
My wife ordered a Rib-eye steak and was sent back 3 times. Her steak was well done but had asked for a medium rare Rib-eye. After 3 FAILED attempts she was given the option for a prime rib instead of ribeye. She had lost her appetite after a lot of bread and 3 failed attemps.
Weeks later we were contacted by their 'customer relations rep' apologizing for our experience and was asked if I would try it again and offered us a gift card!
We thought it would be worth a try again.
Months have past... and we are still waiting on that the gift card.
Stil waiting.......
Granted, it was a Monday night, but my first concern was when I pulled in and found the parking lot nearly empty. On Gulf-To-Bay? On a night when they feature "All-U-Can-Eat BBQ Ribs? Hmmm...
I found the manager and wait staff there to be wonderful and attentive. N o problem there...
Then I ordered the ribs.
They brought me a huge plate of ribs for my first serving. My waitress later explained that they normally wouldn't have brought so much on the first go-round, but because it was so slow that night they decided to give me my first and second helping all at once.
The ribs special was the personification of the old adage "Quantity is no substitute for QUALITY." Â The ribs were over-cooked, and about the only flavor they had was from the BBQ sauce. To say it was disappointing would be an understatement.
For side orders I got the baked potato and a green bean concoction I can only describe as inedible.
They were kind enough to let me replace that mess with butter-cooked broccoli which was much better and the tastiest part of the meal. My waitress said the cook told her my complaint about the green beans was NOT the first complaint of the night for those.
Well I gave them two stars because of the FINE service but the lousy food. Â I will go back there another night and try their steaks, but if they don't come up with better tasting food than what I had Monday night, this restaurant will be like all the others that were there before them... GONE. Which would be doing us a big favor given the current recipes they are using.
I have been here 3 times, the last time the service was horrible, even with one of the managers/owners sitting right next to us at the bar. Â Orders did not come out as requested and the toppings on the salads were minimal, as well as the loaded fries, barely any bacon or cheese on them. Â A friend of mine ordered a salad with no tomatoes and was told, 15 minutes after he ordered it, Â that they came on the side anyway, then when he got it, it was covered in diced tomatoes, the bartneder never asked to fix it, she just apologized and said "she felt so bad"... Â I was beginning to like this place, but now I'm not so sure how this place is going to make it, if this continues. Â I will give it another try and see what happens.
Review Source:This was the bright spot of our vacation foodwise! Â The price was low compared to other places in the area. Â Our food portions were large and the food was very tasty. Â Our server was attentive and friendly. Â They had live music the night we visited and that is always a plus for me. Â This will be a place we visit every time we can!
Review Source:Pretty tasty food. My first time here I had the Greek salad which was an oversized and delicious Pappas style salad that never disappoints.
This time around I ordered the half rack of ribs and brisket. The brisket was very moist and flavorful, the ribs fall off the bone good. The sauces weren't quite up to snuff but you really didn't need them with the meat as good ad it was.
Sure the prices can be a little high but it's not that far off base.
Pappas Ranch is yet another example of a good idea with poor execution. Â The entire menu is overpriced and the food tastes bland - like an ingredient or two was left out.
We started with the Bad Dude Shrimp which, while the bad dude sauce was the highlight of the meal, I would never order again. Â $9 for six large (25 count) shrimp is a rip off.
Mel ordered the pulled pork which was average. Â I got the waiter recommended catfish. Â It was good but could have been a little crunchier. Â I did enjoy the Sweet Mango Cole Slaw but there was nothing Bad Ass about the Bad Ass Beans. Â The boys both ordered the ribs - $13 for a half slab - which they ate but agreed they've had much better, even in Florida.
The service, however, was great. Â Our waiter Brian took great care of us and was very helpful and friendly.
Overall, I left wishing we could have our $86 back.
Low grade steaks at prime grade prices!
We were hoping this place would be good. First, I started with a greek salad. The salad came out with oil...not greek dressing...not even good olive oil! This from the same owners of Pappas Greek Salads?
I ordered the Beef Brisket. Very thin slices of meat with a bunch of FAT!...and not good fat...low grade fat.
My husband ordered a Ribeye...you hope for great great marbleized meat, but when the steak grade is so low you end up with tough fat...half his plate had a pile of inedible fat on it.
I wished we had went ahead and eaten at Smokey Bones across the street where they never disappoint.
Pappa's needs to stick to the greek salad joints and stay out of the steak industry...especially if they think they'll fool people with such cheap beef. The beef can't be more than a Standard USDA grade, but I wouldn't doubt if it was Commercial grade.
Never again!
Came here hoping to be pleasantly surprised but definitely wasn't. First off, the restaurant was in near tatters. It looks like it has been there for years and years. This is probably because they bought the Roadhouse Grill that was there before and it looks like they didn't bother to fix the seating/upholstery, and other cosmetic issues. Our seats were broken and we had to move.
Waitstaff was very friendly but extremely unexperienced and unknowledgeable about menu. I asked what dressings they had for the salad and our waitress rattled off the usual "ranch, vinaigrette..." I asked for vinagrette and got only oil. Literally, just oil. I asked her if she had vinaigrette because she clearly brought me the wrong thing and she responded with "the kitchen said that's all we have." Oil.. ok... Â Our steak were very fatty and overcooked. Definitely not worth the price.
I have to say that their jalapeno baked beans are excellent. Aside from that though, everything else was terrible. Definitely not returning and i'm not even a picky eater. Â Since our visit, i've actually had a few neighbors randomly mention their terrible experiences there as well. Â So i say, save your money and time and go somewhere else.
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