Sonny's of Winter Haven, FL - what a let down. My to go order was terrible and no one will answer the phone so I can't even tell you about it. My tea was left out of the order, the sauces were left out of the order, and the sandwich (which had a large hole in the stale bread) had no sauce on it. For 2 people my bill was over $43 - and yes, that included a tip even for take out because someone had to put it together - obviously I was more considerate than the staff responsible for taking care of your customers. This was a miserable fail tonight - and you profited from it and won't answer the phone to discuss it - shame on you.
Universe wolfish
This place has been a fragment of my memory for as long as I can remember. I've been eating here for years, but bias aside the food is good. They make some great bbq and they know how to show it. The only reason why it isn't 5 star is simply for the lack of coordination in the staff, but other than that I highly recommend this place. It's a staple of Winter Haven, even though it hasn't changed a bit, it still stands strong when it comes to food
Adam Bucalo
Let me start by saying that the waitress was nice. This review is about the establishment and not her service, because she was just fine.We started with the fried pickles that were fried in last month's grease. They were drowning in grease to the point that they dripped when you picked one up.We ordered our food, which took entirely too long to get to us. When it did, she apologized because she was aware that it had, and it wasn't even hot. My wife's food was bleak and had a dollop of coleslaw on it. My pulled pork was chunked with sauce on it. I was really confused. They were not very busy and there were plenty of staff.The place seemed like it was worse for wear in the smoker section. As if they were just winging it.I was hoping that because it was a stand alone building and seemed established that it would have excellent food. I even told my wife I was excited going inside. We both left very dissatisfied and bummed.They also didn't have any crayons. They had placemats for children with sections for coloring but no crayons. The nice waitress was able to find a single crayon for my daughter.I hope that they are able to get it together as this seemed like an issue of recent decline rather than the normal.
Richard Winters
Went back to sonnys to try the food one more time. We had the same food as before but this time the food came out good. The meat was hot and tender , the beans and potatoes were also good. We also tried the corn bread and it was hot and good. Austin The server we had could not have been better.he was one of the best I have ever had wait on us could not have been better. OVERALL A GOOD MEAL ALL AROUND.
Tink B.
haven't been to Sonny's in awhile but was looking forward to seeing the remodel..... seems all the others in Polk county got a remodel except this one. I mentioned it as we went in and the young lady that seated us said " yes we haven't gotten ours yet but that is the first thing everyone says when they come in . I can't wait to get our remodel. Don't get me wrong, the food was fantastic and service was great but sitting there and looking at dirty grimy disgusting carpet was not appealing at all and the restrooms are just as gross. C'mon Sonny's you upped the game with remodels that were sorely needed after 40 years and you leave this one out? Ugh I don't even want to think about how gross the kitchen must be...
Howard Korn
My wife and I decided to go for a quick dinner to Sonny’s on Recker Hwy last evening. We have been to this place several times and enjoyed good food quick service and friendly staff. Tonight that all changed. After placing the order including the appetizers and inquiring about the appetizers whenever the server passed, we were told things were mixed up in the kitchen but food would come out soon. We entered the place just before 7 finally got the corn nuggets at 8 pm but by 820 no food. Since I had to go to work at 9 pm we got up told the server it was too long but then another server came with two plates of cold food. I asked for mgr to tell of my displeasure but was told mgr was in kitchen and too busy. I was given a bill for $34 dollars and two boxed up meals. We left but we paid to avoid any disturbance.I will not be back here ever! I believe I’m owed the money for the meals which I will surely not receive. I’m very disappointed in this service as I work hard for the money I grudgingly spent last night!
Jessica Border
Came to Sonny’s in Winter Haven with a large group after a funeral, and the staff couldn’t have made our experience any better. The food was great, but the service was top notch. Pearl, our server, went out of her way to make sure each of us enjoyed our meal and she did it with a smile. Her and her Manager were both so pleasant, friendly, and courteous that it made a great end to an already stressful day. Even the other team members were very helpful. If something wasn’t right, they didn’t hesitate to fix it. Pearl is a wonderful example of how great customer service can change a person’s day. Thank you Pearl!
G G.
Yea, this Sonny's is lost and needs new management plus more employees who actually work. I've never seen people move slower while they tell customers that it's a 45 mins wait on a Thursday night for take-out. News flash, they pre-make all of the BBQ so they only need to put it in containers. They make much less you'd think. Baked beans, etc. We waited 35 mins and called ahead, that was a waste of time. Used the restroom and it was disgusting. Paper and pee on the floor and who wears black rubber gloves, right Theo snowflake workers do. I guess they used the toilet stall and just threw their gloves on the floor. No respect. You can't control customers but employees know not to litter in the bathroom. Weak management again. I've been to Sonny's all over the country and usually they are good food fast. This Sonny's is floating on their good reputation and destroying it. Sad, won't be back.
Aaron O.
I have never been to a BBQ place where you have request meat to come on your BBQ salad. This was at the top of the list of things that didn't go well during my visit. My BBQ sandwich was cold to warm at best, barley any coleslaw. Lastly, I had to get my tables refills on drinks.
Heather Fisher
Ordered online and it stated in the confirmation that it would only take 15 minutes. Was also told to pull into a curbside spot and call in. 5 calls with no answer and it just kept repeating the same loop that would just hang up. Walked in and was told that my order would be about another hour due to staffing after having to basically chase down someone to make eye contact with me. I can completely understand low staffing issues, but straight up ignoring people is not the way to go. Finally got my food 45 minutes later with zero hospitality. The food was good and I had everything I ordered. Overworked low staff and online ordering needs to be updated.
10 minute wait to be seated. Over an hour wait to get our food since the first waitress lost our ticket so our order did not get put in. I would be more understanding if they were busy but not around 3:30 in the afternoon. Didn't see our original server but thankfully our second server Kyrsten was really nice and helpful though.. She really did an amazing job making sure we were completely taken care of and seemed to really care about the company she represents and the value of her customers. I'm only giving this review five stars because of Kyrsten and her amazing service.
Anna Scott
My husband and I used to eat at Sonny's, it had been quite a while. Unfortunately the service was slow and the girl that took our order was rude. Our order was wrong. After arriving home we found that some items were missing from our order. The meat was tender but not well seasoned. Oh yeah the prices outside the order window was not the same as we were charged. I called to let them know and Taylor apologized and said if we came back we could get the missing items. Thanks but no thanks. We will not ever be a repeat customer.
Ted Sharp
Can’t be biased and honest at the same time.Employee now and finding the perception that this place really has great fresh cooked food.The servers are truly a good team, the cooks are well trained and management is top shelf, especially since I’m 1 of them.
Don’t Mind Me
Ordered online. Pickup was available 15 minutes upon arriving. All the garlic bread was soggy as if it sat for a while. Brisket was a bit dry for my liking. Fried pickles appeared to have been fried in a bunch. Many many pickles, once separated, had uncooked badder on one side. Baby back robs were actually ok despite the gobs of sauce on them. So much sauce it's as if the meat flavor is being covered up. Baked beans had more sauce than beans. The pulled pork egg rolls, all 3 of them, were over cooked and hard as a rock at the ends. Tooth chipping sort of thing.
TheSuxess212
The food was good before, but it recently improved. Also, they have been consistently getting the orders right. They have also changed their presentation of the to-go orders. Much better guys!
Sonny's of Winter Haven, FL - what a let down. My to go order was terrible and no one will answer the phone so I can't even tell you about it. My tea was left out of the order, the sauces were left out of the order, and the sandwich (which had a large hole in the stale bread) had no sauce on it. For 2 people my bill was over $43 - and yes, that included a tip even for take out because someone had to put it together - obviously I was more considerate than the staff responsible for taking care of your customers. This was a miserable fail tonight - and you profited from it and won't answer the phone to discuss it - shame on you.
This place has been a fragment of my memory for as long as I can remember. I've been eating here for years, but bias aside the food is good. They make some great bbq and they know how to show it. The only reason why it isn't 5 star is simply for the lack of coordination in the staff, but other than that I highly recommend this place. It's a staple of Winter Haven, even though it hasn't changed a bit, it still stands strong when it comes to food
Let me start by saying that the waitress was nice. This review is about the establishment and not her service, because she was just fine.We started with the fried pickles that were fried in last month's grease. They were drowning in grease to the point that they dripped when you picked one up.We ordered our food, which took entirely too long to get to us. When it did, she apologized because she was aware that it had, and it wasn't even hot. My wife's food was bleak and had a dollop of coleslaw on it. My pulled pork was chunked with sauce on it. I was really confused. They were not very busy and there were plenty of staff.The place seemed like it was worse for wear in the smoker section. As if they were just winging it.I was hoping that because it was a stand alone building and seemed established that it would have excellent food. I even told my wife I was excited going inside. We both left very dissatisfied and bummed.They also didn't have any crayons. They had placemats for children with sections for coloring but no crayons. The nice waitress was able to find a single crayon for my daughter.I hope that they are able to get it together as this seemed like an issue of recent decline rather than the normal.
Went back to sonnys to try the food one more time. We had the same food as before but this time the food came out good. The meat was hot and tender , the beans and potatoes were also good. We also tried the corn bread and it was hot and good. Austin The server we had could not have been better.he was one of the best I have ever had wait on us could not have been better. OVERALL A GOOD MEAL ALL AROUND.
haven't been to Sonny's in awhile but was looking forward to seeing the remodel..... seems all the others in Polk county got a remodel except this one. I mentioned it as we went in and the young lady that seated us said " yes we haven't gotten ours yet but that is the first thing everyone says when they come in . I can't wait to get our remodel. Don't get me wrong, the food was fantastic and service was great but sitting there and looking at dirty grimy disgusting carpet was not appealing at all and the restrooms are just as gross. C'mon Sonny's you upped the game with remodels that were sorely needed after 40 years and you leave this one out? Ugh I don't even want to think about how gross the kitchen must be...
My wife and I decided to go for a quick dinner to Sonny’s on Recker Hwy last evening. We have been to this place several times and enjoyed good food quick service and friendly staff. Tonight that all changed. After placing the order including the appetizers and inquiring about the appetizers whenever the server passed, we were told things were mixed up in the kitchen but food would come out soon. We entered the place just before 7 finally got the corn nuggets at 8 pm but by 820 no food. Since I had to go to work at 9 pm we got up told the server it was too long but then another server came with two plates of cold food. I asked for mgr to tell of my displeasure but was told mgr was in kitchen and too busy. I was given a bill for $34 dollars and two boxed up meals. We left but we paid to avoid any disturbance.I will not be back here ever! I believe I’m owed the money for the meals which I will surely not receive. I’m very disappointed in this service as I work hard for the money I grudgingly spent last night!
Came to Sonny’s in Winter Haven with a large group after a funeral, and the staff couldn’t have made our experience any better. The food was great, but the service was top notch. Pearl, our server, went out of her way to make sure each of us enjoyed our meal and she did it with a smile. Her and her Manager were both so pleasant, friendly, and courteous that it made a great end to an already stressful day. Even the other team members were very helpful. If something wasn’t right, they didn’t hesitate to fix it. Pearl is a wonderful example of how great customer service can change a person’s day. Thank you Pearl!
Yea, this Sonny's is lost and needs new management plus more employees who actually work. I've never seen people move slower while they tell customers that it's a 45 mins wait on a Thursday night for take-out. News flash, they pre-make all of the BBQ so they only need to put it in containers. They make much less you'd think. Baked beans, etc. We waited 35 mins and called ahead, that was a waste of time. Used the restroom and it was disgusting. Paper and pee on the floor and who wears black rubber gloves, right Theo snowflake workers do. I guess they used the toilet stall and just threw their gloves on the floor. No respect. You can't control customers but employees know not to litter in the bathroom. Weak management again. I've been to Sonny's all over the country and usually they are good food fast. This Sonny's is floating on their good reputation and destroying it. Sad, won't be back.
I have never been to a BBQ place where you have request meat to come on your BBQ salad. This was at the top of the list of things that didn't go well during my visit. My BBQ sandwich was cold to warm at best, barley any coleslaw. Lastly, I had to get my tables refills on drinks.
Ordered online and it stated in the confirmation that it would only take 15 minutes. Was also told to pull into a curbside spot and call in. 5 calls with no answer and it just kept repeating the same loop that would just hang up. Walked in and was told that my order would be about another hour due to staffing after having to basically chase down someone to make eye contact with me. I can completely understand low staffing issues, but straight up ignoring people is not the way to go. Finally got my food 45 minutes later with zero hospitality. The food was good and I had everything I ordered. Overworked low staff and online ordering needs to be updated.
Restaurantji Recommends
10 minute wait to be seated. Over an hour wait to get our food since the first waitress lost our ticket so our order did not get put in. I would be more understanding if they were busy but not around 3:30 in the afternoon. Didn't see our original server but thankfully our second server Kyrsten was really nice and helpful though.. She really did an amazing job making sure we were completely taken care of and seemed to really care about the company she represents and the value of her customers. I'm only giving this review five stars because of Kyrsten and her amazing service.
My husband and I used to eat at Sonny's, it had been quite a while. Unfortunately the service was slow and the girl that took our order was rude. Our order was wrong. After arriving home we found that some items were missing from our order. The meat was tender but not well seasoned. Oh yeah the prices outside the order window was not the same as we were charged. I called to let them know and Taylor apologized and said if we came back we could get the missing items. Thanks but no thanks. We will not ever be a repeat customer.
Can’t be biased and honest at the same time.Employee now and finding the perception that this place really has great fresh cooked food.The servers are truly a good team, the cooks are well trained and management is top shelf, especially since I’m 1 of them.
Ordered online. Pickup was available 15 minutes upon arriving. All the garlic bread was soggy as if it sat for a while. Brisket was a bit dry for my liking. Fried pickles appeared to have been fried in a bunch. Many many pickles, once separated, had uncooked badder on one side. Baby back robs were actually ok despite the gobs of sauce on them. So much sauce it's as if the meat flavor is being covered up. Baked beans had more sauce than beans. The pulled pork egg rolls, all 3 of them, were over cooked and hard as a rock at the ends. Tooth chipping sort of thing.
The food was good before, but it recently improved. Also, they have been consistently getting the orders right. They have also changed their presentation of the to-go orders. Much better guys!