Eat Well .... but be PATIENT written by AnthonyJanice
Last visited this restaurant on August 03, 2008

Any eatery that has good food there is usually a wait and because I was forewarned the wait didn't bother me. We received our water in a timely manner and our food. We had a party of at least 25 the only problem was some of our party showed up 15 minutes later. Staff managed to add to our table and a booth nearby. My husband and I had an enjoyable meal and a wonderful time to fellowship with our family. Pretty impressive for our first visit I never heard of this place prior to August 3, 2008. The yams were absolutely delicious and my husband loves the chicken which is second best to my southern fried chicken. Smile!!! It's okay for him give me a break and allow Southern Fires to substitute.

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Forget About It (Carry Out) written by Itsawonderferlife
Last visited this restaurant on December 14, 2007

I wanted to treat my husband to a nice Friday meal so I decided to pick up something from Southern Fires, BIG mistake!!! I called my order in before I left work. I arrived around 6:30 p.m. I asked the valet attendant if there was somewhere to park for people picking up carry out. He informed me it would be $2.00 to park. I told him I was concerned having to park on the street because I saw a strange man just sitting on the curb by the driveway. I ask him was there nowhere for the people who just want to get carry out to park briefly. He just gave me a blank stare. I told him I was going to talk to the manager about the unsafe conditions for women having to park on the semi dark street to pick up a carry out. The attendant said they don't care.

He was right. As soon as I let the waitress know I was there to pick up my order I ask to speak to someone about the fact there is no where to park for carry out. The waitress rolled her eyes and handed me a complaint card which had chittlins written on it. I asked her for the address of the regional management office or someone who would read my complaint. She walked away ignoring me.

Another patron came in with the same complaint. This is a disgrace; the number of African American’s who patronize this establishment faithfully needs to pay attention. The parking is horrible, the service staff is beyond rude and they act like they wish you would just go away.

Southern Fires Management, whoever they are, should take Restaurant Management 101 over again or perhaps study other establishments. Applebee’s, Outback and even Chicken Shack has special parking spaces for takeout. In the case of McDonalds, they have a place for you to pull over if your order takes longer than expected.

We in Detroit should not continue to allow business to service us with any ole kind of treatment and we should always demand appropriate service.

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Worst kind of hospitality written by embarassed
Last visited this restaurant on November 01, 2006

I heard such good things about the food here. I ordered a carry-out to have my office manager see the place and try the food. She didn't have time to stay at first when we ordered. Upon arrival she received a change in her meeting schedule? So we asked to stay and eat quickly? The unpolite staff stated we would need to re-order if we did that because it would mess up there computer systems? Hello! The manager is unable to ring up an order and seat us? I stated we couldn't wait and reorder. On the internet everyone complained about service and they were right! I didn't want to take that chance knowing the office manager's availability? The staff was entirely RUDE by rolling their eyes at us and walking back to the kitchen together whispering and laughing? Someone actually mentioned this place for a holiday party? I would be embarassed to take my own family there let alone a well-known attorney (my boss) into this type of establishment! Never again!!!

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Lukewarm Food and Rude Staff written by diningguru
Last visited this restaurant on September 27, 2006

My friends took me to Southern Fires for my birthday last week. I had never been to the restaurant and had only heard rave reviews. The atmosphere was lacking and too open for my taste. The prices were fare and you received a healthy portion of food for the price (I got the meat loaf). However, the lunch took forever to get, our waitress could have a cared less to serve us and took her good ‘ol time getting to our table, we only received waters after waiting 15 minutes for the sodas we had ordered and our food took more than 45 minutes to arrive. The food was good, but if you have a grandma and mother who knows how to cook as well as mine does, this is food that is expected in the household and was not exceptional by any standard. Good spices and flavors, but nothing to write home about to mom. I was disappointed as well about the temperature of my food - it was luke warm, not a temperature I desire of food that I am paying for. We had to ask for our sodas after the food arrived, which took another 10 minutes to receive, our waitress was never seen during our meal until she brought out our final bill, which they would not split, unless a charge of $1 per separate bill was tacked on. Once we left, TWO HOURS LATER, (and we didn’t eat slow, because we were starving by the time our meal came out), a head staff member asked us how are meal was. I replied, “pretty good.” Her response was astounding, as she asked me with attitude “What do you mean pretty good?!?” What a response that I didn’t expect. I declined to share my experience with her, due to the fact that I hadn’t paid for my meal because my friends had treated, but I left steaming mad due to her comment. My brother has a restaurant and I have grown up in the business and know what is expected and required of restaurant staff. This was by all means unacceptable! Due to lack of professionalism, I will never step into this restaurant again! Not to mention poor atmosphere and luke warm food!

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Good Food written by anonymous
Last visited this restaurant on September 12, 2006

My staff and I took a co-worker for lunch, we had been there on serveral occassions. Everyone enjoyed the food, but service was slow. If you are in a hurry don't go there. I have been there on an occassion and the were out of food. We were trying to impress our boss, he was not impressed with the service. The waiter/waitress that we had was very polite and friendly. Yes, I will be going back, I love their food, especially the pork chops.

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What is wrong with Southern Fires written by loveeat
Last visited this restaurant on July 23, 2006

On July 23, 2006 we decided to go to Southern Fires. When we arrived the Valet attendant indicated that there was NO FRIED CHICKEN, NO PORK CHOPS, NO STEAK, what kind of establishment does not have more than half of its menu available on a Sunday? Well we decided to stay anyway...the meatloaf was ordered and 15 MINUTES LATER THE WAITER RETURNED TO SAY THAT THERE IS NO MEATLOAF!!! Still trying to give them the benfit of the doubt I ordered fish and they messed that up. The waiter then had the nerve to tell us that if we ordered seperate checks that it would be $1 per person. How dare you when we could have gotten a better selection and service from the Wendy's around the corner. I hope that the GM will recitfy this problem immediately. Many time people judge your restaurant by "other standards" and it seems that Southern Fires is living up to those "other standards", which are definitely not positive.

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Go Somewhere else and eat written by anonymous
Last visited this restaurant on June 02, 2006

The Bathroom was nasty. Tissue everywhere and no soap. Who's really washing their hands??? The food was good. Well my chicken was. The side dishes were cold. I was in there from 8:45 until 10pm. It took them 45 minutes to get our food, they weren't crowded at all. We didn't even get a thank you, and we spent over $100 in food.

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SLOW SERVICE & COLD FOOD!! written by Barbara219
Last visited this restaurant on May 18, 2006

Went with four colleagues for lunch who work in Detroit but have never eaten here.

The service was VERY, VERY slow and the food was luke warm!! (We arrived at 11:00 and did not get served until 12:15--our orders were taken at 11:10)

The waiter refused to give us "separate" checks because of their "poilcy" even though we were only 1 of 4 tables occupied in this establishment!

It was cold and rainy, but their "security officer" who was inside the lobby refused to open their door to their lobby until exactly 11:00 am. (Any other restaurant would gladly provide shelter to their customers.)

None of us would ever visit this restaurant again!!!

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Contrary to Other Reviews written by mzdiva5759
Last visited this restaurant on April 18, 2006

I have heard about Southern Fires plenty of times. Therefore, I was interested in exactly what they have to offer. When I arrived, I was seated in less than 5 minutes. The restaurant was clean and very presentable. The waitress was very pleasant and did her job well. Our food arrived in a descent time and yes it was hot. The food was wonderful, I ordered ribs, mac n cheese and pork n beans. IT WAS DELICIOUS. I dined with a visiting friend from Africa. She also enjoyed thr food, service and restaurant in general. I will recommend Southern Fires to everyone I know. As a matter of fact I am returning tonight!

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Southern hospitality written by anonymous
Last visited this restaurant on March 15, 2006

High quality soul food in an upscale setting--a refurbished warehouse, with great visual appeal. I couldn't decide which side dish to have, so I picked the meal that allowed me to just put together 4 side dishes. The greens were outstanding, as was the macaroni and cheese. The candied yams were wonderful, and the green beans very good. I was just disappointed that they were out of the peach cobbler that I had heard so much about.

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Southern Fires: Not So Hot written by xulagirl06
Last visited this restaurant on January 08, 2006

My mother and I went on a Sunday. It didn't take long for us to be seated. We moved tables because we were sitting right outside the kitchen entrance, which had no door to block the unwanted view. The wait for the food was longer than expected. Our server was pleasant, but then she disappeared, someone else served our food, and our original server returned only to give us the bill. The food was tasty. My mother had the catfish and I had the baby back ribs that were suppose to be "to die for." I am not quite sure about my mother's meal, but my ribs were lukewarm, and there were only six ribs. I expected a little bit better for $12 and the cornbread was not even warm enough to melt the butter. The greens and the yams were good however, but as far as the ribs, my mother makes better, HANDS DOWN. The atmosphere is what you would have expected on a Sunday afternoon, however, I would have expected a better dress code. My expectations fell slightly short of what I thought. This was my second visit to the restaurant, and I had experienced the same events as before. I was hoping that it would be different this time around. Overall, I would go again, because the food is good, but I recommend that you have plenty of time to be there when visiting.

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Great Food, Confused Setting written by veronagirl
Last visited this restaurant on March 27, 2005

Undeniably, the food was amazing! You could not go wrong with any choice on the menu: catfish, cod, chicken, greens, yams, black eyes peas...the options were definitely finger-licking, homestyle good! Yet, the lobby and the restrooms were horrifying with trash on the floor, atrocious odor, dirty sinks and the greasy doors, extremely thick layers of dust on the artificial plants in the lobby were not what we expected. Also, the view of the local junkyard took away from the upscale idea of 'valet parking'. To add, with modern decor, delicious menu, wait staff and the ambience intended, I expected a dress code, not the blue jeans, t-shirts, and hoochie cut-off shirts that I saw. All in all, I wouldn't dine in again for an elegant evening or anniversary celebration - as we had yesterday, but I will absolutely go back time and again for the food! It was worth my drive from Toledo, OH!

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