I stopped in at Flo's last week for lunch. I can't remember the address but it's across the BMV on Court Street.
They have some tables outside (or at least they did when it was warmer) but there is no seating inside so it is essentially a carry-out operation.
I walked in around 11:30 and there were a few people waiting for their orders but no line. I had looked at the menu on the outside window so I knew what I wanted. I had to wait a couple minutes for "Mr. Flo" to get off the phone first, though. He was taking an order but it was obviously from someone he knew because he was also chatting a bit. I was mildly miffed at this because it reflected a bit of ignorance (or lack or concern) about customers' need to get lunch quickly and get back to work.
When he was ready, I ordered the chicken leg quarter, which is one of four items on the lunch menu. Catfish, whiting, and wings are the other three. He told me that they recently eliminated the leg quarter because nobody ordered it.
What???
Now I was in a quandary. I usually don't like to order food that I make at home, but I went ahead and ordered the catfish sandwich with a side of mac & cheese.
I was told that if I got the side dish I would not get the bread. In other words, I could get a catfish sandwich only or I could get catfish with a side item. Whatever. Intercourse the bread and give me the mac & cheese. I asked to make sure I still get tartar sauce with the fish.
My order took about ten minutes to complete. While waiting, I contemplated their strange decision to curtain off the view of the food prep area. It's behind glass windows, but they put up curtains to keep it out of view. I couldn't get past the fact that this decision is 180 degrees opposite of what one would do to give customers confidence in food preparation. I don't know... maybe Mr. Flo was talking on the phone while this decision was being made.
I got my food, checked it, and took it back to the office. It came with a piece of cornbread which was nothing special. No pieces of corn or jalapenos or anything else. The mac & cheese was disappointing, partly because it was cold. I should have reheated it.
The catfish was very good. It was perfectly cooked (not at all greasy) and well-seasoned. Their dredge is good. I was disappointed to find that they don't make their own tartar sauce. They toss in one pre-packaged packet which is not enough for the two fillets.
Summation: The fish was good but everything else was disappointing. It was basically what I would expect from a decent cafeteria. My recommendation is to try the cobblers, which I suspect is Flo's real focus. Then write your own review so I know if there's a reason to go back.
4 comments:
The cobblers are excellent. The catfish is good enough that Terry doesn't feel like he has to get catfish in Alabama (a big compliment). The M&C was good the last time we went there, but that's been nearly a year. Are they still not open on Saturdays?
Well, there you go. Maybe I'll order some cobbler to go with my gobbler in a few weeks.
(FYI- yes, they take orders)
(FYI 2.0- Flo's hours: 7-3 M-F)
hey flo, i ordered the leg quarter! dammit.
Good afternoon to our costumers,
This is little Flo I would like for you to know that we are a company that basically opened our doors just a few months ago. We are family owned and operated we are not a franchise so therefor we asked that you give us a break! My brother and I have taken over to give our mother Flora a relief to do some other dreams and desires that she has Keep in mind she has passed her recipes on to us we are very mindful that we must please our customers however what we are expericing that individuals that come in to patronize our business expect more from us then the do a Wendy's or a Mc Donalds they give them more respect. This is why small business don't always make it to where they need to go. We are up night after night making sure that we serve food that is homemade and not frozen or from a box. Many of our complants come from the African american community why are we so hard on each other? You go into a fast-food restaurant or drive-thru and you end up waiting 20mins for a paper thin hamburger that use to be 99cent and is now $1.29. It's so hard to get our customers to understand that the cost of food escalates in all food oriented industries we cannot eat the cost, so therefore Flo's continues to keep the prices the same and gives large quantities to keep the customers from questioning us why this and why that. We are the type of family that would definitly accomondate our customer through communication. Instead of writing negative things why not give your suggestions or comments directly to we as owners. Flo's is still in the growing stage and my brother and I plan to learn as much as our mother Flora can teach us about owning and operating a food entity. I'm sure if you've recieved cold french fries from some place I wont mention you would not broadcast it to the world instead you would take them back for fresh one's. If you've ever gone to Aunt Flora's when she was in Findlay market you know she only produces and expects the BEST! We will continue to try and do so just remember everyday in business you experience something new and we plan to strive not give up and not failcause we will press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling. And yes the cobbler is top knotch and Flora's hands are still in the dough
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