When you sit down at at restaurant and order something off their menu, you expect that it will be something fresh from the kitchen that will be served to your table.
Yelpers recently blasted one restaurant for not only serving food that wasn't made by them, but being brought in from a local fast food restaurant. Sweet Dixie Kitchen in Long Beach, California recently received a one-star review for using Popeyes chicken in one its dishes and then passing it off as their own.
When Yelp user Tyler H. and his friends sat down at the restaurant they saw employees bring in boxes of Popeyes into the kitchen.
"Before my friends and I got seated, we saw them quickly bring in two large boxes of Popeyes to the kitchen," the user wrote in the review.
Tyler hoped the chicken was just a snack for restaurant staff, but unfortunately he was wrong.
The ordered the chicken and waffles off the menu, a dish that was priced at $12.95.
He inquired about the cooking methods of the dish with the server, who admitted that it was, in fact prepared by a local Popeyes fast food restaurant.
Tyler's table was compensated for their meals, after he admitted that his waffles were "hard as rocks." Three of the five people at the table "thought their food was ok or enjoyed it."
Opening in 2013, Sweet Dixie Kitchen prides itself on sourcing local food and they don't consider their alliance with Popeye's to be a secret that they need to hid.
They have only been serving the fried chicken for about two months, saying they don't have a deep fryer in their kitchen because they are located in a historic building with residents living above the restaurant.
To get city approval and install a deep fryer, could take years at a cost of $75,000.
"People came in all the time asking about fried foods, because when you come to a Southern restaurant that's what you expect on the menu," she said. "[Popeyes] was the easiest and best option, because Popeyes chicken is actually really good."
On Tyler's review, owner Kimberly Sanchez said that the staff PROUDLY SERVES" Popeyes spicy tenders, which they consider "the best fried chicken anywhere and from New Orleans."
She further on went to explain that the restaurant has the famous chicken delivered twice each day, but that's not all she has brought to the restaurant to serve to customers.
She goes over a list of other "locally made" foods that they serve, including farmers' market gumbo and homemade jam.
"I love [the fried chicken] so much and ate a ton of it... So I serve it," Sanchez declared. "...So whatever to you and your little review like it was some great exposure"”and whatever to you dude. We do what we do and bring Long Beach the best food"”mostly made here but we always get a little help from our friends"”and we don't want it any other way."
The owner's comments didn't go over well with other Yelp users. This included Joshua F. who has "spent plenty of money at Sweet Dixie, but no more."
"[Sanchez] blasted the Yelper for raising a very valid concern about the food he was purchasing," he wrote.
The owner didn't take long to respond to this comment either.
She claimed that just because they don't state that they serve Popeye's chicken on the menu, doesn't mean their not being 'transparent'.
"We will continue our business the same way we have always done...And we will be glad to let you know which is just like we always have," she wrote.
What do you think? Do you think it's okay for a restaurant to serve food from another chain without stating so? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
