Ronnies Catfish Daquiri to Go

I wanted to like this place like a fat kid loves cake. It's got my favorite, catfish tails, as a dinner here for crying out loud. Placed order via phone at 12:32pm today (Saturday). Was told by lady that it wouldn't be ready until 2pm because the catfish tails had to thaw (?) but that she would call us as the food was being dropped in to the oil so we could be there to grab it "fresh". Never happened. We left at 1:55pm anyway and got there at 2:10pm and was told there were no tails thawed. WHAT THE FREAK? They offered to comp us and allow me to get something else, but then suddenly a guy from the back appeared and there were magically 4 thawed tails cooking. Got food at 2:32pm. Got back to the office 15 min after that. The fries are under seasoned and just a throw away, which is fine. I didn't come here for the fries. The tails are too dark - the oil the were cooked in wasn't right. It tasted sort of old and stale and the tops of the tails with the meat in them were cold in the middle, so these weren't thawed enough I guess. I'm going to throw them in the air fryer when I get home to salvage them but overall, I'm giving this meal two Gary Buseys because it's crazy to me that it took two hours from ordering to eating to get fried food. Won't be a returning customer.

Before I begin, I want to express that I seldom leave reviews, but this experience truly warrants one. My feedback centers on the customer service and the presentation of our food. My wife and I ordered a 10-piece filet. We initially wanted nuggets but were informed they were out of stock--curiously, they had filets available but not the nuggets. It seemed like the cook didn't want to prepare them. We also asked for a link basket, which was unavailable, so we settled for the 10-piece filet instead. Upon picking up our order, which totaled $37 and some change, I paid $40 and told the cashier to keep the change as a tip. I went to the car, I opened the bag immediately since my wife and I had been sick for three days and were eager to eat. To my astonishment, the filets looked unappetizing and nothing like the quality I've come to expect from Ronnie's Catfish after nearly 20 years of supporting, dating back to the South Dallas and Oak Cliff locations. My entire family, spanning generations, has enjoyed Ronnie's, and I even considered opening a franchise myself. When I observed that the filets appeared mushy, I decided to return inside to show the cashier. My wife wanted to accompany me, and together we approached the register. I expressed my concern, stating, "I'm so glad I checked my food first and didn't just drive off." I opened the box to demonstrate that this was not a proper 10-piece filet. I mentioned our long-standing loyalty to Ronnie's and that we had never encountered filets in such poor conditionThe cashier (white lady with tattoos) asked me to wait while she fetched the cook. When he arrived--a short black man--he seemed agitated by our request for quality food. He started cursing and said that the food wasn't like that when he made it. He then said "man let me come out there cause I ain't from here". He then walks away and tugs on the front of his pants underneath his shirt as if he was about to pull out a gun. Very dangerous because you may not be from here but this is Texas. We are packing sir. Please don't act like you're going to pull out any type of weapon as it could be very detrimental to the people inside of the establishment. This is crazzzyyyy!!!! All we wanted was our food to be how it normally has been for the past years.The cashier admitted that the filets had been squished because she placed another box on top of them. If that was the case, shouldn't she be responsible for replacing our order? We are talking about a $40 meal, after all. The same cashier, who has been responding to reviews, is not the owner, but her demeanor raises questions about the integrity of the establishment. She claimed that other customers witnessed us mishandling our food, which is utterly false. We are seasoned diners who spend considerable amounts of money on meals and certainly do not engage in such behavior. We just go home from Vegas a couple of days ago where our last meal there was Carbone which the ticket was $360. I say that to stress that we spend big money on food so $40 is nothing. They refused to provide a refund or remake our order, which feels unfair, particularly for loyal customers whose family has dined at Ronnie's for generations. If you are considering visiting this location, I strongly advise against it. Instead, I recommend the North Dallas location on Audelia, where Veronica, the owner, maintains professionalism and addresses employee behavior effectively. The quality at this Plano location has declined significantly since the departure of a former employee, Blair (I think that's his name, guy with the long hair and deep voice. I will be reaching out to Veronica to ensure that Mr. Ronnie is made aware of the poor representation of his franchise. I have a strong feeling that based off of the employees actions that the problem is deeper so I will be contacting the Texas Department of State Health Services in the morning as I believe this location needs to be further investigated and inspected. This situation is truly disappointing.

Responding to Ronnie C : we ate a rib and a bite of the fish. I am not misleading anyone. My husband called to try and ask for you to please replace our food with something else and you had the lady refuse him. So yes, he called back to try and talk it out with you but you were too busy to be the manager and talk to a customer that has gone there several times. Thank you for your professionalism. Good luck with your business! Update on review: after they saw my review, they called my husband and replaced the food. Which they should have done in the first place. When my husband went to pick it up, they asked him to ask his wife to remove my review. I am not removing this review. I am upset that we had to go through all of this in the first place. To be honest, we are not going to eat the new food as we already made food and ate due to them not wanting to replace it in the first place. At this point it is still money lost and now on both ends as I let all my neighbors know on Nextdoor.Be aware and check your food before you leave. I give this place a zero star for the way they handle themselves.Very disappointed in this place. My husband goes there a lot and we spend a good amount of money each time. The food is usually good, however today the fried catfish that we order extra crispy was not extra crispy and was very slimy and seemed to not be cooked all the way. The fried ribs were very tough and hard to eat. We at one rib and had a bite out of the fish to try it and took it back as the fish was not right and the ribs were too hard to eat. The front lady said no refunds so we asked if we could get something else. Her and the manager said no bc we ate some of it. I told her we took a bite and brought it back. You have to try it to know if it is done or good. I told her to get her manager and she went in the back and heard her talking to someone and came back to me and said the manager isn't there. Like I'm stupid and didn't hear her talking to him. We even saw him lmao. I told her I know he would s there and to go get him. She then said she was calling the cops. Like what kind of business are they running? What happened to customer service? I am livid as we spent well over 30.00 for a bite of food.

Amazing catfish and koolaid. I got the 3 piece. They do take Zelle, Cash, debit.They have daily specials also.

Excellent catfish! I typically don't use hot sauce, but it was a match made in heaven that I couldn't get enough of, and the cold and sweet Bob Marley daiquiri was the perfect chaser I needed. I placed my order over the phone, and it was ready when I arrived 15 minutes later. Everything was priced well, and the service was excellent. If I ever crave catfish and daiquiris, I'll be back for more!

The prices on the website are lower than what they actually charge in the restaurant, so my tab was higher. lt takes way too long to get your food. l called my order in 25 minutes in advance and lm having to wait another 25. l tried to get a refund because l really couldnt wait....l was told no refunds.. . Others in the restaurant had been waiting 40+ minutes. No one stays at the counter... so l had to open the employees door to ask about my order. Some guy came out and chastised me about opening the door... REALLY????'sNOT GOOD BUSINESS!!

Was excited to check this place out and support a BOB. The server was super friendly and so were the customers. Not much of an ambience just a place to pick up food. It was a 15-20 min wait for my catfish and shrimp combo platter. I also ordered a daiquiri to go. After my 15-20 minute wait, the server brought my food to the car and after a 5 min drive home, I was expecting to tear into my piping hot meal. Only issue was it was already lukewarm. After a 7 min pop in the oven, I finally got to try. Everything was delicious. My lesson learned for next time is to call ahead and ask that the food be dropped minutes before my arrival so it comes piping hot.

I grew up in the country, like- SUPER country. No people for miles, over an hour to the nearest small town. My great grandfather always made catfish for me whenever I would go into the small town to visit him. He passed away a few years ago, and I had accepted the fact that I'd never find catfish anything like my grandfather's. Until I found this place. I just moved here a couple months ago from Midland. I've tried different catfish places all over Texas and let me tell you, there's nothing like Ronnie's. The only bad reviews I see on here are people being impatient and not following directions. Seriously, who goes into an "employees only" section to demand their food at a restaurant?! Insane. Good food takes time, it's not fast food- it's Ronnie's Catfish. Get your act together and enjoy some good well seasoned fish!I'd recommend this place to anyone (and I do- all the time) Thank you Ronnie, for letting me finally get to taste my great- grandfather's catfish again.

I went to pick up a 10 piece fillet and a upon checking my order. All of my fillets were smashed into pieces. I take my fish back inside and show the girl in the front who then goes to the back and tells the cook. The cook begins to curse very loudly, saying that he's not cooking more fish and that the fish wasn't like that when he cooked it. He then comes out like he wants to fight and tells us that he's not gonna talk about this right now and leaves with an attitude. The girl at the front says she cannot give me a new order unless I pay and they do not give refunds. I have been eating at Ronnie's for years and this has never happened to me. I will never come back to this location again. Having sorry employees work at your store will forever hurt business. Responding: The girl at the front keeps trying to say that I intentionally smashed my fish...lol. I ordered food because I was hungry. What purpose do I have smashing my food while I'm hungry? that absolutely makes no sense especially when SHE SAID MY FOOD GOT SMASHED BECAUSE OF HER SITTING CONTAINERS ON TOP OF MY FOOD. For her to sit here and lie is crazy but I see the other reviews so I'm not surprised. I can't make this up. Please find another lie to post and by the way, the person that's responding is not the owner is the girl that works in the front. You don't have to ever worry about serving me again because you will never see a penny from me ever again. Y'all be carful ordering from this business. I'd go to another Ronnie's location since they are all owned by different people with different staff.

Not the same anymore. Went last night spent $32 and I tipped. I was a valued customer for years until the new owner took over recently. Got my order wrong. Fish was over cooked. Shrimp was soggy. Peppers tastes old. Fries were under cooked. Highly don't recommend anymore.