Sonny’s BBQ

Just to be clear, 5 stars was given as a warning flare to the unsuspecting. The worst Sonny’s I have ever been to. Service was horrible, food was marginal, and for a ¹⁄₃ full restaurant, and absolute embarrassment to all Sonny’s.
The bathroom floor was so greasy, I slid to the sink. This location ahold be closed.

All our food was cold, like really cold, shitty sides and rushed service. How can BBQ be cold?!? It comes off a friggin grill!!! My kids Mac and cheese was literally cold as fuck in the middle!
You know your food sucks when a 5 year old complains about the temp of it. We were deciding between McDonalds and Sonny’s, I had Sonny’s a few years ago and remembered that it was decent, I should have consulted Unilocal.Wish we got Mickey D’s.
Update: I received the same generic «we take these matters very serious, please email us at…» reply to my review that everyone else got. Maybe if they actually took the time to answer each bad review individually instead of sending everyone the same generic, crappy, corporate response, they wouldn’t be doing so poorly.

I’m only giving 1 star because I had to click something. I have never been to a place so disgusting and dirty. Rude servers, hostess’. Took 35 minutes to get our food was not busy at all, maybe 5 other tables in the restaurant 3 which already had food when we walked in. We watched our server bring our food to another table, set it down and then when they realized it wasn’t there’s (after they touched both entrees) the server took it back to the window. Then 2 minutes later brought it to us, I ordered pulled pork sandwich with fries and baked beans, my friend got a chicken plate all white with a baked potato, fries and a side of Mac n cheese. Baked beans and Mac n cheese both were not delivered. All of the food was cold. Her baked potato was a sweet potato and was the same one just in front of another guy at a different table. And they brought her the chicken dinner not the plate. So she sent it back and when the server went to bring it back I took the top toast off my sandwich to put sauce on it. But to my surprise there was already sauce squirted in a figure 8 kind of motion on it. When I asked my server what that was she rolled her eyes and said «pork». I told her I was aware, but why was there sauce already on it. She had nothing to say. i told her to take it away. She asked if I wanted a new one then got rude and rolled her eyes again when I said no. I asked her why she is serving food that has already been to a different table, she ignored me and would not make eye contact the rest of the time there. No manager ever came over. I was clearly pissed off and upset. She brought back another sweet potato and I had to go up to the counter to get a baked and they were rude as well. Called twice since and no one has gotten back to me. I’m disgusted. It’s one thing for the food to be cold/​messed up, etc. but to serve me food that someone else had touched and prepared to eat is pathetic. I will never be back and I will make sure everyone knows what goes on in there. I paid the 2.67 for my drink my server Amber told us we could pay at the counter or with her. she never came back after she brought my friend change and then asked me for my money when I was clearly not ready yet so we left it on the table and as we were out the first door she yelled «are you not going to pay for your drink» and all the other employees laughed. We turned around in shock, and told her it was on the table. I’d love to talk to a manager. But obviously no one cares there Disgusting !!!

Food took forever to show up and when it did most everything was completely cold. Sent our ribs back and once again took forever to come back. This place is a total joke! A rib place that can’t do ribs… oe fries, or beans, or garlic bread. All cold, all gross. Avoid this place!!!

This wasn’t the 1^st time to this Sonny’s. We go back occasionaly because my wife loves the sweet tea and when she wants bbq (which is not too often), this is where we go… But it will probaly be the last time we go. I only gave One Star because my wife’s chicken was actually cooked correctly and our server Holly was good. I would have been 0 stars, My Baby Back Ribs were a absolute Joke. We waited a long time for our food, which Holly warned us that it would be because the chicken takes a while. But when our plates came, My corn bread was brown and cold. My mac n cheese was bland and my ribs looked like tiny slivers of charred bbq sauce. My wife joked to me, «what kind of meat is that?» Because pork it didn’t look like. I was very hungry and because we waited I wasn’t about to send it back. It was sort of edible. As we were leaving the table next to us (who were sitting there for only a few minutes) food came. I joked with the server, what did they get? So I could order it next time because their ribs actually looked really good! The server said «baby back ribs». I was shocked! But I just left (still feeling hungry). I asked and Holly (who never asked us how our food was, probably because she knew it was a joke) said that we could just go pay up front, because I saw other people leaving and paying up front as well. My wife left ahead of me to the car and I stood there for 5 minutes as I watched 6 girls walk up to the counter, talk to themselves and absolutely ignore me. Finally I saw threw my hands in the air and said «hello, am I invisable?» And asked a girl in a sweater if she was the manger. A server comes over and said that she was the manager. So I told her, I wasn’t gonna complain, but after being ignored I had to say something. She took my bill which was on the counter the whole time and said sorry as she walked away. She took $ 5 off the bill… WHAT A JOKE. I’m not one complain, but I had too this time. Poor service, Horrible food, and I left STILL HUNGRY!

The food is good here, but the bathrooms are filthy. Please clean them. I will check back here to see if they took my advice.
This comment about the filthy bathrooms at sonny bbq is in sun city center Florida.

Since my Unilocal review, I have been contacted by several Sonny’s representatives as well as the manager of the restaurant I visited. I am pleased with their concern and their willingness to correct the issues. I am definitely planning on a return visit and will post my observations!

Love Sonnys, however been to this location 3 times for convenience. 2 of 3 times the service was slow and my favorite plate was very slim compared to other Sonnys locations.

The first time I ate here it was a horrific disappointment. I ordered the brisket and when it came it was cold, dry, sliced too thin and was from the day before, I could tell. I asked the waitress for today’s brisket and she brought me back brisket that was fresh, thicker sliced, so-​so hot, juicier but too juicy from too much fat and I’m a guy that likes a little fat on my brisket. The excess grease that saturated into the meat gave me heartburn which tells me someone doesn’t know to trim off some of the fat on the backside before cooking it. I only go there now because a certain person I have to eat with likes the baby-​back ribs there and wants to go there for them from time to time. The baby-​back ribs aren’t bad but I only give them a 3 to 4 out of 5. The dry rubbed ribs on the other hand are excellent, I would give them between 4 and 5 stars. The beans are a joke, (does everything deserve 1 star, Unilocal?) they are bland and it’s like they came straight out of a can or a big gallon sized plastic jug from the world famous «Bland Beans Factory» in Blandmore, Blandington. What good southern bar-​b-​que chef doesn’t know to throw some onion, pork and spice in their beans?!! C’mon! The corn bread is served cold and with no butter (really?!) and the garlic bread was cold as well. The atmosphere is a little cave like, hollow feeling and the carpet looks & smells dingy. Maybe a major remodel would help a lot throughout the whole joint. I didn’t pay much attention to it because the waitress did smile but it didn’t seem sincere. I recall all the staff appeared unhappy with all the long faces which threw up some red flags. All in all, Sonny’s in Sun City Center isn’t totally bad if you know what to avoid ordering so as a food friend, here’s a tip: Order the Smoked Chicken and Dry Rubbed Ribs combo and good luck with hot breads, butter, and side orders. The tea is just ok and I wonder about the overall cleanliness of the place. Sorry this was so long winded but as they say, «All that is required for bad food to prevail is for good taste buds to do nothing.»

This was a moderate Sonny’s experience. I have been to many locations, this one definitely needs some TLC… food was average but service was great… will return only when then clean up the place or renovate

The food was good standard Sonny’s fare. Our server Niki was wonderful! She was very friendly and checked on us frequently.

Average BBQ. Service could need work. Not a real busy location.

A childhood classic that grew up a larger chain with me. Love their good deal sandwiches and the Gaelic bread. You must try their corn nuggets. Awesome good, friendly staff always. Love this place!

Sonny’s BBQ was one of my first stabs at eating southern food in another location. So, no matter which Sonny’s I try, I always have some type of memory recall of enjoying my first Florida southern pulled pork sandwich and the like.
Naples does not have a Sonny’s BBQ, so we go out of our way to pull off the highway at the Sun City Center/​Ruskin exit to quickly run through the drive-​thru if we’re traveling north or south on 75. The location is convenient for those who are looking for something to eat quick like us. Not sure how convenient is for those who live in the area, but it surely works for us.
There’s not much to write about a chain bbq place, but I think my three stars have to do with a certain familiarization with that sweet bbq taste and the trustworthiness of what they serve. It’s amazing how many bbq places do not serve corn nuggets or have their pulled pork look and taste as if it had been sitting in bath water for a while. Although I’m not uberly wowed by Sonny’s, but at least I know exactly what I’ll get, and that’s consistency. With that said, I just so happened to order a new item on my way to Tampa just cuz. It was a Sweet Carolina sandwich. It had a sweet pulled pork with a sweet sauce and coleslaw on a bun. It was a nice way to veer off the pulled pork on texas toast, especially when you’re in the car and don’t want to mess with having to put stuff on your sandwich.
Our drive-​thru experience has been spot on from all the times I can remember. It never takes a lot of time, and they’ve gotten our order right. With the amount of times I’ve opened up a bag a few miles down the road to realize that they’ve missed something at other drive-​thrus, have been way too many. So, my somewhat lowered expectations have been met? (Now I’m singing «Lowered Expectations» from MadTV). They’re also pretty friendly there too.
I can’t remember what my dine-​in restaurant experience was there, but I can guarantee that it’s good as it gets through the drive-​thru. When the magic door opens and you’re greeted with the wafting smell of bbq while being handed a monstrous sweet tea, you’ll thank me.

This is the second time my family and I have gone to Sonny’s in Sun City. The first time the BBQ was not very good, but I wanted to try them again to make sure it was just not a bad night.
Tonight we showed up and waited by the hostess desk several minutes before any employee acknowledged that we were even there. After being told «they would be right with us», we waited almost six minutes for someone to return to the front to seat us. I can understand if they were short staffed, but there were three waitress standing around doing nothing. In fact I believe one was counting her tips.
While waiting, I watched as a waitress and the cook got into an argument. The waitress walked away and a few minutes return to say that she needed another beef sandwich. The cook was visibly upset and started slamming food on the counter. At one point he slammed some food down hard enough to have it spill out on the counter. He scooped it up and put the food back into the dish.
My family and I left and drove a block away to another BBQ place and ate there. I will never visit Sonny’s again.

Cleanliness is not a strong suit for this location. Carpet has seen it’s better days, ceiling tiles are dusty, and all together the place could use a deep cleaning. The staff is friendly and attentive. Regarding food, it is what it is… chain restaurant BBQ.

I have gone to Sonny’s a lot in the past and have enjoyed my meals. But today I went to the salad and it looked a mess. There were empty bowls not being filled. After what seemed like 5 minutes I asked for the bowls to be filled. There were people ahead of me that were content to get what was there. This place was better than this. There was pride in all areas. Not today hope it gets better. Oh yeah crab egg salad, instead of chicken salad. What’s crab doing in a BarbQ
Place…

After a morning of blueberry picking, hubby and I were quite parched and hungry. We were driving home through Sun City when we saw a familiar place, Sonny’s. Although not out regular Sonny’s in Brandon, how different could it be, so we stopped in.
OMG… This place was horrendous. Seems all Sonny’s really need a facelift. Certainly not very appealing to the eye. Outdated and dirty is the theme. I ordered my regular pulled pork sandwich with fries. Well, it came out on garlic toast, we ordered rolls. Then when I opened my corrected sandwich, I could not believe the amount of fat I pulled out of it. Disgusting. Someone in the kitchen was not doing their job. I hardly had any pork left when done getting rid of the fat. My appetite was going downhill. The fries, usually crispy on the outside and meaty on the in (in Brandon) anyhow, were dry and cold… and I had to give them my kiss of death «ketchup» to eat them. This was a terrible experience. Oh, and one complaint in general for Sonny’s, why do you serve your beverages in quart sized plastic cups? I can only imagine how much money literally goes down the drain with each order. Way too much liquid!
If driving through Sun City it would definitely behoove you to stay clear of this place. That is of course unless you enjoy utter disappointment!!!

Location, location, location. We’ve all heard this saying but it was never truer when wife and I stopped into the Sun City store for lunch. I love Sonnys and our regular spot in Brandon shines, always teetering between four and five stars. We couldn’t wait to get out of here. From getting our orders wrong, to the giant slug of fat in wife’s pulled pork sandwich to a piece of bone in mine. Ok, we give, sorry Brandon, we will never stray again.
Do yourself a favor, drive the extra miles to Brandon.

I ordered the pulled pork platter with fries, beans, and the garlic butter Texas Toast. I noticed on the menu that the all you can eat option was only a dollar more. As it was, the regular platter was more than enough for me. The pulled pork came out dry. There is a choice of 4 sauces on the table for your meat. They were all good, but I was partial to the sweet spicy sauce. The salad bar option looked decent with plenty of offerings, but I skipped it. Food was decent. I like the flavor of the pulled pork. Nothing exceptional though.
The restaurant was fair sized with three long rows of booths with a few tables at the rear. Country music was the background noise. There is an almost separate take out area with its own door near the entrance. Not a bad option for the area.