"Initially, I had a very disappointing experience during my first visit. I ordered the Smoky Pepperjack Turkey Sandwich with a side of mac and cheese. While the sandwich was decent, it lacked any vegetables and was essentially just meat and cheese with some mustard on bread. The mac and cheese, although creamy, was bland and tasteless. I left a two-star review and didn't plan to return.
However, after posting my review, the restaurant group reached out to me for more feedback on my experience. They seemed genuinely interested in my thoughts and invited me to try another meal at McAlister's. My second visit was a much more positive experience. I chose one of the dishes recommended by the customer service representative: the BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado) along with a fresh fruit salad and unsweetened iced tea.
While the tea was lacking, the fruit salad contained surprisingly small pieces of unripe cantaloupe and honeydew, with just one piece of pineapple. Apparently, some customers request "just pineapple," and the rest of the salad is adjusted accordingly. However, the sandwich was amazing—loaded with avocado, nice bacon, plenty of fresh vegetables on good bread, and just the right amount of mayonnaise. I noticed that salt and pepper are usually added to this sandwich, so I made sure to ask for it without salt.
Overall, if you know what to order, you can have a very satisfying meal here at great value. My main concerns are that the menu includes too many unhealthy items (some cakes have over 1100 calories), excess salt is added to many sandwiches unnecessarily, and several sandwiches don't come with vegetables at all. Additionally, the fruit salad melons were unripe and not well-sized. Based on these factors, I would typically rate my experience as three stars. However, due to the outstanding customer service I received both online and in the restaurant, I feel a four-star review is justified. If you have an issue, McAlister's is committed to resolving it, which makes a big difference in my overall impression."
