Sonny’s BBQ

Hi,
The date is May 26, 2016 and we just left Sonny’s this evening after a bad experience. We were leaving my daughter’s awards ceremony at Buchholz High School and the family wanted to treat her to dinner. Our in laws had driven out from Morriston to celebrate with her. She chose Sonny’s and we arrived at the restaurant at around 8:30 pm. From the time that we walked into Sonny’s we just felt like no one wanted to help us. We felt like they were just ready to close and get out of there. There were 6 of us and they seated us at a booth. We requested a table instead. The table was the round one in the far left corner because all of the other tables were dirty. The hostess told me that we could not sit at that particular table because that section was closed. The table was right next to the open section… I mean really… our server could not walk about 5 more feet to serve us at that table. She acted like it was such a hassle and a bother. We just decided to stay at the booth. Then, the food server treats us so rudely… she also acts like she doesn’t want to be there and she just wants to rush us out of there. No personality… no smile. We received our drinks and appetizers. My father in law orders endless ribs. He is a 70 year old grown man… then it felt like we were in maximum security as she talks down to my father in law like he is a child. You CAN NOT take any ribs in a to go box and you CAN NOT share any ribs with anyone. He felt humiliated. She insisted that she was in the right… she says it’s corporate and that is how they want us to do it. My husband was upset about seeing his father be disrespected. Then my husband spoke with the manager and she started spewing the corporate mumbo jumbo like a robot as well. Then the food server brought us our check and basically made us feel like we were done and we were leaving. We paid $ 20 for drinks that we didn’t drink and we took our okra with us. It was unreal… they basically all just wanted us to get out of there… we never felt welcome in the first place. We eat at Sonny’s on a regular basis and we have never been treated so poorly by so many people. (The hostess, the foodserver, and the manager) They just stuck together and acted like they were all mighty and they had no concern about customer service for us! Everything they did and how they treated us was all ‘that’s how corporate wants us to do it!’ Enough already! Goodbye Sonny’s we will take our money elsewhere!

If you are in Gainesville and you want BBQ you need to hit Sonny’s. Make sure you go on a very empty stomach as the portions are huge. Service is pretty friendly and quick. The foods is amazingly delicious and pricing is reasonable.
This is a Gainesville must do.

Would NOT recommend — has to be the very bottom of the Sonny’s chain. Worst ever– drive through took 25 minutes from order to food. And order was wrong and food cold. Where is the manager in this place? Hey, owner you’re losing money– Gainesville natives do not go to restaurants that obviously don’t care about their customers.

My boyfriend took me here for my first time and it was amazing! However our waitress had the sniffles, so I was little bit concerned.
I love their homemade corn bread!
Their southern egg rolls were delicious!

Never a disappointment. Stopped in for a good bite and that’s what we got! The menu has a lot to choose from and a great selection of sides. I enjoyed the salad bar.

Pleasant surprise. Would not have associated BBQ with Florida. This chain started in Gainesville has pork, beef, chicken and turkey.
Tried the pulled and sliced pork along with brisket. All fantastic — juicy and tender. They have four BBQ sauces to try at each table.
Pricing is reasonable — seems to vary slightly from store to store. Definitely a good value and you will leave full!

The server made this visit 4 instead of 3 stars. The turkey was good, the sweet tea was really good, but no carrots and celery on the salad bar anymore, and the ranch dressing (which I normally adore Sonny’s ranch) was so salty I couldn’t finish my salad. I’ve made that ranch when I used to work here and I don’t have any idea how someone made it taste like 2 shakers full of salt had been dumped in, unless they did just that. There also wasn’t any soup on the salad bar like usual. Didn’t ask about the cobbler tonight. The server was very attentive and nice, which really saved it from being just an okay dinner.

I have found this Sonny’s location to be solid, efficient, and convenient. I occasionally drop in here for lunch. If you like Sonny’s then this location shouldn’t disappoint you.
The wait staff have always been quick to get my party seated, take our orders, and get our orders out on the table. I haven’t had a meal here yet that wasn’t prepared to Sonny’s specifications.
We’ve all eaten at a Sonny’s or two that left us thinking what just happened? That wasn’t the Sonny’s I know. This isn’t one of those. My experience here has been good and consistent.
The food and wait staff at this particular location has always been a step above most other Sonny’s restaurants at the lunch hour. I have not been here in the evening. My favorite meal at Sonny’s is the soup and salad bar. Salad bars aren’t very popular in this neck of the woods so Sonny’s is a treat for me.
Tip: You can get soup and salad bar with a side of meat for a great price.
Parking can get full during peak times meaning you’ll have to park out back and walk a little. Not a big deal unless its pouring cats and dogs outside. The back lot can have a few mean puddles in it.
Bathrooms are remodeled not too long ago and are clean! Woot! No boogers on walls, urine on the floor, and I won’t mention the atrocities that can happen in a stall. These lavatories were near sparkling. Nice. Paper towel machines all in working order too. Keep up the good work.
If you’re not a Sonny’s fan then move along. I’m a fan. I get tired of people bashing Sonny’s. Thats a whole different argument not to be held on Unilocal.Get over it.
If you made it this far I owe you my thanks and respect for your time. Please oblige me by clicking one of the buttons below to let me know what you thought of my review. Thanks again!

this is the place I look forward to going to. I am probably Sonny’s biggest fan. I love my BBQ and every time I come here it’s amazing. I have never had a bad experience

Smoked dark meat chicken takes like grizzle and boiled. Pulled pork… is more like sliced ham… the brisket… tastes like wet meat. None of their products have a good smoke flavor, or even a quality smoke ring. Everything fro. The chicken to pork was as dry as paper… Horrible… just horrible.

Going to Sonny’s — particularly *this* Sonny’s — is one of the things I look forward to when I am in Gainesville. Apparently, people in other parts of the country have no concept of how to BBQ chicken, but Sonny’s does it to perfection. The chicken is truly BBQed, not roasted or grilled with a little BBQ sauce dabbed on. The salad bar is great — they use that same BBQ chicken in their chicken salad — and the sides are also good. I like to get the corn bread with cinnamon butter instead of garlic toast. Ask for it and you will not be disappointed. This location — friendly service, family-​friendly atmosphere, and usually pretty easy getting in & out.

Basic BBQ that is consistently tasty with good service. Not the best BBQ I’ve ever had, but you can always find a Sonny’s and you’ll know it’ll be a fast, filling, quality meal. Oh and the staff is nice.

Sonny’s is what it is. Food is obviously frozen– I say this first hand as I was served my meal with the meat still frozen. Twice. There are so many great BBQ restaurants in town that are local (not chain), better priced, and don’t use frozen meat… please try them instead.

Great BBQ chain, the BBQ chicken was very good. So was the pulled pork BBQ sandwich.

It’s probably the BEST BBQ in Gainesville… I have tried lots of others and always regret not just going to Sonny’s. The prices are very reasonable too.

I love Sonny’s sliced pork doused in their sweet BBQ sauce! I’ve loved it ever since I got my first taste as a UF freshman back in the 90s. Give it to me on that thick garlic bread with a side of crinkle fries, ranch sauce, and a bucket-​sized tumbler full of sweet-​iced tea, and I am in BBQ heaven!!! This is all I ever order when I eat there. I cannot find pork served like this anywhere else. Whenever I’m back in town, it is one of the first stops I make.
This location on 39^th Ave is great, probably my favorite of the 3 locations in Gainesville. Usually not as crowded as the one on Archer Rd. Looks nearly brand new inside. I think they renovated not too long ago. Service is top-​notch. The server who handled our party of 9 was friendly and attentive, and our drinks never got low. Our food came out hot and fresh. My family members liked the salad bar too. No complaints here. I’ll definitely be back on my next visit to Gainesville.

We have a all new Sonny’s! It’s clean and my husband loves the TV’s. The food is the same not bad. Sonny’s has the best iced tea.
If you want BBQ pulled pork stop here but I take my guests to conestogas over Sonnys. Nothing against Sonnys but conestogas is local and their hamburgers are the best in the area. Plus they have a wide range of items on their menu.

This is a great family place, I enjoy the casual atmosphere and its good to go with kids, the salad bar is great and the sweet tea !! I love the BBQ sauces and the corn nuggets are even better.

Thursday Night Baby Back Ribs, the usual fries and sides, the very large glass of water that requires two hands, it’s all good, just not OMG good like it should be when you have to lick your fingers clean and can’t possibly order a second round because your tummy is full from the keg of water you just downed. Never calls me back unless I can’t think of anywhere else to eat and protein is in order.

«It is what it is.»
And what it is, is not great but not bad. The ribs will not «blow you away» by any means; but they are not bad. They do, however, make a respectable pulled pork sandwich (with mayo and a slice of Swiss please) and the smoked turkey is actually pretty good.
All in all I feel as though this location in particular is one of the better ones and, so long as I am ordering the sandwich, it’s enough to quell a hankerin’ for some ‘Q’ until the opportunity for better BBQ arises.