Chicken Shack was founded by John and Lola Sobeck in 1956. After leaving the army, John wanted employment where he wouldn’t be fired and where he could leave something of value to his children. After tasting broasted chicken for the first time, John decided to open his own restaurant.
The original restaurant was so popular that they frequently sold out of chicken. John experimented with numerous recipes and began broasting their own chickens. Many of the recipes that John and Lola created are still used today, including the sauce on the ribs and the coleslaw.
Today, the company has 21 locations in and around the greater Detroit area. The Sobeck children and grandchildren own and operate the business, which is rumored to be expanding outside of Detroit in the next few years.
Chicken ShackChicken Shack was founded by John and Lola Sobeck in 1956. After leaving the army, John wanted employment where he wouldn’t be fired and where he could leave something of value to his children. After tasting broasted chicken for the first time, John decided to open his own restaurant.
The original restaurant was so popular that they frequently sold out of chicken. John experimented with numerous recipes and began broasting their own chickens. Many of the recipes that John and Lola created are still used today, including the sauce on the ribs and the coleslaw.
Today, the company has 21 locations in and around the greater Detroit area. The Sobeck children and grandchildren own and operate the business, which is rumored to be expanding outside of Detroit in the next few years.
Chicken shack on Van dyke rd sterling height Mi. The worst place to eat at. these people don’t care what leave out of their kitchen. How can you mess up $80 order. Everything we receive was burned everything tastes as if they cooked all the food and very very old oil and just didn’t care at all. Mark Sobeck how can someone like yourself change these bad habits that your restaurant have. I have visited just about everyone restaurants and michigan and the only one that doing their job is the one on 19 mile Garfield Mi. plz do something about the other store that just horrible
Chicken Shack lost a loyal customer tonight. I placed an order at the St Clair Shores location at 5:22 pm via telephone. I was given a total answer told there was a 45 minute wait. My brother went to the order up and they had no record of the order. He called me to confirm he was at the correct location, I gave the phone number I called and asked him to verify the number. The employee kept walking away. He was at the right location. My brother asked if they wanted to take his order; employee walked away. I called and spoke with manager, who told me “oh well, orders get lost in the system sometimes when we’re busy”. I said I understand things happen, but I would in the interest in customer relations/service, an offer to take the order and expedite it would have been nice. His response, “oh well”. I told him I would be contacting corporate; he said “bye, do what you want”.
We have a Chicken Shack near us that usually has poor customer service. The food is so good, we overlook it. This time, the ribs were burnt, and tough. Chicken was dry and overcooked. I called to talk to someone there. They said there was no manager, and that I could bring back the food for a replacement. We Door Dashed the meal in the first place because I couldn’t leave the house. I told her that. Asked if there was any recourse, she hung up on me. So, now, I won’t go there for any reason. Your service has gone downhill, and this is pre pandemic too.
Yesterday evening at 5:36pm, my husband and I went to the Westland, MI Chicken Shack located at 34850 West Warren Rd.
We have bought Chicken Shack dinners from other locations for more than 20 years and loved the food and the service.
However, yesterdays meals were terrible.
My broasted potatoes had several hard French fries mixed within them. The chicken was was greasy, dry, and overcooked. I ordered one large coleslaw and was given and charged for two , but both were inedible. The slaw had a grayish color and foul smell.
Only the drive thru was open so we took our meals and discovered all of this after we left. This is the only time we have had a bad meal from a Chicken Shack . This was our first and definitely last time visiting this Westland Chicken Shack Store.
Grosse Pointe Mack location has a horrible staff. I know it is hard to find competent employees. BUT, here is my 2021 experience. Without going through the ugly details, the employees are: hostile and angry; slow with a “hell with the customer” attitude, and grossly INCOMPETENT. I will never, ever, ever return to this snake pit. The founding Sobecks are rolling in their graves. So sad.
I ordered Chicken Shack from Livonia, MI a chicken and rib dinner my food was burnt and had old grease taste. I order from here all the time and never experienced this I went back-up their and they didn’t want to give me a fresh order.
We spend over 60.00 every time we order. Now that we live in Clarkston mi. We go to the sashabaw store. First I want say the staff are always wonderful. But the last couple times our food is not the great food it use to be and the prices seem to be up ( as I know the economy is messed up) but the quality of the food is not up to par. The mushrooms were kind of smashed not as crisp and missing batter. The chicken was burnt on one side I have a phot of the chicken. The cod was not as crisp either. It was all for Father’s Day dinner so I had no choice but serve it. It’s a crazy world right now but with money being tight and prices up The chicken was awful. I hate to complain. Again the staff at that Sashabaw store are excellent.
Sincerely Mrs Helzer- Jackson
I called Chicken Shack in Southfield, MI and I think it is very rude to answer the phone and say “Thank you for calling Chicken Shack we are not taking no call in orders or no more walk in orders” and it’s only 3:00 in the afternoon. They should just take the phone off the hook and leave the line busy. So I decided to call the Chicken Shack in Livonia, MI after the Southfield location hung up on me. I was able to place my order with the Livonia location. The young lady informed me that it was going to be an hour wait until my order was ready. I was ok with waiting an hour because I was busy. I waited about an hour and a half before I went to pick my food up. When I got there, it was a lot of angry customers waiting in the lobby. I paid for my food and the cashier told me it was going to be a 30 minute wait. I was livid. I asked for my money back because I refused to wait any longer. I gave them an extra 30 minutes already. It do not take 2 hours to get an order ready. The cashier went and got the manager and she refused to give me my money back. She told me it was impossible because they don’t do refunds. I have never heard of anything like this before at a restaurant. I told her to either bring me my food within 2 minutes or you will refund my money. If this is a policy of yours that you do not do refunds, you guys need to change that policy. If I decide to change my mind about eating here, you cannot force me to take the food anyway. They end up giving me my food within 2 minutes, but I will never patronize Chicken Shack again. Both Southfield and Livonia employees need customer service training. I also hate that you have to pay for bbq sauce. That should come with your chicken order. Now if I ask for extra, yes then you should charge me. Also, I do not like you cannot switch up how you want you chicken. You guys need to get it together.
I’m a customer that usually never complains about dinner issues, unless it’s something very disturbing. I understand things can happen so I usually brush it off, but today was a disaster of a night getting dinner. I tried calling Chicken Shack in Lincoln Park since it’s the closest one to my house. I called 5 times and never received an answer. My son and I drove up there to place our order; I first order what my husband wanted, the cod dinner, the reply “we no longer carry that” ok I’ll get his second choice, ribs and onion rings. I then order what my son wants, pulled pork sandwich, the reply “sorry we don’t make that anymore either”. I’m now thinking ok what on your menu do you make still??!! Anyway I finished placing our order and she tells me the total 64.00!!!!! What?! For 3 people for chicken tenders, ribs and potatoes. Ok ok, it’s fine it will taste great now worries right! Wrong! Before my order is even finished, we get told “um so I’m sorry but we are out of onion rings.” So pretty much they had nothing that my husband actually wanted to eat. Let’s add on the fact that every single employee in there couldn’t stop from saying “f**k’ in between every other that came out of thier mouth, on two separate occasions while our dinner was supposed to be being prepared, not one employee could be seen, but you could hear them off in the back laughing and carrying on. Listen I understand you have to have fun at work sometimes but this was not the time. They had other customers meals just sitting open on the counter. Last but not certainly least, as we sat there waiting for our food, there was an overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke as if someone was sitting right next to us smoking. I will never in my life step foot in that Chicken Shack ever!
We began going to Chicken Shack every Friday night since the delivery and pick up were allowed due to the covid-19. We went out of our was to pickup the chicken bites, shack potatoes, mushrooms a 2 ice teas. We truly enjoyed our meals and we also enjoyed the employees working there. But recently we have stayed away because the chicken bites that we got changed and were not as good as they were. They tasted like McDonald’s chicken nuggets, if we wanted nuggets we could go down the street for those. Today, we gave the shack another try, the employees were the same nice people but the bites were still the McDonald nuggets instead of the special tasting shack bites.. Please go back to the bites that we all loved before this change.
I’m so with you so disappointing about the chicken bites. We would literally eat there chicken bite bucket 2 times a week. The new ones are disgusting they look freezer burnt. Y’all shouldn’t have fixed something that wasn’t broken Now I won’t eat there anymore.
I ordered 5 drumsticks for my kids at the Westland, MI store. The price was just over $15! I asked to talk to a manager and she confirmed the price. She said there was nothing she could do, that corporate sets the prices. I asked for the corporate phone number and she said I would have to call the store on Woodward to get the number because she didn’t have it. I can’t believe that Chicken Shack would charge $3.00 per drumstick. Is this really your policy?
To whom this may concern, I’m a neighbor to chik shack in livonia, I’ve contacted corporate twice now in last yr, can u please pick up Trash daily in lot it is all over, talked to mgt, about this nothing is getting done. Flying in our yard daily, and in street, customers dropping garbage in lot also, my next call is to health dept. There are people used masks and gloves in grass, very unhealthy for the public, ty
I ordered carry out from the Chicken Shack on Valle Verde in Henderson, NV. I got 12 extra crispy cajun wings and 12 honey bbq wings. I live 5 minutes away. I ordered this to have right before heading to the airport out of town. When I went to eat the extra crisp wings it was not crispy at all. I tried to eat one and took a bite of a 2nd one to see if it was crispier and it wasn’t. Things happen and I can live with that. I called the restaurant and asked if I could have a credit for when I got back in town. I offered to save the wings so I could show them they were not crispy at all. The “assistant manager” said she made them crispy by cooking them one minute longer and she couldn’t do anything. I asked if there was an owner or general manager I could speak to. This gentlemen got on the phone (he didn’t say his name) and said “what do you need”. Not a great start but I was a GM of Red Lobster for 15 years so I wasn’t too worried. I explained what I was asking for and he said “why would we do anything for you”. I told him because the food was disgusting and I couldn’t eat it. I explained I have never ordered during the day only in the evening and this has never happened. He asked if I dined in or out (which he knew already because I heard the assistant tell him it was carryout). I told him I live 5 minutes away, I always get it to go and it’s always been perfect in the past. HE LITERALLY LAUGHED AND SAID “IT’S CALLED SCIENCE” AND WAS LAUGHING at me. I get treated better at a McDonald’s drive thru window than my experience today. I’ve been a loyal customer to chicken shack (because the food has always been great before today) but I do not see myself ever stepping foot in Chicken Shack again. I do not typically wish bad things to happen to anyone but I hope this person loses his job. If this is how I was treated and I was being nice, friendly and simply asking for my food to be recooked I cannot even imagine how he treats other customers or his employees.
My niece and I went to the the Chicken Shack on Mack in Grosse Pointe and the food was HORRIBLE! I purchased a four piece dinner a large cole slaw and a large $4.51 bottle of b-b-que sauce. The dinner and cole slaw cost $18.00, that’s a total of $22.51. My niece purchased a four piece chicken dinner and two bar-b-que sauces. Her total was $15.00. After waiting for 20 minutes we went home to eat. The potato’s were cold hers had NO BUTTER on them, I ordered my butter on the side hers should have been on it however there was no butter on her potatoes and none in her bag. The chicken taste like it was cooked in old grease. The cole slaw was dry no juice in it at all, it was horrible. I live downstairs from my niece so she went up to eat, after about five minutes she called me and said this is the worse chicken shack I have ever eaten at. We both had the same comments about the food. It was absolutely horrible!!!!!! I will never eat there again. Apparently the food was terrible since we both experienced and had the same response. It’s very disappointing to be hungry and have a taste for their food only to get home and the food was actually nasty. She and I will never visit Chicken Shack on Mack in Grosse Pointe again. I would love to get a response and voucher from the Headquarters to go to another Chicken Shack to replace my order. I will be sending my receipts to the Headquarters and requesting a response.
A small complaint on 8-15-19 around about 7pm I ordered a eight piece – got home and it was only six pieces in my order – I call back talk with someone and they told me I could come back and I let them know I don’t live on that side of town-so he ask me my phone number and told me he would put me in the BOX so the next time I came in I could receive my other two piece of chicken and that was the end of our Conversation then about two minutes later I receive a call back from Chicken Shack asking me my first and last name to go along with my number and that was the end of the conversation – So the next time I had a taste for my favorite chicken I went in place my new order then told him about my old order I was told I wasn’t in the box ?so I will not be returning to that location remember none of the locations are on my side of town Thanks for listening!
To whom this may concern,
I would like to take this opportunity to explain an issue I encountered on Thursday the 30th of May at approx. 7:32 pm at the
Chicken Shack on Sunset Rd. with Sunset way ( Henderson,Nv) with the individual at the cash register named Eddie.
I approached the counter and kindly greeted the gentleman but no “Hello , welcome” or ”
Hi how are you “, just whats your order? I asked for 20 piece fingers and proceeded to ask for the flavors when he interrupts me and says “You can only choose two flavors.” I looked at him, completely perplexed and replied ” I come here at least once a week for over a year and I have always been able to choose three flavors or even four, its 20 pieces? He answered extremely rude and said, ” They just doing it wrong, the cash register say 2 flavors!” So I asked, I am unable to choose another flavor, just 2? Which he answered inappropriately once again ” Like I said 2! I was then forced to buy 5 more fingers, that I did not want so I could get another sauce on it. I then handed Eddie my card that should have been stamped and he says ” That’s for the menu .” I said yes, but I have purchased 5 times the price of the menu haven’t I? And I have been always stamped. He then became very very nasty and said: ” Read the stamp, it says menu and I’m not stamping it.” At that point, I became irritated and asked for his name and who was the supervisor, he pointed to a guy that was in the kitchen throwing a piece of chicken across the kitchen to another employee, while laughing with another employee. I felt no desire to talk to him for his demeanor was not that of a responsible supervisor, but of a teenager having fun and goofing off at work, so I decided not to speak to him. While waiting for my order ( praying that the piece of chicken flying through the kitchen was not part of my order) a gentleman walked in that Eddie clearly knew, for he was friendly and said ” what’s up man? How you doing? Haven’t seen you in a while.” While they were chatting the gentleman ordered a 7.99$ menu and Eddie proceeded to stamp his card not once or twice but three times!! Yes, I said 3 times!!!! Eddie did it right in front of my face and smirked! At that point, I received my food and left. I was very disappointed with the whole situation but figured I would get nowhere with the supervisor. Notwithstanding, I decided to call and follow the chain of command. I proceeded to call the supervisor by the name of Mickey. I explained what had happened, and to my utter surprise, he said: “He’s a cool guy, he just following the rules, the register says 2 flavors, ” I then asked So everyone else is just doing it wrong? For a year, every week? Please tell me where does it say that I can only choose 2 flavors? It’s not up on the board nor is it on the brochure/menu. And why does Eddie have to be so rude and unpleasant, that is not customer service? His response to all my questions was ” Well, you can’t please everyone.” I said, “Excuse me, what did you just say?” and he repeated the same sentence again!
Not once, during the conversation did Mickey (supervisor) apologize, not ONCE nor did he seem to care that a habitual customer had a complaint. Furthermore, I was NOT asking for anything different than every other week, why have I been able to choose more sauces for over a year and now I cannot. Why am I forced to buy extra pieces that I do not want nor need to get an extra flavor? This is not customer service, I as well as anyone else should walk out happy to eat some good chicken, not upset that you can’t have your chicken like you always had it, and that you were treated poorly and with lack of respect and consideration, not just by the employee but also by the supervisor.
I have a very big event coming up at work and I had suggested your establishment to cater to the staff of 150, ( I am a supervisor at a high-end hotel on the strip) but after the treatment received, I have decided to take my business elsewhere and have chosen Raising Cane’s instead. I myself will not be going to Chicken Shack anytime soon and will definitely not be able to recommend your establishment to any of my guests or friends. It is a pity that something so simple like a warm welcome or a smile, or extra sauce to please a guest is so easy to do, but instead receive an attitude, nastiness, and an unwillingness to give adequate customer service.
Respectfully,
Veronica Jayo
The chicken shack on mack ave in Grosse Pointe is really bad. I ordered a slab dinner and when I got it home there was hair in my food. I called and they said they could not help it if loose hair was flying around. I also told them in all my years of supporting this location I never saw potatoes on the floor. Food boxes and meat. It was filthy. I told I would be contacting corporate
My church has always supported this location. We have a 5,000 member congregation and the complaints are mounting.
I decided to order Chicken Shack for lunch today. I ordered the Cod Snack which was almost $9 in price. Not to mention the price has gone up drastically over the past couple of years for a snack, but why was the quality so bad? The quality of food that was provided to me at the Chicken Shack at the Detroit Location did not compare to what I receive in the suburb locations. Is there any particular reason why the quality of the food is such a major difference? I ordered the cod snack and basically got 3 fish sticks….. for $9 with some cold potatoes. I have been eating Chicken Shack since I have worked in Royal Oak Michigan going to the location on 11mile back in the early 1990’s and I have never seen or experienced anything like what I have today. Is it that, you could care less what’s served to the Detroit patrons? The potatoes were cold and there is no excuse for the fish sticks. I am requesting that someone respond to this email, also the person that placed an order with me was dissatisfied with her food as well. Please, do not ignore this message. I don’t have money to throw away on food that is not adequate. I just for the life of me cannot understand why there is such a difference in the quality of food that is served in the city verse what I receive in the suburbs. A lot of individuals would just take it as a loss and move on, but I cannot, not today! I will be looking forward to hearing from someone. Even the facilities were not adequate. May I have ketchup, ” We don’t have ketchup packets you have to use the bottle to squirt it in the container” (like I’m at an amusement park) . That doesn’t happen in the suburbs, potatoes sitting in trays on the floor …. I shouldn’t see that. Close the place down if that’s the best you can do. Thank you.
Chicken shack on northwestern highway in southfield is horrible. POOR customer service!!!! The workers move like zombies!!! I am wondering if this one was sold as a franchise. The one in royal oak. On woodward is awesome. The original owners would be very disappointed. I hope someone see this comment from the corp office
Ordered Slab off Ribs Saturday 8/25/18 at the St. Clair Shores Chicken Shack and am not pleased with the quality of the ribs i received. One half slab had no meat on rhe top of the bones. Plus both were small 1/2 slabs. Used to get decent amount of ribs from chicken shack but not any more. They tasted fantastic …. not overcooked. But quantity is lacking for the price. My opinion. Thank you for listening. I have pictures i can send to an email if u like. Grace Altobello
I just wanted to say good bye. this may not reach who it should but i’m done with forcing my business on you! this is the last time i will deal with poor customer service, missed items and complete b.s. from chicken shack. yes this happens everywhere but tonight i choose chicken shack and once again i was let down. at the clawson location on 14 mile, you guys have a “new system” that does not accept YOUR OWN GIFT CARDS!! and only a simple “oh well attitude” i paid the bill and walked out. i’ll be handing off this gift card with a warning to be sure they can use it before they even order. i tried to reach out to “someone” but the auto-response was no help. so good bye.