What a super cool place, great food and great service plus the singing servers are really good...

One of the worst dining choices we have made. It was way too loud. I don't like to hear advertising for products throughout my entire meal. Two people at my table ordered "state fair" food. The menu said corn dogs, they were corn dog nuggets. My chicken salad was....well let's say I couldn't tell if it was chicken or tuna. I complained, they waved the bill, they were nice about that. Will not ever return nor ever recommend. read more

We enjoyed the music and food on our visit to Branson. The singing varied from good to amazing, and the food was perfectly what we expected. Sandwiches, Salads, and Onion Rings were ordered, all were good. It was a fun experience. read more

We didn't eat most of our food. Ham burger had a weird taste, waitress said we weren't first people who said that. Tasteless philly cheese, fried green beans had zero seasoning, so no flavor. Wouldn't go back,, nice friendly employees though. read more

really good restaurant with a really cute server boy who sang for everyone i'm in love with him and i want to marry him now the food is AMAZING EAT HERE RIGHT NOW I WILL BUTN DOWN EVERY OTHER RESTAURANT TO GET YOU TO EAT HERE alright that's all good place 10/10 would eat here again except i don't live here :'( read more

Mel's Hard Luck Diner - Diners Near Me - Branson, Missouri

Fun place where the waiters/waitresses take turns singing while you eat. Great service, and they were accommodating for food allergies.

Great 50s diner atmosphere and good for. Servers are friendly and attentive and their great singing is an added bonus!

I love this place! While the food is great, the singing servers are even better! The servers sing songs throughout your meal. They sing all kinds of music such as Gospel, Country, Movie themes, and Christmas music. The burgers are good too. read more

What a fun find. A 50's style restaurant. Where all the servers are singers! Yes someone is always signing. The food was good too!! This is a place to take the family. read more

We planned to go here as a family of 8 our first day in Branson. I thought our kids would enjoy the singers, and they did. The food was a major disappointment. Kids meals are $7 each, which is reasonable, but the cheeseburgers they (& my husband) ordered were terrible. They tasted like school cafeteria patties--no flavor and not a real ground beef texture. When my husband asked, before ordering, if he could get his burger medium rare, our server even told us that the patties were pre-cooked and just re-heated before serving. Terrible choice. We should have said "no thank you" then. The fries were pretty good, like another kind I've had with school lunches--not crinkled and not seasoned fries, but kind of flaky & crunchy. Mac and cheese was Kraft style from the box. The chicken salad was tasty, but heavily coated in mayonnaise and served with mandarin oranges from a can. We wanted to get the large brownie dessert, but they told us after we ordered it that they were out of brownies. This was around 6pm. We chose the cookie sundae, and the cookies were awfully hard from the cold ice cream. We could not break them apart with our silverware. I had to pull them out from underneath the ice cream and syrup and break them apart by hand. Overall, the singing was the best part, and one of the singers named Rachel really interacted with our kids and made it very fun. The stars are for the singing. I would only go back for a few scoops of ice cream, but would not purchase food there again. Adult meals around $15, plus Branson's crazy high taxes and tip made our poor food cost around $150. I don't mind paying more for a good meal, but this was very disappointing. This is a desserts only place for us! read more

Went there for lunch on July 4th. Very accommodating to our party of 7. It was a lot of fun and the varied burger menu was delicious. Don't forget to have a Root Beer Float or Milk Shake!! read more

Wait staff was very friendly, but the burger and fries were sub par at best. The singing is entertaining, but kind of odd too. I did not try their desserts, but they seemed to look very good. Maybe get dinner elsewhere and stop by for a show and dessert after? read more

We come here every year on off season and usually have a good experience this was not the case this time. Went with our normal large group to have one of their famous gigantic desserts, we were disappointed however to find their menu quite changed to a one page menu and no dessert save for a couple of choices of cakes. Our server when asked why they no longer served the dessert informed us that it was off season and they don't do any ice cream other than a shake for dessert. She then proceeded to ask us if we knew if the restaurant across the street was open and asked if we wanted to go there, we liked the place well enough to have stayed without the dessert however when offered to go to another place instead of staying they lost a few return customers. They didn't even try to keep us, it was no big deal......not good business..... read more

This was an overall enjoyable experience!!! The wait staff are also singers, so they take turns singing different songs (mostly oldies). Everyone was super friendly. The food was delicious and generous portions. read more

We ate here on a Sat for lunch. They do have a dedicated GF menu. The grilled chicken sandwich came with a wrapped GF bun.&Chicken was pretty tasty. The servers are more interested in singing & smooshing with the larger groups,than serving. I asked for mayo for my sandwich, never got it. Iced tea had a horrible taste. My husband's hot dog was terrible, not cooked, just chili dumped on top. Not great service, place could use a scrub down! read more

Super comfortable atmosphere. Love the servers singing as they still deliver food and refill drinks. Better than I could do without a mic in my hand lol. Had Ruben with fries and a soda for $14. I would definitely come back here if I'm ever in Branson again! read more

Great staff and clean place. Large serving of food. Great for younger kids, singing staff

Love this place will come back everytime I'm in Branson and for anyone reading this the food is awesome and I would recommend to anybody and everybody make sure you put this on your things to do when you come to Branson because it is awesome and the second is even more awesome read more

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Overall great experience! My only complaint was my chicken fingers were under seasoned and didn't have much flavor.

The main attraction for this diner is that the servers take turns signing, which is kind of cool but they didn't blow us away or anything. The food is, well, what you'd expect from a diner. My wife who is gluten-free and dairy-free struggled to find something that would work for her (they don't have a GF menu) and finally settled on a salad. I ordered a burger that was okay, nothing special. read more

Do Not confuse this with Mel's Diner in the SF Bay area, it is NOT the same!! It looks like a '50/60's diner and they advertise "live music". I was prepared for a fun time! Well, I would suggest going elsewhere so you are not dissapointed. The food was mediocre! The wait staff did the singing, so your food may be sitting in the window while they finish their song, they don't seem to have the runner thing down! They sing their preferred music, anything, so you sir in a dinner listening to country, Christian and Adele! This was a horrible dissapointment! If that wasn't enough, they push you to buy their cd's the whole time, on top of the assume tip. I will never go back! You have been warned, try at your own risk! read more

Mel's Hard Luck Diner - Diners Near Me - Branson, Missouri

OK, I must admit, the kids and I were a little skeptical when my wife insisted we visit the Hard Luck Diner with its singing wait staff. I wasn't sure what to expect. First, let me say that this is a traditional diner in terms of decor and menu. The food is good, with hefty size servings. The thing setting this place apart is the singing waitstaff, but it isn't cheesy like I thought it would be. These are top notch singers singing crowd favorites, in between waiting tables. Our waiter, was actually an American Idol finalist (top 20). He was friendly and enjoyable to talk with, and he sounded great belting out his songs. read more

Servers sing. Pretty good voices. Fun time. Not quiet if that is what you're looking for. Food was fairly good - burgers and turkey wrap.

We got to Mel's about 15 minutes before they opened on a Sunday morning and were about the 4th or 5th group in line. By the time they unlocked the door there was a pretty long line. We took that as a positive sign. We were quickly seated and served. Our food was delicious-the burgers were extra large as was the chili dog and the chicken fried steak. My husband also really enjoyed his chocolate shake. The singers and personable wait staff added to the fun atmosphere. read more

Our experience only lasted about 7 minutes before we left. The restaurant looked empty but we waited a few minutes to be seated. The hostess walked us to the very back of the restaurant past a few tables with customers to a crowded back section of the place. Literally in the back corner. I asked if we could sit somewhere else. She said "No, that the waiters have to get tables in order." She assured us a singing waiter visit our table. I jokingly said it's like we're in trouble and sent to the corner. She turned around and waked away. We waited another 5 minutes and with no waiter anywhere to be seen. So we left. read more

The wife and I visited Branson on a whim and decided to go here for lunch. I had the pretzel burger. Note don't let anyone tell you different. This was an amazing burger!! The pretzel bun was not overly pretzel flavored it was firm and delicious. The bacon was plentiful and perfectly cooked. Crispy yet soft where it needed to be. The pretzel cheese was an added bonus. Sloppy, yes but amazing. Get the napkins ready. The strawberry milkshake reminded me of pulp fiction. Yes it's a little more than McDonald's but this isn't McDonald's. This was amazing. Plus all the servers sang amazingly well. Great atmosphere and the staff all had the best smiles and attitudes. read more

One of our favorites. Great food and service. Each of the waitstaff are excellent vocalists. Great entertainment.

Good food and a fun atmosphere. The staff wanders around singing.

One of the best burgers I've had in the last 2,000 years or so. Wait staff doubles as the entertainment and did a great job of getting the whole family involved. Really talented. Not sure if Mel Vera or Flo would of felt comfortable there, but Im sure they would of enjoyed the good food. I'd definitely establish this as one of those things you must do every time you make it to Branson. Father in law saw it on "Where the locals eat". If it's good enough for those who call Branson home, it's gotta be good. read more

Its hard to know whether to cheer for our server or to feel bad for her. Clearly at one time she was an up and coming performer and her voice is amazing. Her covers of everything from Les Miserables to country were terrific. But while singing them she was still slinging burgers and fries and filling up glasses of iced tea. It was kind of sad. She told us about her kids and we read her bio on the table. These performers deserve better than what life has dealt them... So we bought a CD. I hope it helps. read more

BEST RESTAURANT IN BRANSON!!!! The food is absolutely amazing here!!!!!! The onion rings, fried pickles, shakes and burgers are just to die for. You can't come to Branson without eating here. The singing servers are great also :) read more

Great atmosphere, great food, and even better service. Very family friendly. I had the sixteen ton chili burger and it was great. Highly recommend!! read more

This place was so much fun. The wait staff sing songs and walk all throughout the dining rooms while singing. The music plays throughout both dining rooms. It's an old-diner type environment. The food is typical diner food, but was very good. The service is excellent, and even an American Idol finalist was working there. read more

Fantastic food! The chicken salad croissant sandwich was wonderful. We didn't have any wait time. The singing waitstaff are wonderful to listen to! Highly recommended this place. read more

Great place. Had dinner there last night. The live entertainment was super. My husband had a $10 Reuben & I had a $10 salad. For that price we thought it was a heckuva deal. Our waitress was charming & sang exceptionally well. The other 4 waitstaff singers were also very good. This is Branson so deal with it that the music is not top 40. read more

Came on beautiful Sunday afternoon during Christmas time. Server was great and waiters and waitresses sang gospel and Christmas songs. They were way better than what I expected. Food was standard diner stuff with burgers and dogs. Onion rings were good too. For something different than retail burger chains, I would highly recommend. read more

Went to the Hard Luck Diner and had a great time! It is a 50's style diner with the classic food that you would expect. Most of us ordered cheeseburgers and milkshakes. The food was good. The servers sing while they work and it is entertaining. This is a fun place to go. We were in Branson with my Uncle, Aunt, and cousins. Had a great time! read more

Best burger and fries in Branson. Loved the shakes too! The service was great and the singing was alright.

Had the red beans & rice and the mushroom burger. Both were delicious. The fries were crispy& perfect. The kids mac & cheese is the good kraft kind that my kiddo loved. Watching the servers sing was fun too. They all have cds they've recorded as well. read more

This place was really fun. The staff sings while you eat. Most of them are pretty good. The food was overall good. Good place to eat.