Waitress was rude to my wife and I. I ordered a burger and she ordered the pulled pork. They brought out my wife's food 10 mins before they brought my food and so my wife's food got cold. I don't know if I am alone but I feel it is very rude to bring out one of the party's food and make the other sit there waiting for their food. I would never do that as a server. Then while we were waiti for boxes the waitress tried to take away our food before I even had a chance to say I wanted a box. I really did not like this restaurant and servers. read more

My husband and I can't get enough of this place. We live part time in Bradenton. We visited Sonny's six times during a ten day trip down here. BBQ is our favorite type of food and Sonny's is as good as you can get. (I have celiac disease and they have a huge selection of gluten free options). The food is fantastic, the prices are great and the staff are all so friendly and attentive! We can't recommend this place enough. read more

We stopped for lunch, pork and sauce were good, sweet tea and cornbread were delectable , service was ok, I liked that our server ran our credit card like a regular restaurant so we didn't have to get in line to checkout, hope that service stays . Nothing much was said when we asked to move after I saw 5 flies on the booth divider and they landed on our drinks, Flies still landed again after we moved, absolutely no sign of management. read more

The food was good snd the service was good. However , upon entering the restaurant I noticed that every other table was blocked off due to Covid. I felt safe and relieved that they were taking steps to keep their diners safe. When we got to our table we were given the middle booth of three that were along the back wall. There were diners inches away sharing the back of the seat behind us. There was no barrier so we kept our masks on as long s we could. We did ask to move and were told there was no seat available. We hurried and ate. Afterwards I nicely went to the manager and told him it would be nice if there were barriers up there or to please block off the middle table. He was defensive and told me "this is how we are set up" I told him it didn't make sense to do it everywhere else in the restaurant but there. He said "if it were up to me I would have all the tables open" so there you have it....he did not agree and didn't want to do anything to make it safer. I will only go where I see restaurants working to keep us safe during a worldwide pandemic where 300,000 have died in the US alone in the last 8 months. There are too many places to choose to eat who are taking great steps to lessen transmission. This Sonney's was defensive and didn't care. read more

This location is pretty good. Service is friendly and fast, and the food is up to standard.

Worst lunch! Best thing was Strawberry lemonade! Order lunch Brisket meal. How can you sever cold meat and bean. Garlic toast one slice was toasty and warm the other pale as a ghost. Whi made this food. Not worth time or effort to go. read more

Cleanest Sonny's I have ever been in and I have been in a half dozen in Florida. Sliced brisket was cut thick and juicy. The salad bar was fresh, the iced tea was brewed strong, very nice lunch experience. read more

Just been to this lovely place where we were a party of 8 and were seated straight away ordered egg rolls to start and pork 3 ways and was very surprised given some of the reviews of the quality of the food and the service, it was really good and everyone in the party thoroughly enjoyed their food. We will definitely be back again many thanks read more

I think sonny's has some of the best baby back ribs around! We do take out all the time and I never had an issue with food quality. Value for your money is great too. read more

We ordered in the drive-through and when we drove around to pick up our order we saw a worker walking around and eating with his rubber gloves on. This raised serious questions in our minds about the sanitary conditions. Not planning to return, which is a shame because we have enjoyed other Sonny's BBQ locations many times through the years. read more

I have had passable meals from other Sonny's in the past, but was very disappointed here! Had pulled pork on garlic bread and the bread must have been toasted hours earlier....it was cold and dry. The BBQ had good flavor but was dry and looked like they'd scraped the pot. My husband had the Bomb sandwich. He kept picking out gristle. The macaroni and cheese patty looked ancient: dry and hard. I don't know if it is that the restaurant has barn siding inside, but it smelled like a barn or stable. I should've had a clue and left when I walked in. We were very disappointed in our dining experience and would not recommend this establishment. read more

If I could rate this as a zero I would. We went in and clearly the restaurant was understaffed. We figured it was due to the construction going on, however, the experience went downhill from here. Once we were seated we were greeted by a great waitress, but when the food came out it was very cold and stale. I ordered the sliced pork and another diner that was with me had ribs. Hers was fresher than mine so I asked if I could pay to upgrade my meal to the all you can eat ribs. This option includes all the cuts of meat, so it shouldn't have been an issue. The waitress told us no that they can't upgrade meals even if you pay, but that it was ok if I had some ribs. I did indulge in some ribs as the sliced pork was less than attractive to eat. When we went to pay, not only were we charged a higher amount for the rib dinner, but the owner stopped one of us and told us we were stealing straight from his pocket by eating ribs and not paying. When I told him that I asked to pay and upgrade he threatened me by saying I was treading on this ice. He is very unprofessional and running a business that is very subpar. I would never recommend going to an establishment that treats their customers this way when I gladly offered to pay the additional amount. I just hope the waitress didn't get fired from his negligence in proper training procedures. read more

We came here for dinner and were appauled. I received unsweet instead of sweet tea. It took another 10 minutes before I got the right drink. My husband and mother ordered the sliced pork. It came out cold. They sent out a second order which was still cold. My mother gave up. My husband got another cold order and the finally after everyone else was done eating they brought him some warm not hot pork. The waitress was borderline rude about it and said she'd tell the manager. Someone showed up and put a plate of warm food infront on my husband. My mother had to ask if she was manger and she was. She was rude about it too. At least they took his meal off the bill but so much for a nice family dinner out. Never again. read more

I just called this Sonny's to order a full dinner for my family.....and nobody even bothered to answer the phone! At 3:30 in the afternoon!!! How busy can they possibly be between lunch and dinner???? I will NEVER buy from this location again. Dickies Barbecue, here I come!! read more

This is the worst BBQ restaurant ever. Service is terrible, delivery of food is slow and the taste is mediocre.

Service with Pam was excellent! Food was great and won an apron and a gift card for the Grand Reopening.

They remodeled the place and it's great! Waitress was very attentive and nice. Food was outstanding. We really like This Sonnys. The new decor is very appealing and we will continue to visit regularly. read more

I stopped in for lunch and was served pretty quick and our waitress Tammy was very good. Thanks for the good experience, I'll eat here again

We were starving and stopped here at 2 pm. The waitress was nice and got our drinks quickly. We ordered the sliced brisket lean with 2 sides. It came out and was very fatty. The meat cannot be smoked. I think it was flavorless. The baked sweet potato seem steamed. The french fries were flavorless. We will not return again. We had no problems with customer service. read more

I have been to the East Bradenton Sonny's a couple of times. The remodeling is nice, plenty of parking . The food is consistently good along with the service. My server NIKKI has been great that I ask for her. She introduced me to "Sonny's Red" beer that is perfect for my tastes and goes well with everything I have tried. My favorites are the All You Can Eat ribs and sliced pork. read more

Usually I get pretty good service at Sonny's. But today was a understatement of bad!! I went with my family . I ordered the all you can eat chicken deal combo. With the all you can eat chicken , you get to switch out your meals to whatever you want them to do. I ordered my chicken and the chicken was pink , I ordered fries no salt they came with salt . I ordered broccoli the broccoli was SERIOUSLY COLD AND NOT COOKED . It was like they took it from the bag and put it in the microwave for 20 seconds. I ordered HOT corn bread , because previously I had received corn bread that was cold . The server still bring me out the wrong temperature of corn bread. As me and my family are eating , my girlfriend previously ordered white chicken she didn't like it so she gave it to my dad. The manager comes out and says to my dad ; you have a white piece of chicken on your plate from the all you can eat right . That's a add on it'll be charged. We tell the manager no you're incorrect !! That did NOT come from me ( the one with the all you can eat ) that came from my girlfriend, she did not like the chicken so she gave it away. I know the rules you can't share with the all you can eat or carry it out . Like I said we've been coming here for years . The list goes on, and I just had enough of it today!! I'm truly truly disappointed in Sonny's. I don't think I'll be returning ... read more

We have ordered take out 4-5 times and each time something is missing from our order. Last time no BBQ was on the ribs. I asked the waitress for extra BBQ and she said look in the bag and walk she walk away. Got home and there was no BBQ at all. Called the manager and she informed me she was to busy to talk and would call me back...that was 3 nights ago, still waiting. read more

My Mom and I tried this restaurant for the first time last week on Sunday April 2 , on a two for one coupon lunch or dinner coupon and had some tasty ribs, a side of mac and cheese, slaw, cornbread and a beverage for $15.05 Such a Deal! We had a great experience overall and had no issues. I was so happy that I came back the following week, April 9, same coupon, same day of week same time of day and ordered THE EXACT SAME THiING from the week before and had a TERRIBLE experience. First of all our server was clearly too busy for us we got our food without utensils nor did we have quick access to utensils unless we stole them from someone else so our food had a chance to get lukewarm before she managed to get utensils in front of us. I bit into the ribs and they tasted nothing like the ribs the week before, I was thinking did I order something different? No, the waitress insisted they were the same. No seasoning to them whatsoever they were just blah, much fattier too-I made a comment to the manager a young girl who did not seem a day older than any of her servers who said they were prepped by the same individual so it was a mystery as to why we got no consistency from last week. She then asked me would I care for more, I refused because I was already full. Not really satisfied, but full. The cornbread was hard, stale and crumbly, compared to last weeks which was perfect. The only conclusion I can draw is that at this Sonnys it is hit or miss. Since I am now out of 2 for 1 coupons I don't think we will be back, seems way too average to be as pricey as it is. When I went up to pay, there was a line, waitress insisted on ringing up my card, took it and disappeared to God knows where- I did not get a good feeling about it. If I have to go up to a counter to pay, I'd just as soon wait in line to pay out than to have my card disappear and not see what is being done with it. Did not get a good feeling from her simply because I complained I thought that that was supposed to be encouraged when things are not 100 percent right. I know I won't be back. Sorry, Sonnys, consistency is important! read more

I find the food good at this Sonny' s location but they promote catering and delivery for orders over $200 (per their website) when they don't. I tried for 2 different events for 15 and then 20 people and both times, I met the $200 minimum, provided 3-5 days advance notice and they would not deliver (and I only live 6 miles away). I'm not sure why they offer this on their website if they communicate they don't have staff to support delivery. Update: After a few calls and speaking with management, they agreed to deliver my order. read more

Sonny's at Bradenton proved to be just as good as all the rest. Waitress, Tammy, was attentive and took good care of us. Food was as expected, fresh and delivered promptly. The salad bar was well stocked, clean and fresh. The bathroom could have used a touch up and a good overall cleaning. Would definitely go back. read more

Crushing did a great job and as usual food was great remodeled place looks great great place great people

unbelievably slow. many tables empty & dirty - hostess just standing not doing anything. making everyone wait & has a terrible attitude. we love sonny's, but this location is not up to their standards. read more

We started our Easter day off like so many hunting eggs and relaxing with family. We ended it sick to our stomachs and thoroughly unsatisfied. So we decided to give Sonny's a try it was open and BBQ sounded like the real deal. We drove all the way across town to eat at this particular restaurant by the way. Ordered our food drinks and apps all seemed great till I took a big bite on a red neck egg roll and crunched down on a bone yeah a bone in an egg roll. That turned me straight off of the red neck egg rolls that is for sure. Then we got our meals 3 burgers and fries and one sampler platter on all 3 plates the fries where ice cold and one of the burgers was chores broiled black and tasteless. Sent back fries and burger received new fries and ordered a new item from menu to replace burger. Was told burger would be removed from bill but it was not and a manger had to handle it. Was also comped for red neck egg rolls. Ordered desert because when we walked in they had a big hand written sign advertising banana pudding as a special so we ordered 2 and 2 ice creams for the kids waitress informed us she would have to check if they had any more banana pudding as their truck came in the next day. Why advertise if you do not even know if you have any? So they had it and the ice creams came out. The ice cream was half melted could have eaten with a straw. Time at least the customers is not of importance at this place but it must be in abundance for the employees because they sure take it. Avoid this place like Ebola or black death because it is sure to create that type of atmosphere in your restroom later that evening. read more

Just left Sonny's and I'd give it a D rating. The pulled pork was tasteless and hadn't even been in the proximity of a bar-b-que pit. The bar-b-q beans were tomato-pasty. If I were Sonny, I'd change my name, as I wouldn't want to be associated with this. read more

With franchise establishments, I supposed it all comes down to the local management, and while Sonny's is normally a good choice for barbecue, this particular Sonny's is one to pass on by. The place wasn't very busy when we arrived around 8:30pm, but the dining room was unkept, and there was a 15 minute wait to be seated. Only after waiting for a table and being seated were we informed that they were out of ribs. Hmmm. Ok. That's why we came to Sonny's, but ok - stuff happens. But then, as we attempted to order any platter or combination that would've otherwise had ribs, we were told "no substitutions". It became very obvious that the management of this particular Sonny's has seriously prioritized his bottom line profits over the customer's experience. Other examples of this included side dishes that looked as though it had been sitting for a while, and the waitress who said "I hate this time of night when we always run out of everything". That sounds like pretty poor planning and management to me. The bathroom was disgusting and looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in a week. I suppose given it's location just off of interstate 75, the target clientele for this Sonny's is not repeat customers as much as tourists and travelers stopping in for a meal as they passed through. Probably best, because based on my experience I would never return. read more

Don't be thrown off by the setting and area for this gem. The food is so delicious and they have great portions. The service was great too! I can't believe I'm saying that considering it's FL and most of the time the service in FL is agonizingly slow. I took a take out menu with me so I can order to go the next time. I sill definitely be back. read more

Let me preface this with the fact that I really enjoy Sonny's BBQ. Normally the ribs are great. Tender, juicy with great sauce. We normally go to the Sonny's in Sarasota near Siesta Dr. Yesterday we drove to the one in Bradenton off 64 and I-75. Upon arrival we entered and stood at the hostess stand waiting to be greeted. I'm not sure if you would say we were greeted by the staff. We were given glances by several girls, none of which said welcomed us or said anything for that matter. A younger girl did walk up to the hostess stand, look right at me and look down at her board, look back at me and walked away, again without acknowledging us. If it had been just my wife and I, we would have left at that point. We had a party of five, all of us were hungry and I was willing to accept bad hostessing to get some good ribs. It took about 5 minutes to get seated as there were more girls/servers chatting by the kitchen window, drinking sodas, actively ignoring us. Once seated, we had to wait another 5 minutes for the waitress to take our drink order. Shen was about as friendly and inviting as a turd in a punchbowl. We all knew exactly what we wanted and were ready to order, but she turned and bailed to get our drinks without asking. Our party of 5 ordered 3 AYCE rib meals and two kids meals with ribs. She delivered our drinks and we then had to wait 15 minutes to get our meals delivered. By the time the ribs were served, we had all finished our drinks and needed refills, but the waitress ignored our empty glasses and again, turned and bailed on our table. The place was only about 25% full and I could only see 2 other tables that she was ignoring as well. My son wanted to eat his ribs but wanted a drink with them so he kept waiting for her to come back so he could order a refill. After 5 MORE minutes, I flagged another waitress and asked her to let our server know we would like refills. I could go on, but it would just be more blah blah blah bad service.The food was ok. Ribs were good but the baked beans were terrible. Watery like soup. The sweet potato was served like someone had it in their pocket all day and was beaten, lumpy and disfigured. Definitely not enough to overcome the poor service and mediocre food. My son couldn't even get a second plate of ribs on his all you can eat order. When the waitress brought the check, I asked her to change his order to a single rib order for $9.99 instead of the $14.99 AYCE charge. Instead of doing that, she had the manager deduct $3 from the bill. I guess the additional $2 was a stupid tax that we were forced pay for our stupidity expecting service at the worst Sonny's around. Bad hostess, bad servers, bad attitude. If the management reads this, take my advise and hire friendly people, you know, ones with personality who can smile, say hello and maybe acknowledge a customer. When we cashed out, the girl asked me if we enjoyed our meal. I said, No, not very much. She twisted her face up like I was speaking a foreign language and meekly offered me an iced tea in a to go cup, as if that would turn things around. Didn't bother to ask what was wrong or even apologize. read more

Bad service , last nite we took a chance , and went o Sonny's E. Bradenton. We were seated ina nearly empty restaurant, fo 15+ min we waited for a waitress . Not even eye contact was made with us. A few minutes later we left, only commenting to the hostess that NO ONE came to serve us. I called Sonny's corp office today commenting on our visit and telling her that this was the 3rd time we had left Sonny's after some 15-20 minutes of waiting, and that we had been customers since the 1960's, many times daily and had never had such poor service. A while later I received a call from John ................. ,who it seems is the owner of the Sarasota/ Bradenton stores (2). In short he told us in a condescending manner it was our fault we weren't offered service , because we didn't ask for the manager. (NO ONE even approached us) Cracker Barrel across the street gave us excellent service, with no waiting. We'l not visit these Sonny's again as their management is not only insulting, but along with promoting low standards for customer service. read more

Very good BBQ! Good salad bar! And fast service! Will definitely return! I got the half chicken you chose two sides and bread, great prices

Dirty,poor service! Check out the doors going in, they haven't been cleaned in a very long time. Under staffed poor management ! Need to shut down and deep clean . One star is too much read more

my wife and i stopped by thinking it would be good BBQ. we both ordered samplers and sweet teas. the teas were good, nothing that stands out. the decor was lazy with a few pictures and license plates from around the coutry. we waited 2 hours. never got any food. it took our waitress 15 min. just to come take our order, we stuck it out for 2 hours before leaving. the waitress said the computer system was down, the front desk girl said it was a new system, no one said they were sorry for the wait, no one told us when we came in that the wait would be soooo bad. we paid for our drinks and left, no one not even the manager said anything or tried to keep us there. read more

Catering made easy with delicious eats by Sonny's! We recently used Sonny's for a wedding reception. They were extremely easy to work with and made an excellent presentation. The slider station and macaroni and cheese bar were a huge hit! read more

Worst service ever! Dirty floors, tons of tables not cleared off the whole time we were there. Waited to be greeted and there were very few people in the dining room. Waitress's were waiting by the kitchen for the food and you could see the cook on Facebook. We have gone to the Sonny's in Venice tons of times and has always been excellent! This was a horrible experience and we will not ever go back to this location! read more

Just your run of the mill Sonny's. I personally lovethedry rubrics. Nice, friendly waitstaff. Good place to eat.

Not horrible food, but I wouldn't go back simply because of the below-mediocre quality. Service was slow, and the salad bar was filled with items and ingredients that were dried out and old, probably left there for awhile. I ordered barbecue chicken, and the sauce was decent, but the chicken was dry and lacking. I'd honestly rather go to Cracker Barrel, as it has some more variety at least. read more