May 28, 2024 - The 4 of us stopped in for a late lunch/early dinner. There was plenty of close parking. Upon entering we were promptly greeted and given a choice of tables. We started with an order of fried green beans. They were fabulous! Two of us shared a Romero Ruben. It was great!! The fried catfish was nothing special, but the grilled cheese with ham and bacon was wonderful. It was so surprising how well the waitstaff sang!!! It wasn't something that we expected. Rachel, thanks for your service and wow you rocked the Alanis Morrisette "Isn't Ironic" song! We look forward to returning. read more

We loved this place. They performed multiple songs while we dined there. Different staff sang and entertained guests. There was one older gentleman who sang bass who just killed it. He was so good. Everyone was constantly moving and always involved. Great atmosphere. The kids loved their dessert, and our sandwiches were great. I got the patty melt, and my husband got the Philly. Both great diner meals. Totally recommend. We will return. Loved the memorabilia all over. read more

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

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First time in Branson and we were looking for a kid friendly place to take our gang. I read up on the reviews so I was already prepared for a wait but luckily when we got there, there was literally no line! Ok, i have no idea how anyone could have one negative thing to say here. This was PERFECT for kids. You get food and entertainment, our server Karen (i think that was her name? The main one) was so so good! Even though It was nearly closing time, you wouldn't think It was. Everyone was in a great mood, food was good and fast! Definitely a must go too especially if you have kids. Loved It! read more

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

I've eaten here before and loved it. This time? Let's just say I felt like the cute, funny girl at the dance--noticed just long enough to be ignored. It took a while to get a waiter, and once they dropped off the food, they basically ghosted us. The only refill we got came with the check, like a pity sip on the way out. No smiles, no real engagement. The music? Not as many songs as before, and the vibe felt more like "it's my turn at the mic" than "let's light up the room." Still a decent experience--but not the fun, memorable night I was hoping to relive. read more

I have nothing bad to say here. We had a party of 7 and while everyone had different opinions of the food, I enjoyed it. I had a party melt and it was filling. The taste was good, the size was good. The singers were all mostly good too. I'd go back. read more

I love their food! I came down from poplar bluff with my sisters and my bro in law. I got a OG burger it was so freaking good they make it huge! It was only 16.00 but the only thing I wasn't a big fan of is the music bc I don't even know what this music is. But they played dolly and play 9 to 5 I been waiting to hear that song for like 5 years oh and it's my second time coming. They even came to my sis's baby's read more

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

The food was a 3 but the entertainment was a 5 so it came out 4! Hubby's chicken fried steak tasted a little off and the mashed potatoes were pasty. Mr food also was not memorable but our server was entertaining with a beautiful voice. Now, the turtle sundae was outstanding and the two of us could barely finish it! read more

We love music and I love to sing so it was a givin that we were comin here.. Our server Caitlin was wonderful and her voice is amazin. She was very attentive, made suggestions, offered appetizers and dessert. Everyone who sang while we were there-were great. I got the Mels Way grilled cheese, onion rings and chili. All were very good.. He had the smoke gets in your eyes burger and fries-that was good.. We will come back!! read more

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The atmosphere was neat. Food was pretty bland and felt precooked. Definitely not worth the 85 bucks we spent. read more

Waited over an hour for a large group seating. But that is somewhat expected. The food was good. Not really outstanding or unique but it was good. I take that back they had real mashed potatoes. That was pretty awesome. The milkshake was a good choice. I was a little disappointed when the servers were dressed in regular street clothes. The regulars we went with said it's straight out of the 1950s. The singing servers is a novel concept. The sound system can certainly be loud. We did like seeing the couple dancing in the pack corner by their table on our way out the door. read more

So today is ice cream day so I am told!! If you are on vacation and you want to have some fun this diner has sing ing waitresses and waiters! Eclectic music from country to gospel to pop to oldies! A lot of the food seemed to be prepared ahead of time. But the onion rings came out fresh and hot! Other stuff was just lukewarm! We decided to have dessert and I had 2 giant scoops of vanilla and orange sherbet! It's very busy! Suggest you get there when it opens at 11 or else you will find yourself waiting! Food was just ok but so much fun we gave it 4 stars! read more

Mel's Hard Luck Diner - Say Cheese Cheesecake smothered with strawberries and whipped cream! Truly dietetic! Life is short! Eat dessert first! - Diners Near Me - Branson, Missouri

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Great friendly And Service and delicious food in a timely manner. Thank you very much much

They seemed tired of tourists, the atmosphere is great the singing was ok, the food ranged from ok to poor. Desert looked enormous but we didn't have any. We had cheesesteak and burgers a chicken salad poppers the poppers and salad were a mistake. read more

Very cool place, but not so cool during COVID times. There is absolutely no social distancing whatsoever. We're packed into the diner like sardines. Even so, we had about a 25-minute wait. That was fine, since you can walk around the Grand Village Shops while you wait. Once served, the food is very good. I would recommend the High Rollin' Beef and the Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, both of which I'm told are popular items. Loved the 1950s theme and the singing servers (who are really amazing), but again, just not ideal during a pandemic. *visited 3/27/21 read more

Mel's Hard Luck Diner - High Rollin' Beef ($13), Pork Tenderloin Sandwich ($11) - Diners Near Me - Branson, Missouri

Service terrible. Food cold. Music way to loud. Expensive. There are more comfortable places.

Always a good time for great service, good food and an old school ambience! Worth every minute and every dollar!

Family oriented atmosphere. The entertainment provided was excellent. The food and the service was great.

Our first time here. Only came for ice cream. Did not disappoint! They are very generous with their scoops. The one scoop could be shared. Loved the staff and they sing throughout the service. Would recommend! read more

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What a fun experience! Mel's did a wonderful job taking care of our group of 19 (9 kids). Our server, Grace, was FABULOUS! She was so patient and kind with our kiddos....and also took our song requests :) Not to mention, the food and milkshakes were delicious. It was the perfect spot to end our vacation! read more

Third time here. Very disappointed Server had tough time remembering Hamburger was horrible, buns were soggy and not from grease. read more

The food and entertainment were both great! Don't go there expecting to have much conversation (loud!).

Singing waitstaff, that's fun. It's a gimmick to cover up that the food isn't that great. In fact the waitress took down my order wrong and blamed me for it. Service is slow, because they are singing. Usually crazy busy but we went around 7ish and had no wait got seated right away. Ice cream was good! Definitely go for ice cream read more

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The food good, could have been seasoned more, but to be fair, our family is from SW Louisiana, so we are always expecting a lot of seasoning, lol. The wait staff sing, serenading the customers, while eating, which was a surprise for us as we just chose to eat there after going to the aquarium, next door. The portions are a LOT, so if you aren't starving, you may want to share! I would recommend them and the wait staff really do a great job singing to the customers!! Loved the experience!! read more

Mel's Hard Luck Diner is a neat 50's themed restaurant in Branson, Missouri. The waitresses singing is fun but near constant. It was way too loud. We could barely have a conversation. The meat did not taste like quality beef at all. The chicken fried steak sandwiches were crispy and very good. Our little one did not like the spaghetti and meatball. The servers were very friendly and great, and it is in a neat little area that my little one called Christmas town because there were so many Christmas shops. They also have fudge, taffy, souvenirs, and even a leather store. You walk through a gift shop to pay. They have giant shareable ice cream desserts, chocolate nachos, etc. We might come back just for dessert or for chicken fried steaks. But we will not order burgers. read more

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The food was truly delicious, the portions huge, the service great, but also all the waiters and waitresses are very talented singers! Every few minutes one walks around the entire restaurant singing a song, be it rock, pop, show tunes, oldies, even gospel. And their voices are good enough to be in any professional production, in fact some of them are also in other shows in town. This absolutely must be one of your lunch choices in Branson. read more

Excellent. Went with a 9 and 14 year old. Love that they had a kids menu. Lots of food options. Super fun environment. Our waitress (Jordyn I think her name was), was amazing. Kind, efficient and fun, but not to much or overbearing. The website clearly states lots of singing and loud, but songs are every 5-10 minutes. Love that it was different too, which is what we needed. Singers were all excellent and have different styles which we loved. Would recommend. read more

I did a map find for food and came across positive yelp reviews so we decided to try it. I can guarantee we will go again before we leave Branson. Staff was attentive and very clearly love their jobs. The singing was out of this world. Price was affordable especially for the amount of food you got. We were full for much longer than expected! read more

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I have to eat gluten free due to severe food allergies! Mel's Hard Luck Diner never let's me down! The food and service is great with an atmosphere that can't be beat! Go, you'll be glad you did! read more

Mel's Hard Luck Diner - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes burger with potato chips! Excellent! - Diners Near Me - Branson, Missouri

The food was not good. 3 of us had burgers and only ate half. They had no flavor. Buns were dry and had no flavor either. Catfish was not fresh fried catfish but rather frozen catfish planks. Obviously people go here for the singing waiters and waitresses which was good. Will not go back. read more

Service was great... food was good but seems a bit overpriced for what you get... I can get a steak dinner at Texas Roadhouse for cheaper than my wrap and fries here... that said the ambience with the singing wait staff makes up for that. A place we visit each time we come. read more

Mel's Hard Luck Diner - Chicken wrap and club sandwich - Diners Near Me - Branson, Missouri

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Always on our list to visit anytime we're in town. Food is good, ice cream is giant size. In May of 2023 my wife & I couldn't finish a single banana split between us, believe me I tried. read more

Cute little dinner on the Branson strip. Basic dinner food, Chicken Cried Steak was delicious. Service was outstanding. The waitresses walk around singing throughout the dining experience. read more

As ice cream machine is to McDonalds. fryer is to diner. Decibel meter is very nice I wore a hat and wasn't publicy shamed for it Service, quick root beer good Ambiance, retro and fryer Greece Me had good time Cheese Steak Sandwich I would definitely bring my uncle here He would have a good time! read more

The atmosphere was super fun & our waitress, Kelly, was really nice & efficient. It's very unique. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars is because the food could have been better. Pretty basic. . read more

In my last 4 or 5 trips to Branson, I've never made it to this place when they were open for a variety of reasons despite hearing about it from everyone because it's so famous. It is absolutely worth every bit of the hype! The food and service are amazing. These are not waiters and waitresses who sing... they are performers who serve on the side. The diner is a classic and fun throwback to rock and roll 50's era. I had the Country Fair plate, which is mini corn dogs, chicken tenders, french fries, and cream gravy (I think this was a choice of sauce - ranch, bbq, honey mustard, etc). It was a ton of food that would easily feed 2 - 3 adults or 4 - 6 kids. My parents split a bacon cheeseburger by some fancy name. Some of the performers sell their CDs in the cute gift shop at the back of the restaurant and will be happy to sign them for you as a souvineer. The ice cream dishes are HUGE!!! read more

The bbq burger was really good and the workers were so nice we loved watching them sing

Food is ok. Nothing to rave about but what you would expect at a diner. But we did come back twice for ice cream! They're huge. One of my boys really loved the lava cake a la mode and we had the banana split once and the chocolate nachos. The servers were all super friendly and they're all great singers too! (We didn't know that coming in. Ha! And didn't mind since we came back for seconds for ice cream.) It's a cute classic diner. It's clean bigger than expected. read more

Mel's Hard Luck Diner - Chocolate nachos (Not sure why all the spoons when we weren't sharing!) - Diners Near Me - Branson, Missouri

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I would give a 0 if possible. The burger was cold in fact the bun was more frozen. The meat was very questionable and cold. I would not recommend. This is probably the worst meal I have ever had served to me. I did not eat more than one bite in fear of getting sick. The atmosphere was cute and the singing was very nice. I would suggest ice cream only. read more

We'd heard of this place, had our ideas about it and decided to go. Confusing waitlist, poor quality food. Nothing was hot. Service was pretty bad. We were a party of two so the waiter had much more going on than to serve us. The only thing I enjoyed was the singing. read more

Fun restaurant to fully enjoy the singing waiters. The shakes are so good. When we are in Branson, this will always be worth the time to enjoy the good food and service. The place gets loud and very busy so make it an early dinner stop. I would give it 5 stars but it does need some remodeling. read more