CONSUMER WARNING: PEPPER CHEESE STEAKS OF MYRTLE BEACH -- DISGUSTING FOOD AND DEEPLY DISTURBING…read moreBEHAVIOR
I wish I could give this establishment zero stars. What my family and I experienced at Pepper Cheese Steaks of Myrtle Beach was absolutely appalling, and people deserve to know about our experience before deciding to spend their hard earned money here.
Let's start with the food, because the condition of what we were served was unacceptable. The food was excessively greasy, the bread had visible green mold, and the cheese also appeared moldy. We found hair in the food, too. These are serious food-safety and sanitation concerns, not minor complaints about personal taste or food preferences. No customer should have to question whether the food placed in front of them is safe to eat.
Unfortunately, the food was only the beginning of this nightmare.
The owner came outside smoking, and cigarette ash ended up all over my wings. Instead of responding professionally to our concerns, he began yelling at my elderly parents, demanding that they eat the food or he would call the police. Let that sink in, rather than addressing legitimate concerns about the condition of the food, he chose to intimidate elderly customers.
Then the situation escalated even further. The owner and the woman came running out with a baseball bat and proceeded to record me on his phone while sitting in his blue Jeep. They were screaming profanities and making racist remarks, stating that people of color were not welcome there.
Read that again! People of color were made to feel unwelcome and subjected to this kind of hostility.
No one should be subjected to racial hostility, intimidation, or verbal abuse for raising concerns about a meal, and no elderly parent should have to endure being screamed at when a customer has a legitimate reason to question the safety of the food being served.
The responding police officer was visibly astonished by the owner's behavior. Even that reaction speaks to how shocking and disturbing the situation was.
I want to be clear: this review is not about an owner having a bad day or a customer being unhappy with a restaurant experience. It is about what we personally experienced, including food that appeared contaminated or spoiled, hair in the food, cigarette ash on our wings, aggressive behavior, and racist verbal hostility. The health department needs to visit and the department of licensing will be contacted by me personally.
Restaurants have a responsibility to maintain proper food handling and sanitation standards. Customers also deserve to be treated with basic dignity and respect, regardless of their age or skin color. Neither should be too much to ask.
MY RECOMMENDATION: THINK TWICE BEFORE EATING HERE!
Based on our experience, I cannot recommend this establishment. I would encourage anyone with food safety concerns to report them to the appropriate health authorities so the conditions can be investigated. I also hope management takes responsibility for the behavior we encountered.
We went there expecting to purchase a meal, not to encounter potentially unsafe food, have cigarette ash fall on our food, watch my elderly parents be verbally intimidated, and experience the racial hostility we witnessed.
Myrtle Beach has plenty of places where customers can spend their money and expect safe food and respectful treatment. No one should have to tolerate this.
Food safety matters. Respect matters. And racism has no place in any business.
I am sharing this review so other families can make an informed decision. Our experience was shocking, unacceptable, and one we will not forget.
