I usually wouldn't review chains that have been around for a long time, especially for locations that have been part of that chain for almost as long as the chain has been around, but Red Rockets' recent delivery service deserves a closer look.
Don't get me wrong, for chicken wings, Red Rockets isn't half bad. Though I've had better, you can do a lot worse in the Hamilton area. Not much variety in sauce flavors (if you really want a variety go to Anchor Bar or The Fool and Flagon). They make up for the lack of sauce choices with crispy wings and the sauces they do have are flavorful. The sides have a lot to be desired for however. Stale tasting potato wedges and coleslaw that's saucier than a Tyler Perry movie character (seriously, it's like a creamy cabbage soup) are not the features for this place.
All and all, RR is an above average wings place. So, why the below average review? Well, for the first time since it was available, I used their order online option for delivery. It was a fairly uneventful experience, it seemed to be functional. Checking out, I gave specific instructions to go to the backdoor of the multi-unit house I live in, where my apartment is located and requested the card machine. I was then informed my order would take roughly 45 minutes. That email was sent to me at 12:07 PM.
At 1:05 PM my neighbor who lives in the front portion of the house knocked on my door and asked if I ordered Red Rockets. I was about to ask how she knew when it dawned on me that the driver knocked on her door, the front door. She being someone who works the night shift, wasn't too pleased being awoken by a food delivery guy. To save time, I grabbed my wallet and ran to the front of house via the driveway. As I pulled out my credit card I grumbled about the instructions to come to the back which was answered with "I didn't get any instructions," followed with "Um, I didn't get instructions about a card reader either." I was gobsmacked. I could deal with a few minutes late, I was going to have to apologize later to my neighbor, but I could deal with the wrong door being rung, but now I had to dig up cash to pay for my meal. The whole point I wanted to use a card was that I hadn't been to the ATM for cash! So I ask the driver to wait, dig through drawers and my car's center console, revealing treasure of lost days. Needless to say, I didn't tip the driver. A combination of his tardiness and my unwillingness to search for more legal tender resulted in the driver's decreased revenue this day.
Slightly annoyed, I brought my food in noticing a can of Sprite stuffed in the bag atop my food. I hate Sprite, but if I had been given an opportunity to let RR know this, I would have told them as much. Alas, this step was completely skipped during the online order, in fact I didn't even know my food came with a soda. Fine, I'll just dig in to my hot w... ICE COLD WINGS. As I was heating up my wings, I started looking at the bill. At the top of bill read "Deliver to rear apt. Backdoor. Debit." The instructions that were supposed to be followed by the driver. So, not only was the driver late, delivered my, let's be honest here, mediocre wings cold and bothered my neighbor, he lied about not receiving instructions.
Bottom line, if you're looking for decent wings in Hamilton to be delivered, there are better/more convenient places to order from. read more