I had heard about this place a few times in the last few weeks and decided to finally give it a try along with a couple colleagues. We called to place an order for pick up. The gentleman who answered the phone was helpful and friendly. Seeing as we had never ordered there before, he walked me through exactly what was on the items we were ordering and ensured we could customize our sandwiches to our liking. One of the things I really liked about the menu was that it was small and simple. Too many places have a menu that reads more like a bill that's trying to be passed through congress. I was excited to try the potato and bacon soup. I ordered a cheeseburger sub and the potato bacon soup in a lunch special. $7.99 for any half sub you like, a side, and a drink. Can't beat it. We arrived maybe 15 minutes after the call was placed and the same gentleman who took the call was working the kitchen and counter together. He greeted us before the door had the chance to close behind us. He pointed us to the cooler to pick the drinks of our choice. One thing I really enjoyed (even though it's such a small thing, it makes a big impact to a consumer) was that all the drinks were the same price, so you don't have to worry about being told this is or this isn't included in the meal. Grabbed the dinks and turned to the counter. He was packing a box with all our orders and took the drinks from me and packed them in as well. All the while, making friendly conversation. We paid and grabbed a few menus to take with us for future. He had already folded some up and placed them in the box for us. We were in and out in less than 5 minutes...a big deal when you only have a half hour to leave work and get back to the office. Arrived back at the office and distributed the orders. EVERONE loved their food. The ladies who ordered ruebens were astonished at how much meat there was. The potato and bacon soup was ordered by myself and someone else in the office. We, both, absolutely loved it. The large chunks of red potatoes, onion, ham, and bacon in a perfectly seasoned LIGHT cream sauce was the PERFECT choice. The cheeseburger sub I ordered was incredible as well. Cooked perfectly and put together well. The ONLY THING I would change would be to have ketchup available for the cheeseburger sub, BUT, at the same token, I understand as it's the only item on the menu that would actually call for ketchup. We will ALL definitely be ordering here again. Could not have been happier. Thanks for a great first experience! read more

I use to go here all the time for work so decided to stop in after a few errands this past weekend. ICant attest to much besides their turkey subs, but they are delicious. The guy who took my order could not have been friendlier. I've heard some horror customer service stories in the past, but have never experienced read more

Love this place! The best sub you will ever have is at this establishment! The meat is STACKED on every sub I ever had. You don't get these size subs anywhere! Fresh rolls, veggies and the oil is amazing! The deli is more than clean....its is spotless! Call ahead your order is ready to go when you get there, you can also eat in and enjoy the Buffalo and Buffalo Sports team pictures as well as some of the sports teams equipment that is there! read more

Gem of Buffalo! Quality deli turkey sandwiches on Costanzo rolls + chips + drink for $7! Friendly service too. Seems like they focus more on the catering but a great spot for a good quick lunch. read more

Delicious food, great portion sizes. Only downfall, as mentioned by others is the severe lack of customer service. I tried to order a deli platter first thing in the morning (as soon as they opened) for pickup late that afternoon. I was promptly scolded (and not nicely) about the need for a minimum of 24 hour notice. Wegmans got my business that day. If you've ever seen the Seinfeld episode for the Soup Nazi, Tailgate Deli service is comparable. Call ahead, know what you want, and god forbid - don't ask questions. read more

Friendly owner, service was spot on, and the chicken finger sub was fantastic.

Not Bad..the food is Fresh and the kitchen clean..The service I experienced was friendly..If your looking for a good meat sub you should not be disappointed..I personally think the menu is a bit too short, and offer few sides..I feel a place that calls themselves a Deli, should offer a potato or macaroni salad, when I asked what the sides were, the guys said cookies??..Nor do they offer a tuna sub? which I though was a bit odd. I had the steak philly ( peppers and onions ) however the peppers were banana peppers? and should have been hot..With that aside, if your looking for a ham, turkey sub and so on, it's fine.. read more

The worst, absolute WORST customer service. I don't care how good a sub is. If the owner treats customers like garbage then that ruins the meal. If you hate people then get out of the food service. He will not serve you if you come in and order. You HAVE to call ahead unless you want to be screamed at and belittled then told to leave. This place should be shut down. Then again it's barely a hole in the wall shop. So soon enough I'm sure read more

do not order from here ever!!!! this guy has zero respect for his customers, you call and if your order is too big then he starts to get angry on the phone, i had a big order got to the last order and he says how many more do you got i said one more why does it matter he said f you your order is canceled!!!! read more

I love the turkey sub. Food overall good. But y call yourself tailgate when your closed on game day and close whenever you feel like it. Hours posted...change might close at 4, 5 or cut out early. Bummer. But I still go cause foods really good read more

Literally any person who wrote a 1 star review because of the customer service is an idiot. If anything, the fine gentleman who owns and runs this place BY HIMSELF can be compared to the soup Nazi character in Seinfeld. We didn't order like idiots with speaker phone on or some absurd request so he was a delight when we picked up our food and he even called us by the first name we left on the order. He threw on extra chicken fingers because we asked for no cheese. He literally gives zero f#@*$ because his food is THAT. If you are a true Buffalonian you MUST GO HERE IMMEDIATELY!!! read more

Awesome portions/good value, good quality and flexible with orders. Need better hours though

Without question the worst customer service on the planet! This A-hole couldn't of been more rude after i gave him a $60 lunch order. He acted like an it was an inconvenience that i called at 1045am for a 1215 pick up and his response was its busy i need to call at 10am...really a-hole how hard it is to make a sandwich. I only gave it 1 star because 0 wasn't an option I WILL NEVER STEP FOOT IN THIS PLACE AGAIN!!!!!! read more

Todd has a great deli shop here as it offers delicious food for a great price. If you can finish a full sub, you will be stuffed.

I would give 0 stars if it were possible. My husband was in there earlier because he was just minutes away from there on his lunch break. Normally my husband calls but today did not. Two men in front golf him were ordering and got attitude from the owner. My husband then got an attitude for not calling when he usually does. Then the owner proceeds to say u have a phone u can calls and asked why he didn't and says that to others as well. Excuse me asshole not ur business. If you can't handle the walk ins then maybe hire another employee to help and that is more pleasant than you! If it weren't for all your walk ins you would probably have nothing so be thankful jerk! We will never ever go back again. We promise that!!!! read more

Food is great the portions are huge. Best sub shop in the area. They now bake their chicken fingers and it tastes amazing. So now they can bake them in the summer. Go here you will never regret. read more

Terrible customer service. My mother in law and myself went to Tail Gate Deli on Delaware Rd. In the Tn. Of Tonawanda today. My mother in law asked for steak sub the guy says did u call ahead we said no. He replies don't turn me in to a Subway. We looked at each other a bit confused . I told him I didn't want anything thank you. He than proceeds to say to us go on get out I am not kidding. Needless to say I don't care if the guy wraps his subs in gold I will never step foot in there again. PLEASE SHARE THIS POST!!!! I don't want any of you to be treated this way. I wouldn't of even given one star but apparently you have to submit review. read more

The last time I went in for a sub the man behind the counter was very very rude gave me. Gave me a hard time about not calling ahead. I started to walk out and he shouted at me "Go eat at Burger King" I called back the next day asking to speak to the owner...at the time I didn't realize it was the same person who shouted at me the day before....he called me a "Whore" and slammed down the phone. I am on an community e-mail list for Kenmore/ton and there are NUMEROUS stories about this place and how horrible he is...why does he still have a business. I think the positive reviews must be bogus. read more

Food is good but customer service is sorely lacking. Man who runs the place is rude. Makes snide comments at customers. It's no wonder they don't have very much business. I wouldn't recommend. I won't go back read more

The subs are terrific! The service is nothing short of terrible. His patience with customers is less than zero!! If you don't call ahead of time Todd has a fit! You MUST call ahead. His rudeness is unbelievable! If you wish to order cold cut alone he tells you to go to TOPS supermarket or tells you to wait an hour!! For a businessman his manners are terrible. He should truly be called the "SUB NAZI". I will not ever order from him again . Don't waste your time showing up without calling first (GOD forbid)! I've actually seen him tell customers who walked in that they should go back to their cars & call from the cell phones first! Wow! read more

The quality of the subs is very good. The manners of the owner are boorish. One man show is no excuse. I was ordering from HIS online menu and he said he hasn't made fish fries for 10 years then called me a weirdo. Was I supposed to know he didn't make fish fries anymore? He is responsible for his own act. Fine. Don't need to support his business either. I might have ordered something else but now forget it; and I did CALL to place the order. If you want to be insulted, this is the place to go. read more

For the first time ever NO LONGER going to support this local business: Usually a very nice experience with no issues, today I stopped by just to place a sub order and the man behind the counter who is always there very rudely stated "You come in here all the time like this and I am not subway, this is not subway" I was unaware I had to call ahead first to make a sub order and he kept saying behind his counter side remarks of "this is a deli" "not subway" so I politely said if your busy I can go somewhere else and he came around the corner very smugly saying "have a nice day". I haven't eaten here in about 4-5 months so I don't know where he got the impression of me going there all the time and ordering came from. If people are expected to call ahead first if should be made known instead of saying "Fast take out service" you could say "Call ahead only" this would clear up anymore future confusion. I will NOT be supporting this business EVER again due to feeling extremely disrespected when I was nothing but polite and always have been in past encounters. It doesn't matter what sub place, deli or food establishment you enter - they take an order and you can come back or something is established. I didn't expect him to drop everything he was doing for my order right there but apparently going to order in person is no acceptable at this place of business which is a shame because the food was good. read more

We have purchased many subs in many years. Being the owner, order taker, cook and checkout person is very difficult. He does the best he can while juggling his jobs. Being in the service business myself, I know how demanding the public can be. Everyone wants everything right now at this minute! The food is Aplus, excellent, never a disappointment. Also, I don't know who provokes who in a situation, but If you don't have patience and a smile don't go there; it is your lost. Just call head, smile, pickup your order and be nice. Hank and Cindy read more

UPDATE After some thought, I decided to take away two stars. I was basing my review on the food. The subs were good, but I don't need to be eating that much deli meat and I am still feeling the burn after what happened. What a weirdo! I hope he reads these comments so he knows what a jerk he is! I went in yesterday for the first time in years. It was late afternoon and I wasn't sure if they were open because I remember them having weird hours like closing early on Saturday and not being open on Sunday. I guess those are normal hours for a deli, it's just that with the name "Tail Gate Deli" it is deceiving. Anyway, as I walked in the owner (I remember him from when they first opened) was wiping down a table, greeted me and asked can I help you (It seemed like he made a face and then some weird jerking movement with his body that I thought I was imaging). My thought/vibe was, there are no other employees in here ....like at all. Like never? I told him I needed to order a couple subs as he walked around the cooler. I tried to open the door for conversation by saying, you're open till 6? I know, I know I was stating the obvious. I was just trying to make conversation and normally a mature, professional person would catch on and help you out by replying to the obvious statement and add on to the conversation. Instead, as I was saying, he walked behind the cooler and I can hear him talking, but not sure if it was to me? I could hear him repeating the hours and when he came around the counter, it appeared he was on his cell phone. When did that happen? Anyway, I gave him my order and then asked if I could come back in 20 minutes, paid and left. I returned to pick up my subs and he thanked me by name. I remember him doing that as well a few years ago. Nice touch. The subs were amazing! Fresh and loaded with meat. Anyway, later on I was bored and went on yelp to see if there were any comments about this place. OMG, after reading the comments, it dawned on me. He was mocking me when he went around the cooler repeating the hours! He wasn't on his cell phone. The weird vibe I was feeling was that he was making fun of me for my comment. I feel violated and therefore the need to write this review. I want to let him know that I know! I figured it out! WHAT A JAK-AZZ! When they first opened he seemed like a nice kid who was nervous about starting his own business. Now, a few years later, he appears to be emotionally unstable or something? The whole experience creeped me out! The next time the husband wants a sub from this place, he can go get it himself! No amount of deli meat is worth going through that kind of weirdness. read more

Worst Customer Service! The guy was super hostile and kept cutting me off while trying to order a simple turkey sub, because he was getting frustrated that I didn't specify lettuce and tomato before saying I wanted mayo. Real difficult I know... Then after being cut off serval times with his rude attitude and learning he no longer serves an item on their menu I said "okay...Well let me check the menu quick then". At which point this a** says "You know what, your order's cancelled!" and hung up. I called back, he picked up said "BYE!" and hung up again. I've never eaten there and never will! If that's how much care he shows talking to customers I doubt he handles the food in a clean or caring manner either! "BYE!" read more

Sure, go ahead and order from this jerk if you like to be treated like you are a bother to him. I might be swayed to if his food is exceptional, but it is FAR from it. There are MANY OTHER fine places to go, but you'll be the jerk if you give him the privilege of your business. Still, two jerks wont make his food worth the paper its wrapped in. Why should the customer be demeaned when he is "busy" and refuses to hire sufficient help? Because he is greedy and doesn't care that you chose his place among all the others. Don't be the fool and find another business that appreciates yours. read more

This guy is a complete jerk. It's a shame too bc the food is really very good. Tail Gate was recommended to me through a friend and I went in a few times with no issues originally over the last year. It appears to be an open for business establishment just like anywhere else, except that over time I discovered that the guy will literally not serve you. The last 3 times I tried going went like this. 1. I walked in and asked to order a sub. He said NO, I have too many orders and we close soon. They were closing in 20 minutes so I thought ok I get it no big deal and left. 2. A couple months later I arrived there about an two hours before close and asked to order a sub. He asked if I had called ahead. I had not, and he told me he wouldn't take walk in's today! I left and thought ok so freaking odd, I'm not ever coming back. 3. Of course a few months later I was literally craving their turkey club and thought I would give it a shot. It was 3 hours before close, he was cashing someone out (arguing with them about something) and I picked up a menu. He asked what I needed and I said a sub. He asked if I had a pickup and I said no but that I could wait, almost in disbelief. He said he wasn't taking any new orders. I was literally standing there almost laughing thinking I had lost my mind. I went to put the menu down and he said "no that's a menu, you can keep that". I replied that I would never need it again. I can't even begin to understand how this guy is operating or how he remains in business and it's a shame bc I just wanted to support it and eat good food. It's set up like a walk in place so if that's not allowed all he has to do is put I big sign on a door so people know. You can't just accept walk in's when you feel like it. It's absolutely bizarre. read more

I DO NOT KNOW WHY THIS PLACE GETS BAD REVIEWS AND BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE REPUTATIONS!!! I have been here a thousand times and it is one of my favorite places to eat! The portions are HUGE, the food is DELICIOUS, it is CLEAN and WELCOMING, and the customer service is over the top! I am ALWAYS treated with respect. Whether it be in person or over the phone, I am always called by my first name and/or sir. Along with him asking how my day is going (etc.) I'd also like to say that if it is just the one guy then YES, he should hire more people considering the business he gets, but that is none of my concern and in his defense if he has big orders to place and 10 people come walking in ordering lunch, I'm sure it could be overwhelming. Put yourselves in his shoes...however, that is no excuse to be RUDE to a customer but again, the service has been impeccable in my experiences so I can't say anything and/or confirm that all these accusations are true. I should mention that I ALWAYS call in my order, no matter the size because I find it more convenient and to make things a little easier on him. All in all, definitely a perfect place to chow down and a real hallmark of tonawanda. Cheers! read more

Huge subs and super fresh cold cuts. Food is really good, but Mae sure you call ahead. The only drawback to tailgate is they close around 6 on the weekdays, other then that would recommend for anyone with a huge appetite. read more

Senior citizen walked in to Tailgate Deli for the first time today & found no one at the counter. There was a man reading a paper in the eating area. After a bit asked if this is where you order the food. The man mumbled "what a "***ing" stupid question". He said "There is a menu on the counter & I have 13 ahead of you any way". The woman politely said never mind & left... Rest assured that she will never set foot in the place again & neither will I. We had been regular patrons & have recommended this establishment to many - have always called ahead. I will be making sure that anyone I speak to will know about this as well. read more

Love their subs! Their turkey sub is the best that I have found in the Buffalo area. They even make their own turkey, right there in the store! Lots of meat, soft, fresh bread and the perfect amount of toppings and condiments. Never have a problem with the customer service, they r always very friendly and helpful. Defiantly must try! read more

I thought I would give this place a try, so the half cold sub was decent and the selection is rather slim, Im giving it one star based on the service. Reason being is the guy running it, who I take is the owner is very pushy, he barley gave me a second to choose over the menu before he spoke up and tried pushing his choice of turkey sub on me, I thought sorry "turkey" is it ok if i choose what i want? geez , so half of a assorted sub come's to 5.89 with taxs so I give him six's does he give me my 11cents back, No he keeps it not a big deal 11 cents and all but doe's not even bother to give back the change he thinks he's entitled to it. Overall do not think i will be back I will drive out to Costanzo's by my own rolls and make my own sub. Bottom line the owner is a Creep with no patience and no customer manners. read more

This place has high quality meats and he makes a killer Reuben and can actually feed two you must call ahead to get your order as I believe he is a one man band not sure tho,oh try the cookies Macadamia and chocolate chip they are giant and tasty read more

Alright, first off, I try to support my local businesses always. I went there a couple times and really enjoyed this place...sandwiches were huge...bread was fresh and delicious....no real complaints. I told people about it at the office and decided to take my team there for lunch. We walked in...group of six...and the owner (who is also the cook) lost his mind on us because we came in and did not order ahead. I try to bring business in (and 5 potential future customers)...and was yelled at like a child and kicked out because we didn't order ahead. Seriously? There was nothing in the window or on their menu that said it was a prerequisite to order ahead in order to receive service. So I left embarrassed. Regardless, I decided that maybe the guy was having a busy day...happens to the best of us. So I gave them another try because their food is good. We ordered ahead, I picked up the food...no issues. Unfortunately, they messed up one of the subs we ordered. I went back to complain and...same guy lost his mind again because he was overwhelmed and didn't have time to address my concerns....apparently you have to call in complaints as well. I'm sorry the customer service at this establishment is the worst I have ever seen. I will never go back because the owner seems to easily become a small child when placed under pressure. I'm giving them two stars because their food is good, however, my two year old nephew acts more professional that then the owner of this restaurant. read more

I just had a turkey club sub from here today and it was absolutely amazing!! My friend told me about this place saying it was amazing but warned me not to listen to all the bad yelp reviews. For everyone reading reviews of this place, don't listen to the bad ones. Those people are the reason South Park made an episode making fun of yelp reviewers. I made a yelp account just to review this place because I thought the bad ones were extremely unfair. The guy working there (owner?) was really nice and cool on the phone and when I went in to pick it up. I could tell he takes pride in putting those awesome, delicious, massive subs together. Maybe they caught the guy on a bad day (which we all have sometimes) or they are just telling their side of the story and they were the ones that were actually rude or unfriendly. But back to the food... great. Turkey and cheese was top notch which is KEY for any kind of sandwich. You get a sub with bad meat and it's the grossest thing but not here. I thought it was thanksgiving at my moms house with how good the turkey was. The veggies were fresh and crisp and the sub roll was great too, fresh and held the massive amount of food perfectly. If you want a delicious and huge sub, this is the place. read more