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I am writing to share an extremely disappointing experience my family and I had at the East Coast Wings + Grill location in Thomasville, NC last night. I visited with my husband, his mother, and his sister. This was my first time at this location, although we are regular customers at the Highway 150 location in Winston-Salem and typically dine there at least once a week without any issues. Because we enjoy East Coast Wings so much, this experience was incredibly surprising and frustrating.

From the moment we arrived, things were not handled professionally. Our server initially took our drink order. My mother-in-law attempted to order a Bloody Mary but was told they were out of the mix. That was not a problem and she simply ordered water instead.

When we were finally able to order, we were told the restaurant was out of hamburgers, fries, tater tots, several wing sauces, and even Pepsi. The list of unavailable items kept growing, which was very concerning. We ended up ordering a basket of chips and decided to split 50 wings.

While waiting, our server spent a significant amount of time standing at the table next to us with the group she knew, talking loudly and laughing. Meanwhile, we waited approximately 30 minutes for food in a restaurant that only had about six tables occupied. During this time we never once saw a manager.

When the food finally arrived, the quality was completely unacceptable. The sauces did not taste like they normally do at other East Coast Wings locations. Our server even mentioned that the kitchen had accidentally dumped an entire container of something into one of the sauces and had to “doctor it up” so it wouldn’t go to waste. Hearing that the sauce had been altered just to avoid waste was extremely off-putting.

The wings themselves were also very poor quality. They were extremely large, not crispy as requested, very fatty, and the meat was unusually dark with black spots. Between the four of us, we probably only ate about two wings each before deciding we could not continue eating them. We asked for the check and some wet wipes.

To make matters worse, we overheard our server tell another server, “Let me get this table some wet wipes before they die of dirty hands,” while laughing about us. That comment was extremely unprofessional and disrespectful.

The restaurant itself also appeared unclean, which added to the overall negative experience.

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I wanted to provide an update regarding my recent complaint about the Thomasville, NC East Coast Wings location. After more than ten days with no response, I had to reach out twice before finally hearing back from the manager, Stephanie. Unfortunately, her attitude and behavior were extremely unprofessional and did not reflect the level of customer service expected from someone in a management position.

While she eventually provided me with a gift card to use at a different location — as I refuse to return to the Thomasville restaurant — the interaction was unnecessarily difficult. My sister also reached out regarding the same experience, and Stephanie flat-out refused to extend her the same courtesy or provide any assistance. This inconsistency and lack of respect for customers is unacceptable.

Looking back, I should have trusted my instincts when I noticed the food safety rating posted at this location was only a 91. The environment, the service, and now the management’s response have all reinforced that this location is not being properly run. It has honestly put a sour taste in my mouth for East Coast Wings as a whole, which is disappointing because we have always been loyal customers at other locations.

I hope someone at the corporate level takes this seriously, because a manager who treats customers this way reflects poorly on the entire company. At this point, I will not be returning to the Thomasville location, and I truly hope improvements are made so no other customers have to go through this.