Reviews

There was a recent incident at The Hook Catfish Restaurant located at 1802 S. Highway 161 Jacksonville, AR 72076-5511. Since the passing of Mr. David Bush, the owner, in 2020, the quality of customer service and food at the restaurant has significantly deteriorated. On Saturday, 3/30/24 my business partner and I visited the restaurant for dinner. The food arrived at our table quickly, but we immediately noticed that the fish appeared excessively dark, indicating potential reuse of grease or refried fish. As a chef myself, I understand this as a sign of food not being freshly cooked. The fish and the fries lacked freshness, so I politely requested our server to return the food to the kitchen for a fresh, hot serving. Unfortunately, the manager (possible owner) approached our table in a confrontational manner, insisting that nothing was wrong with the fish and that all their fish is cooked fresh. Despite speaking to him discreetly, he formed a bullhorn with his hands like a child saying sarcastically, “Is’ this soft enough?” The situation escalated when the manager brought the cook out of the kitchen, covered in flour and cornmeal, to our table. While I appreciated the cook's concern, involving him in the matter was unnecessary. When I mentioned this to the cook, the manager threatened to ask us to leave. Feeling humiliated and embarrassed by the manager's behavior, my business partner and I decided to leave the restaurant. After more than 40 years of patronage, it is disheartening to witness such a decline in professionalism and customer service. I believe it is essential to bring this incident to your attention, because his behavior may have been exhibited towards other customers as well. It is crucial for the establishment to take appropriate action and hold the manager accountable for his unprofessional conduct. No customer should be subjected to such treatment, and I hope that steps will be taken to ensure that future patrons of are treated with the respect.

By far the best catfish in Arkansas and the best staff you could ask for.

After nearly 30yrs of being a patron of this establishment (Back when it was called "Crooked Hook"), I am incredibly disappointed by my recent experience. My family has always been a big fan of this establishment and decided to cater for a large party. Our order was available on time and we even tipped the staff. The catfish was wonderful as always, but our large order of chicken was burnt, inedible and undesired by our guests. After our event, we returned to the establishment with nearly 70% of the chicken where a very nice young lady acknowledged the chicken was "Burnt Burnt" (her words) and that it doesn't typically look the way it did. We were offered a replacement of the chicken but any potential refund for the inedible portion of our order was quickly dismissed. While a replacement works in some circumstances, it didn't for us since the event was over and we had no need for 40+ Chicken strips. We were advised to follow-up with the manager several days later to work towards a solution. In our follow-up call, we spoke with Scott (who later identified himself as the owner). This person was incredibly dismissive of our concerns, offered no apology and simply reiterated the store's no refund policy. He also expressed that he disagreed with the description of the food's quality. (His employee acknowledged the condition and advised us that she would place the food in their refrigerator for management to see) The rudeness of this individual cannot be overstated. While I can understand a no refund policy for in-dining orders, I would expect a large catering order to be met with more understanding. He went as far as suggesting that we could have done something to the food to degrade its quality. I'm quite disappointed that an establishment I have raved about for decades would so callously dismiss the concerns of a long time patron.