The Hangout

Finally went to the hangout last week. Here%26#39;s my impressions (we ate before we went so didn%26#39;t try the food)

1) someone dropped a TON of money on this place. it%26#39;s gorgeous.

2) bars are very strategically placed. huge one as you enter the door and then 3 out back

3) Lulu%26#39;s should be shaking in their boots. This place has a huge sand mound that kids can play on, chairs for the parents surrounding it, and a bar right next to that

4) pretty cool place to take teens. they have an outdoor stage where bands play and then next to that are beds/couches with white canopies and a seating area around a fire that comes out of white crystals

5) it was kind of chilly the night we went but it looks similar to Lulu%26#39;s in that they have garage doors that close. not sure if they have AC. if not, another place to check off my list come Summer.

6) gift shop has some hilarious gag gifts

7) parking is a nightmare. they have their own lot off Beach Blvd but it fills up quick. the other parking near the beach was $5

Overall I was very impressed. Parents should love it because they can let their kids go wild on the sand hill and tire themselves out while enjoying a cold beverage.

The Hangout

It is a good thing you did not try the food. We went to the Hangout on May 17th. We were so impressed with everything. When we arrived we said ';this is going to hurt Lulu%26#39;s.'; We waited for at least 2 hours for our food after we placed our order. We were patient about it because our children were enjoying themselves in the sand and we were having drinks and chips and salsa. At one point, we looked around the restaurant and not one table had their food nor were there any waiters coming out of the kitchen with food. The manager came to our table and explained that the kitchen was backed up. People were getting up and leaving. I wish we had too. It was by far the worst meal I have ever had. The kids meals were served in little buckets and everything was greasy and soggy. My friend ordered crab salad and it was just a container of frozen crab meat that had been thawed out and dumped on a plate. The crab meat was sitting in a pile of thawed water with a little cup of salad dressing on the side. I could go on and on. I have never in my life complained or written about a bad experience in a restaurant. However, this was really, really, really bad. When we left, we said ';we don%26#39;t think Lulu%26#39;s has to worry.'; The atmosphere was well planned, the quality of the food was definitely not the top priority given to this restaurant.

The Hangout

Comments posted about The Hangout are pretty spot-on. LuLu%26#39;s doesn%26#39;t need to worry just yet, but if The Hangout gets their act together, they could be a threat. We visited twice in the past week and each time found the same problem - an overly-long wait time, while about 15% of the tables sit empty. Prices were reasonable. The menu was limited, so it looks like they%26#39;re not trying to overreach on that point. Our food was good, so the kitchen had their act together the nights we visited. Our food was satisfactory, but the service is abysmal. Neither the hostesses nor the wait staff seem to have a clue, and don%26#39;t appear to have any management guiding them. If they can get some solid restaurant management in place, it would help. The facility is very attractive and in a great location. Bamanascar is right; parking is a nightmare! Right now, this place has great potential being wasted.

i%26#39;m disappointed to hear this. we always go to lulu%26#39;s once on our trip, but was hoping that the hangout would pan out. we like the causal outside type of place. i guess we%26#39;ll give it a go still in a few weeks, but will keep this info in mind.

Still haven%26#39;t been to The Hangout, but all of this may be just opening month problems. If they%26#39;re paying attention (no guarantee that they are) they%26#39;ll iron the food problems out. Great location.

I am now officially biased toward Lulu%26#39;s. My daughter started working there today, so if you go leave a big tip!!!

I think it may just be start-up problems. We live here and a lot of us really do ';hangout'; there. They were really shaky in the beginning, but have improved with each visit. The artichoke/crab dip is AWESOME! So is the wumba wumba (or whatever) shrimp. You just can%26#39;t beat the atmosphere...Service needs help!

My girlfriend%26#39;s family just got back from GUlf Shores. They loved the hangout. Said the food was just as pricey as Lu Lu%26#39;s but much, much better. They went around 2:00 pm so they didn%26#39;t have a wait. They did say the service was not that great, but felt like their waitress was probably new at that type of job. But, they will definitely go back on their next visit.

After trying to go to The Original Oyster House (1 1/2 hr. wait) and Bahama Bob%26#39;s (no parking) last week, we decided to see if we could get in at The Hangout - no wait, seated immediately. Service was ok and didn%26#39;t have to wait very long on the food. I agree that the menu is very limited - but even though I%26#39;m a huge fan of Lulu%26#39;s so is theirs. The band was really good. To me there food wasn%26#39;t anything to rave about - nothing special - but not bad. I did enjoy the atmosphere (which is the main reason we go to Lulu%26#39;s every year). I think they will do well where they are located but I don%26#39;t necessarily think they will hurt Lulu%26#39;s business.

We are going to Gulf Shores in June (next week) and I have already heard from teens in Mississippi that this is the place to go to have fun! They went down on a cheer camp - had a great time and love the band! We are going to check it out.