Jackie B. Goode's Uptown Cafe

My wife and I have been regulars at the Uptown Cafe since the late 1990's.  We have recommended it to our friends, enjoyed listening to the juke box, having a great steak burger and a shake or malt.  I am disappointed to report that there have been a number of recent changes in the Uptown that causes it to fall in our esteem as a fun Branson restaurant.

The first item is that we used to come in during the evenings and listen to a wonderful Wurlitzer Juke Box.  You could pay some coin and choose an old fashioned song.  The last few times we have visited, the Wurlitzer sits darkened and apparently abandoned.

Second, the Uptown is loosing its identity as a cafe.  After some renovations and  a show area was put in,  entertainers would come in during the evening and sing for tips.  This was fun.  You could eat and get some cheap entertainment.  Things have changed.  Now the Uptown Cafe has decided it is a dinner theater.  From Tuesday through Friday they have dinner at 7 p.m. and a show at 8 p.m.  I talked with the cashier and learned that beginning at 6:30 each evening non-theater customers are shuffled off to the side and back so they will  not accidentally hear the show.  

In order to keep revenues up, the Uptown is trying to simultaneously serve both types of customers.

Here is what our experience was.  We got there about 7.  Although we were in the front of the waiting line, we had to wait while paying show customers behind us were seated.  Then we were moved off to the side as  far as possible from the show.  In effect, we had become "second class" customers and we felt like it.

The food was good.  The service by Amanda was excellent.  The overall dining experience was however far poorer than we had experienced in the past.

This review does not deal with the show which we did not see nor hear.

My recommendation is do not eat here during show times which would be 6:30 p.m. and afterwards on Tuesday through Friday.  You might try it for lunch.  We will probably not.

  A final comment, is that when restaurants continue to make modifications such as this there is trouble ultimately in the wind.  That is a sad state of events especially since the Uptown Cafe has had a good reputation in the past.  Trip Advisor rates them in the 50's out of 300 restaurants.  After my experience I would rate them considerably lower than Trip Advisor.

Unfortunately, we can no longer recommend the Uptown Cafe.

Attached is a copy of their current menu as well as a few other photos:

The Seating for the Theater area at about 7:30 p.m.

Our Seating in a Different part of the Restaurant at about 7:30 p.m.

The Uptown at Night