General Store and Post Office Tavern CLOSED

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-gurus/post/the_general_store_in_silver_spring_is_closed/2011/03/23/ABbEllJB_blog.html?wprss=going-out-gurus

My husband and I are military and we saw the place on diners, drive ins and dives, so of course we wanted to check it out. The prices are out of this world. You do not get what you pay for. We spent maybe 30 plus dollars on just the two of us. We did not get good service. Maybe the owner doesn't know that times are hard and for the prices that they charge you could feed a family of 4 on what we spent. Please lower your prices. Don't even think about ordering a side 8.00 for a side of collards that comes in a small white cup.You cant make all of your money from one family.

I've been wanting to try this restaurant for about a year but I will never go back. I'll admit that the fried chicken was phenomenal but the service was absolutely appalling.  I had heard that the chef was unfriendly, but figured that I didn't need the chef to be nice. What surprised me was the complete lack of service from anyone else there. For starters,  it's not a restaurant, it's cafeteria style. I asked to see a menu while I waited in line but they refused to distribute one because they have one posted near the front of the line. When I finally got to the counter to place my order, I realized that part of the problem was that the cashier moved in slow motion. She seemed to be doing double duty as drink maker and food runner. I asked for a glass of water and she filled a cup with ice but insisted that rather than give it to me, she'd bring it to me. I asked if I could have it then but she insisted that I couldn't have it, which I thought was bizarre. Then it took twenty minutes for her to bring it to me in the rather dank basement where I finally found a table. About 15 minutes later, we overheard one of the employees tell someone that it was a 45 minute wait for fried chicken. I felt that they should have told us this when we placed our order. To add to that, the woman delivering the food was beyond rude. Furthermore, when she finally brought ours, the kid's meal contained a disappointing one measly chicken leg. At that point, it was impossible to order anything else for the kids because by then, the wait for food was almost two hours. In all, it made for an experience that was less than enjoyable. In fact, it was quite disappointing. It's too bad that they don't realize that a little effort toward customer service would go a long way.

I've been going sporadically since it opened, because I live on that street, within sight of it, basically.  The chicken is typically tepid and the attitude I get about it, I don't like.  The fish tacos are nice, other dishes are fine.  Everything is ginned up a bit, nothing is actually spectacular.  But it is convenient...

I've been there several times for lunch.  I found out about them from the Washington Post.  I get there early because I love their fried chicken and I read that, if you're not early, they can run out.  I get it with the collard greens.  My friend gets it with the mac and cheese.  Their cornbread is excellent too, moist and buttery.  No need to add more butter.

Thought the food was great. You have to get here early if you want the fried chicken. We got there at 2:30 (they open at 11:30) and they were already out of chicken and some other items. Apparently this happens. Fish Tacos are great, the shrimp on the shrimp sandwich are way too good to be on a sandwich. Very light and delicate. Taragon Chicken sandwich was good and so was the Corn Dog. Don't skip dessert, the Lemon Chess Pie and Coconut Cream pie were outstanding. Plan to go back soon and try the chicken.  The way this place works is different than most restaurants. You place your order, pay for your order and then find a table. Your order # is called out and then brought to you. It's up to you to go back to the counter and get something if you need it. Kind of nice not to have waitstaff asking you questions when you have a mouth full of food. The staff was pleasant and helpful.