Kemp's Seafood House
based on 12 reviews
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Category: Restaurants
Tags:
seafood fish shrimp, buffet seafood in a styro-foam box, excellent seafood, fish, triangle, seafood, shrimp, best in raleigh
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Price Range: Moderate, $11-30
Accepts Credit Cards: yes
Parking: Private Lot
Wheelchair Accessible: yes
12 reviews for Kemp's Seafood House
WOW!!!!! Kemps recently remodeled and reformulated their procedures. Have you ever been to a big theme park (Carowinds, Kings Dominion....) and ordered food and then waited? WELL THIS IS THE NEW KEMPS (8/2008). You now come into a huge order area and order your food for you and your family. Then you get a order # and eventually your number is announced over the PA system. You then go and retrieve your styrofoam boxed food w/ plastic utensils to take to a table to sit and eat. If you want a napkin, drink of water, piece of lemon...get over it you are on your own!!! Get up from the table (there are NO waiters or waitresses) and go find what you want on your own. Some of the stuff is in the beverage area some is a mystery and other things are at the order counter to get if you can get a word in for yourself while the orders are being taken. In a nut shell Kemps has gone from a 9-10 restaurant to a camp ground cafeteria style get it yourself and like it, hole in the wall. The portions are smaller and the food items (shrimp, scallops…) are much smaller now. I can only assume somebody bought out the extremely successful Kemps and have now just run it straight down into the ground. What a SHAME this WAS one of the Triangles best restaurants....now it is merely another chain like wait in a line steakhouse (seafood) buffet. I'll NEVER go back again. What a LOSS for RDU.
I've been to Kemp's a couple of times within the past year. I'm not a huge seafood fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed it both times. They give you plenty of food for a decent price and typically great service. My sister knows the owner personally and he runs a top notch business. I recommend it to anyone who wants great seafood in a comfortable family-style atmosphere.
Have you been lately? They remodeled recently and DOWN SCALED BIG TIME. The portions are smaller the shrimp and scallops are smaller...on and on. It's no longer a resturaunt its a camp style heard and eat. You order your food at a big counter then wait with a heard of people, wait for your number to be called over the PA system and then you receive your food in a styro-foam box and get plastic forks and knives. There are NO waiters to help. Its like eating in a camp ground cafeteria. Very disapointing!!
I haven't been since they did the remodeling. I'm sorry to hear that it has changed that much. I guess when I get the itch for seafood I'll go to 42nd Street.
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Chris C
What a change. This guy is right. They are a totally different dining experience since remodeling this summer (2008). You will be very disapointed in the food, atmosphere, service and overall experience Kemps "USE" to offer. I bet they go out of business in the near future. Very sad..!
Slammy McDunken
Oh yes, and you forgot to mention that although the food portion is less, Kemp's is still very pleased to charge you = or > money for the styro-no-frills version. I wander what business will be next in the building next? I remember it used to be called Champs, and before that it was Cock-of-the-Walk. Maybe the next folks will have waiters at least.
Shelly B
My parents who moved out of town are seafood lovers and absolutely loved Kemps when my husband and I took them there a few years back. It became a tradition to go there everytime they came into town. We went there this past May during their last visit which was following Kemps remodel and we were all so very disappointed. The food was decent (not excellent as before) but as stated above, it's order, wait, do-it-yourself, fetch your own supplies, and pay the same or more for smaller portions served in styrofoam. Needless to say we won't be going back.
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