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The Franchise is a sports bar and grill located in Wood River, IL. Come in and dine with us and enjoy some of our daily specials! We accept cash, debit, and credit cards, as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. We DO NOT accept checks. We DO NOT associate with any delivery service.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 601 E Edwardsville Rd, Wood River, IL 62095
Phone: (618) 259-2413
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The Franchise Sports Bar and Grill
The Franchise Sports Bar and Grill is a sports bar and grill located in Wood River, Illinois. It’s the place to meet up and hang out with friends and family …
The Franchise Sports Bar and Grill | Great Rivers & Routes
The Franchise Sports Bar and Grill. 601 E. Edwardsville Rd. Wood River, Illinois 62095. Phone: (618) 259-2413; Hours: 11 a.m. – 2 a.m. every day. Kitchen …
Franchise Sports Bar & Grill (@franchisesportsbarandgrill) – Instagram
The Franchise is a Sports Bar & Grill located in Wood River, IL. Come in and dine with us and enjoy our daily specials!
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Reviews
Therese Hoefer
Not a bad little bar with food. My husband and I went on a weekend night. Not a place to go eat a peaceful meal. It’s more for folks that want to dance, drink then order food. The music was extremely loud downstairs. Stay upstairs if you need to hear your company talking. The waitresses was super busy and doing their very best. The crab ragoon was good. The pulled pork was basic on a bun. The Reuben was awful and I do not usually complain about food. I can’t quite put my finger on why it tasted. Strange, but it really was overpowering with something disgusting. Sorry!
Maybe I was just expecting better quality food. My husband and I are new to the area and looking for a good place to eat. Unless you have a regular fav menu item you enjoy, I wouldn’t recommend going here to eat a meal.
… moreMaybe I was just expecting better quality food. My husband and I are new to the area and looking for a good place to eat. Unless you have a regular fav menu item you enjoy, I wouldn’t recommend going here to eat a meal.
Alexis B
People always talk about steak night and we always go on other nights…. the pizza isn’t our particular taste but people go wild over it. The steak… is as good as the reviews say! I also recommend the pepperjack cheese balls!
… moreBrian Meagher
Had my first bad experience with good here last night, it was horrible to be honest.
I come here maybe once a week, and either get food there or take it Togo. Everything I’ve got has been pretty decent. Some bartenders are slow there, but one (idk her name) is always very sweet and fast with refills etc.
Least night I called in a Togo pizza with garlic bread. When I came in the bar was full, so I sat at a table and waited on a server/bartender to come over. After 15 mins, I seen some people leave so I went up to the bar to finally pay for my food since no one was coming over to me apparently.
I got a large pizza and garlic bread Togo. Paid and left. And when I arrived home to start eating, the pizza was horrible. It was not cooked all the way so it was cold but I was hungry and was gonna eat it anyway, and when you grabbed a piece to rip it off (because they barely cut it) all the toppings fell off the pizza. Probably one of the worst pizzas I’ve ever had. Also, the garlic bread was so hard and had almost no flavor. Jajy crunchy bread. The last time I had it it was very good and soft. And I’ve had good pizza here before. But last night was a waste of $30 and gas and time. Tried to call to ask for a manager but no one picked up.
Update:
Called again today, asked for a manager. When I said can I speak to a manager, the response was “do you want to leave a message?”
I said “no, I’d like to speak to a manager”
They said one second.
Then a minute later a woman who sounded exactly the same picked up and literally just said “hello?”
I said “hi, is this a manager?” (because usually a business manager will pick up and announce that with their name, not just say hello)
They just said yes. Definitely seemed like they were lying
Then went on to say they would remake it but can’t refund it without a receipt even if I give them my name and card number and time I came in. Seems very shady
So I asked again why I can’t get a refund with that information I have. So they said they’d talk to the boss that runs the computers and ask and call me back.
Didn’t apologize or anything and was very short on the phone. Definitely didn’t give off manager vibes at all.
So I went back up there to figure out in person. Glad I did because it confirmed everything I thought.
I came inside, sat down at the bar. Then asked a bartender to speak to a manager. A man came up shortly after, who didn’t say his name or position either (must be a trend here when it comes to refunds) and just walked up and said “so what was wrong with it?” Followed by “I’m gonna do it this time but next time bring it back the night of” even though the kitchen was closed so they wouldn’t be able to remake it anyway.
So I came 13 hours later and that’s unacceptable apparently. Even brought the whole pizza back in to show I wasn’t lying and he literally grabbed it and looked at it and said it looked fine. Then asked about the bread and I explained it was rock hard, and that I had bought this same meal many times before and it was fine before but last night was the complete opposite because it was.
And he responded by rolling his eyes, turning around and walking away from me without saying a thing. And some woman walked up to me with the change and didn’t say anything either. No apologies at all from anyone. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that at a restaurant in my 36 years. Will not be back here
… moreI come here maybe once a week, and either get food there or take it Togo. Everything I’ve got has been pretty decent. Some bartenders are slow there, but one (idk her name) is always very sweet and fast with refills etc.
Least night I called in a Togo pizza with garlic bread. When I came in the bar was full, so I sat at a table and waited on a server/bartender to come over. After 15 mins, I seen some people leave so I went up to the bar to finally pay for my food since no one was coming over to me apparently.
I got a large pizza and garlic bread Togo. Paid and left. And when I arrived home to start eating, the pizza was horrible. It was not cooked all the way so it was cold but I was hungry and was gonna eat it anyway, and when you grabbed a piece to rip it off (because they barely cut it) all the toppings fell off the pizza. Probably one of the worst pizzas I’ve ever had. Also, the garlic bread was so hard and had almost no flavor. Jajy crunchy bread. The last time I had it it was very good and soft. And I’ve had good pizza here before. But last night was a waste of $30 and gas and time. Tried to call to ask for a manager but no one picked up.
Update:
Called again today, asked for a manager. When I said can I speak to a manager, the response was “do you want to leave a message?”
I said “no, I’d like to speak to a manager”
They said one second.
Then a minute later a woman who sounded exactly the same picked up and literally just said “hello?”
I said “hi, is this a manager?” (because usually a business manager will pick up and announce that with their name, not just say hello)
They just said yes. Definitely seemed like they were lying
Then went on to say they would remake it but can’t refund it without a receipt even if I give them my name and card number and time I came in. Seems very shady
So I asked again why I can’t get a refund with that information I have. So they said they’d talk to the boss that runs the computers and ask and call me back.
Didn’t apologize or anything and was very short on the phone. Definitely didn’t give off manager vibes at all.
So I went back up there to figure out in person. Glad I did because it confirmed everything I thought.
I came inside, sat down at the bar. Then asked a bartender to speak to a manager. A man came up shortly after, who didn’t say his name or position either (must be a trend here when it comes to refunds) and just walked up and said “so what was wrong with it?” Followed by “I’m gonna do it this time but next time bring it back the night of” even though the kitchen was closed so they wouldn’t be able to remake it anyway.
So I came 13 hours later and that’s unacceptable apparently. Even brought the whole pizza back in to show I wasn’t lying and he literally grabbed it and looked at it and said it looked fine. Then asked about the bread and I explained it was rock hard, and that I had bought this same meal many times before and it was fine before but last night was the complete opposite because it was.
And he responded by rolling his eyes, turning around and walking away from me without saying a thing. And some woman walked up to me with the change and didn’t say anything either. No apologies at all from anyone. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that at a restaurant in my 36 years. Will not be back here
Sherri Franklin
Food was wonderful and I loved the vibe of the place. The food came out staggered (we were a larger group, but still), with two folks not getting their food until everyone else was done eating. Not the servers fault; she was great and attentive. The steak kabobs were heavenly! The burger was amazing as well!
… moreRhonda xmax Alexandra
We try to frequent this restaurant at least once a month. We love the friday night special. But on this last visit on a Sunday at 520pm the establishment was holding a fund raise ( all good ) but only had 3 waitress working . Very disorganized. Had to ask 2 times for a waitress. We sat out as far away from the bar near the smoking patio. Watched tables sit down and be served that arrived after we did ( we was a table of 2) the very large tables received major attention. I ordered the Club Sandwich as you can see from the photos I received a grilled turkey with only 2 different cheese said it came with lettuce tomatoes and mayo all was missing. Also said chips pickles and onion. Only chips came . I asked out waitress to have it corrected with she did and she was not happy about it because they were swamped. All we ordered was large Caesar salad and a club sandwich. Took 1.5 hours to receive them . I asked for check and box at the time she set food down . I love love Club Sandwich NORMALLY served not grilled and hot but was told that’s how we make it. We’ll please describe on your menu that it grilled and served hot. We left very disappointed the service has gone down hill and NEVER NEVER see waitress smile. It’s not just my opinion others have left same reviews. Was shocked on a response to a review when it ended then don’t come back bye felicia. I was in the service industry for 15 yrs and was shocked at that response. No management to be seen in the 2+hours we was there.Hope they fix a couple issues and get back to good customer service.
… moreE Smith
Came to the Franchise to watch live bands play and I enjoyed the Scott & Mechelle Band and Friends. I thought the Steak Night Specials were great. It was a good deal but the potato was not cooked all the way and was hard to eat. There were other items I did not take photos of but were delicious such as the Fried Mushrooms (they come out HOT), Garlic Wings (Great flavor and temperature was perfect), and Chicken Cesar Salad (separate order but the serving size was massive). The service was a bit hard to get ahold of due to the amount of people at this location. The bathrooms were very crowded and a lot of people not actually using the bathrooms and doing other things. I would just be cautious when coming here. Parking was a bit difficult, so arrive early to come here for any of the specialty nights to get a spot. After the live music, the DJ who plays after is great at announcing any parties or just shoutouts. Music selections are also awesome to dance and sing to. I would come back to see other live bands when available and try other things on their menu.
… moreRichard Lyne (Heir of Mind)
This would have been a five-star review. The food is excellent, the drinks are reasonably priced, the jukebox was free, and I had some wonderful conversation with my fellow bar patrons. I have nothing but good things to say about my bartenders, who were nothing but wonderful and kind the entire night for the couple of hours that I was here.
I am accustomed to asking my fellow bar patrons if I can buy one of their cigarettes, but nobody I asked at this bar smoked. As I was leaving I decided to return and use the bathroom, at which point I was accosted by a very unpleasant man telling me I had to leave because I was asking people for money, which at no point did I do. I told him I was leaving and that I had not asked anyone for money but rather have been offering to buy cigarettes from people. He continued to be extremely abrasive even once I already said I was leaving and he continued to harass me along with some random woman in the parking lot I had never even seen before.
This is a great bar to have a drink and conversation with people, but if these are the managers, the way they handled the situation was completely inappropriate and had no regard for the reality of the situation. If these individuals are reading this post, please get yourselves a life and stop harassing people who aren’t doing anything wrong. You could have just let me leave your bar without harassing me but you chose to make it a situation and for that reason I will not be returning.
Edit: after reading a selection of the negative reviews at this bar, I am increasingly concerned about management at this place. One patron reported serious concerns of racism and discrimination on multiple occasions and the manager responded flippantly with a series of punctuation marks rather than making any kind of apology or resolving to look into the situation as they did with many of the white customers who left reviews and were unsatisfied with concerns far less serious than systemic discrimination. On other negative reviews, management appears to be flat-out rude and short with customers. God bless Morgan & Laney and the other good staff here who have to deal with managers who don’t even regard other people
… moreI am accustomed to asking my fellow bar patrons if I can buy one of their cigarettes, but nobody I asked at this bar smoked. As I was leaving I decided to return and use the bathroom, at which point I was accosted by a very unpleasant man telling me I had to leave because I was asking people for money, which at no point did I do. I told him I was leaving and that I had not asked anyone for money but rather have been offering to buy cigarettes from people. He continued to be extremely abrasive even once I already said I was leaving and he continued to harass me along with some random woman in the parking lot I had never even seen before.
This is a great bar to have a drink and conversation with people, but if these are the managers, the way they handled the situation was completely inappropriate and had no regard for the reality of the situation. If these individuals are reading this post, please get yourselves a life and stop harassing people who aren’t doing anything wrong. You could have just let me leave your bar without harassing me but you chose to make it a situation and for that reason I will not be returning.
Edit: after reading a selection of the negative reviews at this bar, I am increasingly concerned about management at this place. One patron reported serious concerns of racism and discrimination on multiple occasions and the manager responded flippantly with a series of punctuation marks rather than making any kind of apology or resolving to look into the situation as they did with many of the white customers who left reviews and were unsatisfied with concerns far less serious than systemic discrimination. On other negative reviews, management appears to be flat-out rude and short with customers. God bless Morgan & Laney and the other good staff here who have to deal with managers who don’t even regard other people
Natasha Jones
We came in for the pizza on pizza night, they waited until after we all ordered our drinks to tell us they didnt have any pizzas due to truck not coming
Understandable, but she could have told us before we ordered drinks. We ordered other food instead, then they waited like 15-20 minutes to come tell us they dont have wings for the appetizer, so we ordered something different. We ordered 3 taco salads, and 2 orders of nachos. We all requested sour cream.
Our food came, they didnt make one of the kid’s nachos, and they didnt bring us sour cream, we had to request it again. Our daughter had to wait another 20–25 minutes for her food. By the time her food came, the rest of us were done eating. She asked for sour cream for her nachos, and they gave her ranch or Bleu cheese, and she didn’t know and put it on her nachos and stirred it in. When we let them know, they said “Well she’s eating it.” We were just trying to get her to eat so we can go at this point, but it was not good with whatever dressing she was given and she was just picking it. They refused to give us any kind of discount, and instead we waited another 5-6 minutes for them to REMAKE her nachos and give them to us to go with a side of SOUR CREAM. After all that, they could have at least discounted the nachos or something, but they didnt.
… moreUnderstandable, but she could have told us before we ordered drinks. We ordered other food instead, then they waited like 15-20 minutes to come tell us they dont have wings for the appetizer, so we ordered something different. We ordered 3 taco salads, and 2 orders of nachos. We all requested sour cream.
Our food came, they didnt make one of the kid’s nachos, and they didnt bring us sour cream, we had to request it again. Our daughter had to wait another 20–25 minutes for her food. By the time her food came, the rest of us were done eating. She asked for sour cream for her nachos, and they gave her ranch or Bleu cheese, and she didn’t know and put it on her nachos and stirred it in. When we let them know, they said “Well she’s eating it.” We were just trying to get her to eat so we can go at this point, but it was not good with whatever dressing she was given and she was just picking it. They refused to give us any kind of discount, and instead we waited another 5-6 minutes for them to REMAKE her nachos and give them to us to go with a side of SOUR CREAM. After all that, they could have at least discounted the nachos or something, but they didnt.
Lucas Romann
The steak was great. The prices were good.
I haven’t got a good steak that was cooked right, thick, and seasoned for the longest time. But Franchise changed that. The steak was cooked perfect and was thick cut and actually had seasoning and a little char to it. It was good.
It did take a long time to get the food and service wasnt as attentive, but they were busy. Overall, I’d go again.
… moreI haven’t got a good steak that was cooked right, thick, and seasoned for the longest time. But Franchise changed that. The steak was cooked perfect and was thick cut and actually had seasoning and a little char to it. It was good.
It did take a long time to get the food and service wasnt as attentive, but they were busy. Overall, I’d go again.
Carol Norton
We had great steaks for an unbelievable price Friday.. hard to find parking and they are busy but worth the wait! We had fast great service right away.. our steaks were cooked perfectly and were so flavorful!
… more