JOEY Lansdowne — Restaurant in Ottawa

My first time at Lansdowne joeys in Ottawa as we were visiting from Toronto. I was told not to visit Rideau Joey's as this location was better.

Food was great, atmosphere was great. What really affected our visit was the waitress Abigayle. I am a support worker accompanying 2 people we support with an intellectual disability along with my co workers. At first, Abigayle came and asked if we wanted to order drinks. 4 out of 5 individuals ordered a soft drink. The 5th person said water and she rudely says "everyone on the table gets water regardless" we placed our food order at 7pm as well. At 7:20pm 4 out of 5 received the soft drinks. The 5th person still didn't receive a water. We had to call on her to remind her about the water as we had none at the table.

She seemed annoyed each time she came to our table and we did not enjoy her as her tone and body language showed annoyance.

Food came, tasted delicious. Kitchen gave one of my co workers less sweet potato fries and they gave us more after realizing.

This part really changed my perspective on Abigayle. We had to split the bill 3 ways for filing and paperwork purposes for work. I told her we wanted the bills split in 3 and I told her what each bill will be charged for which was fine. I told her it will all be in cash as this is how we pay for work. She says rudely "why not just pay it all on one bill if it's the same form of payment" I re explained I cannot do that. She complained that she has to walk to the bar multiple times to input the cash. I explained that I will give her all the cash upfront and to bring the change back. She then asks "How much change do you want?" I replied "please bring back all the change for all the bills." She says "so you're not tipping since you want your change." I said "please bring back my change and I can then give a tip" she rudely takes the cash.

We ponder at the table like wtf this is Joey's a place of sophistication and this is not polite nor professional. She deserves no tip. She comes back and she waits around expecting this tip. We live in a world where a tip is expected and we had to give her one even though she is highly disrespectful. We gave her $12 which was less than 10% because I had told her I'll give her once I receive the change.

I phoned the manager named Jessica, she answered the phone unprofessionally. When she answered she didn't state her name nor position I had to ask who am I speaking with. No formality. I told her about Abigayle and we are with people with an intellectual disability who were visiting Ottawa. She asked for me email and I gave it to her. She said they will email me with a gift card for a Joey's In the GTA toronto as we are from there. No email sent.

She has not done so, and I will say this, please change your waiter or waitress if you do get Abigayle.

I will also contact Joey's head office and launch a complain.

Will not be visiting Joey's in...

As a long-standing patron of JOEY, whose loyalty has extended over a number of years and included substantial expenditure on both personal and professional engagements.exceeding $5,000 in the present calendar year alone—I find it necessary to express my unequivocal dismay at the precipitous and disconcerting decline in the standard of service delivered by this establishment.

The current operational paradigm appears singularly focused on maximising table turnover and augmenting short-term profit, to the manifest detriment of client retention, sustained patron satisfaction, and basic principles of courteous hospitality. This shift in institutional culture is not only regrettable but commercially injudicious.

Most notably, the recent appointment of a female manager of Asian descent—typically stationed on the patio—has severely exacerbated the aforementioned issues. Her comportment is characterised by an egotistical, discourteous, and palpably hostile demeanour, which manifests in consistently unprofessional conduct. She routinely terminates patio service abruptly and without just cause, frequently closing umbrellas in a reckless and physically intrusive manner that has caused actual physical discomfort to patrons. Her visual demeanour is severe and unwelcoming, and she consistently projects an air of superiority wholly incompatible with her professional obligations.

On several occasions, she has orchestrated an environment of intimidation by dispatching servers to disrupt patrons at intervals not exceeding five minutes, thereby eroding any semblance of a relaxed or dignified dining experience. In one particularly unacceptable incident, my table was presented with the bill without any request having been made—an action that was both presumptive and offensive, clearly motivated by an intent to expedite our departure for operational convenience.

This establishment’s continued recruitment of manifestly incompetent personnel, particularly in positions of managerial authority, has rendered the dining experience irredeemably diminished. There is no justification, either practical or financial, for maintaining five managers on the floor when one competent manager and a modest number of well-trained servers would suffice in a modernised, partially self-service context in 2025.

It is professionally offensive and commercially irrational that, despite my significant financial patronage, I am met with such an egregious lack of respect, professionalism, and fundamental customer care. Unless the aforementioned manager is promptly and permanently removed from her post, I shall be left with no alternative but to cease patronising this establishment entirely and will further discourage my colleagues, friends, and family members from continuing...

My partner Maggie and I have never dined on-site but JOEY Lansdowne’s excellent food and superior customer service makes this restaurant our favourite go-to for delivery. We are picky eaters with some specific issues (e.g., intolerance to raw onions, prefer lots of salad dressing, but on the side, and the carnivore in the house knows Tataki-style beef should not be covered in steak rub). Although there were some initial issues with consistency, thankfully the staff at this JOEY location — shout out to Morgana, Matt & Chef Seb! — have gotten to know us and go out of their way to ensure our quirky order is correct. It’s this attention to detail and willingness to go the extra mile to retain customers over the long term that keeps us coming back — not only to the JOEY restaurant brand but this specific location at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. Thanks to their exceptional staff, who handle our tiny tweaks with efficiency and aplomb, we have ordered from this JOEY location dozens of times. Our favourite menu selections (Farmers Market Salad 2.0 and Tataki-style Beef with Crispy Mashed Potatoes) are generously portioned and SO VERY, VERY YUMMY we haven’t ever swayed from them. Fortunately, if these dishes are any indication, you are likely to score something delicious no matter what you order from JOEY Lansdowne! (Most importantly, if it’s NOT delicious, Morgan, Matt, Chef Seb and the JOEY team will make it right and have you coming back for more.) *NOTE: my original review mistakenly appeared with only 4 out of 5 stars, but this was a typo. I definitely give JOEY’s a full 5 stars and am ordering again today, August 16th 2025…of course it will be my beloved Farmers Market 2.0 salad with extra of their fantastic ‘champagne’ dressing, along with Maggie’s signature request (lol) for the steak-frites, substituting the Tataki-style for the beef (no steak rub) along with their unique Crispy Mashed Potatoes instead of plain ‘ole fries. Fingers crossed for yet another wonderful customized meal from the fabulous folks at...