Park Avenue BBQ Grille — Restaurant in Boynton Beach

PA BBQ is our go-to place for Bar-B-Q, and we stop by every few months. The food is consistently good and the service is usually excellent. Until now.

I always order the grilled chicken sandwich and request cornbread instead of the bun. It's never been an issue until our last visit when the manager, Steven Brown, got involved and told me that he's been working at this location for 12 years and has never authorized the substitution of cornbread for the bun. I explained that I've been visiting this location for 14 years and have NEVER been refused my seemingly minor request. Sensing my frustration and recognizing that I was about to leave (which I was), the manager, who was clearly irritated that I would make such an outrageous request, agreed to allow me to have a piece of cornbread "just this once". I said that "just this once" would be sufficient because we weren't planning to ever return.

To make matters worse, my dinner arrived with a burnt bun and no cornbread. I politely asked the food runner to get my cornbread. He was happy to do so. Clearly the manager never conveyed to the server nor the kitchen that he had grudgingly approved my cornbread request.

The whole incident started with the server, who should be fired for her poor attitude. When I made my initial request for cornbread, she said that she'd have to check with the manager because she normally worked at another location and they didn't allow such a substitution. I explained that my request has ALWAYS been honored at the Boynton Beach location.

After the food arrived, we never saw the server again. When she passed by our table, she saw that I had received the cornbread and had set the burnt bun aside. She must have been irritated that my request was honored because she did not once stop by our table to see how things were going or if we needed anything. She dropped off the check and picked up the payment with nary a word. Needless to say, her tip reflected this poor attitude and poor service. In fact, based on how we were treated, we probably shouldn't have left a tip at all. But the food runner and the kitchen staff did their jobs, so we wanted to be sure they received a portion of the tip.

Why would the manager be willing to lose long-standing customers (including the friends we tell about this experience) over a piece of cornbread? Does it really cost the company that much more than a bun? If the issue was truly cost, the manager could have suggested that we pay a small upcharge for the cornbread. That would have been a reasonable compromise and a way to provide some semblance of customer service.

We've noticed that PA BBQ is not nearly as busy as it had been in the past. The food is reasonably priced and tasty, with a nice selection of BBQ sauces. It's a good value, although the half-chicken with two sides at $14 is a much better deal than the thinly pounded single breast chicken sandwich with one side for $13. Perhaps customers are being driven away by the poor attitude of the staff...

What I really dislike is inconsistency and being sold/served old leftover food and being charged full price. When this restaurant is good and selling fresh food it can be very good, but you can't take advantage of customers and expect them to keep coming back to your restaurant and supporting you when you disrespect them and give them your worst

I ordered funny bones 2 weeks earlier and they were amazing. I couldn't wait to come back and see if this was an outlier or if they were going to be consistent. This time, the funny bones, a large order, again, were half the size and were at least a day old and cold or cool and it was a Friday evening when you would expect fresh stuff coming from the kitchen. If you can't serve hot fresh food then either don't serve it or sell it with a warning and a decrease price that you sell day old or week old food or whatever it is but don't charge full price for that. They shouldn't have the staff lie to me when I know what is going on.

The other thing is I told the person who served it that I was not happy with it and I told my waiter that I was not happy with it and both made excuses and did nothing to correct the problem. I'm sure they knew darn well what they were serving was bad.

The rest of the table was served I suppose good food but I have been a customer for years and had sworn off the PA grill for a while until recently for the same abuse years ago. Everyone at the table should be happy with their meal. Bad food should never make it to the table. Looks like they have not changed their tune here.

They should have more pride here. Their name is behind every meal and everything should be amazing or they should give up and do something else. Have respect for your customers.

I was in the restaurant business. Either serve your best or don't serve it at all. Don't serve spit and tell me it is Shinola.

My food was a rating of 2 and other meals at the table were better. I know they are capable of 4 and five meals, but will serve bad food.

My service score should be a 0. Everyone dropped the ball. The guy plating the food, the expediter, the runner and the waiter all disrespected me. My food should have never come out of the kitchen and even when I pointed the out they still did not take it back and bring me their best.

Nothing wrong with the atmosphere here, but you let people leave being unhappy with their experience, it just seems off a bit.

Giving my total experience a 3 is generous for the evening and points were brought up for everyone else's meals.

Plenty of free parking Old fashioned paper checks and not the disgusting pay on the waiters iPad. A plus for...

Uchhhh..... My reputation for posting reviews is fair. Read some if you like. With respect to this place - here's what happened.

I was told that a Lucille's BBQ had opened up nearby in Boynton Beach, FL. Went there at about 9:20 and was surprised when no one was in the restaurant and the staff was only too happy to tell me they were closed for the evening. In NYC, we don't arrive until 9:20 but I digress.

So I googled BBQ Boynton Beach, FL and the closest place that came up was Park Avenue BBQ right on Congress. My date and I were pleased that we didn't have to drive down to Delray Beach. But when we got there, it was also dead though we were told they were serving until 10.

We ordered a Shrimp and Ribs combo with a side of Brisket. The sides were collared greens, garlic green beans, and two pieces of corn bread. We also had two drinks. Check with tip was only 60 or 70 bucks.

The server was pleasant and the Yankees were on. Looked like everything worked out. Until about an hour later when my girlfriend went to collapse in the bed, feeling nauseous. I had other things in mind but it wasn't to be. She writhed around in bed and had me get her a yogurt which she said had settled her stomach.

It hit me a bit later. The same sick feeling with tingling down the back of my legs.

But it's how the restaurant responded that prompted this review.

I called the next day and spoke to a manager (Jose) who listened. My purpose was simple - something's up in your kitchen I said. One of the (few remaining) good things in NYC is our restaurant grading system. A, B, C and Grade Pending - otherwise they close your restaurant. I don't eat in restaurants unless they have an A in their window. You guys don't have that in Florida but should. If you can't keep your restaurant kitchen clean, keep it free of rats and cockroaches, the food protected and properly refrigerated, I'm not eating there.

The manager called me again, then the owner who both said that they've never had any complaints. And of course all the reviews are 5 stars.

Well, now...