Bahama Breeze — Restaurant in Brandon

It was one of the best experiences I've had at a restaurant, and it was all because of our server. A young man by the name of Muhammed.

Now, of course, my firecracker shrimp, empanadas, and bahamarita were on point too. I take my wig off to the chef. But the person took excellent care of us, the person who made us feel like family (that you like), the person who we said we would ask to sit in his area each and every visit in the future, was a man name Mohammed.

On top of him being very personable, engaging, and hilarious, he anticipated our every need before we could even think of asking. Our table stayed cleared and the drinks full. We shared stories about places we all have visited and plan to go in the future. The things he has done encouraged, inspired, and lit a fire under me.

We noticed how he gave all his other tables his undivided attention too. And how they responded to him with gratitude and appreciation as well. His attitude and energy were contagious.

We definitely appreciated him checking his watch and giving us a countdown and reminding us to put in any additional orders before Happy Hour ended. Which was awesome because I was able to place another order of those crispy, mouthwatering empanadas and the two dipping sauces before time ran out. You gotta combine the two sauces. Together, they taste like heaven. And someone else got in a pineapple, coconut magarita order... recommended by Mohammed. It was deeeeelicious! Yes, I was offered and did not turn down a taste. She said it would be her go-to drink on her next visit. My compliments to the mixologist who whipped up such a smooth beverage.

As we were leaving, the Manager was asking us if we enjoyed everything and thanked us for coming. Which can be a slippery slope if we had a horrible time. I remember him coming to our table and checking on us. He was actually walking with us to the door while asking about our visit. I thought that was pretty cool. So, while I had him, I took the time to tell him about Mohammed. He said that Mohammed is always like that. He said he has a great personality, he always stays positive, he never gets angry, and he knows how to handle situations. They are thankful for him. I agreed wholeheartedly.

We were also assisted by Brittney. Muhammed was good, but he could not have been everywhere all the time. I was paying with a device on the table, and it had just run out of tape. Brittney noticed something was not quite right and asked if I needed anything. She left, got tape, came right back, and changed it within seconds. Thank you Brittney, for noticing a need and not just walking past us, but choosing to stop and assist.

We want to thank Muhammed and the Bahamas Breeze team in Brandon, Florida, for providing us with an unforgettable experience. See you at our next Happy Hour visit. We are asking for Muhammed's section and will not...

I ordered from the stack of “To Go Menus” at the entrance of the Brandon Bahama Breeze restaurant. When they charged me I asked why the difference in price. I was being charged almost $18 instead of the $13. They said that they had updated the prices because it includes more quantity; which is not specified on the to go menus. Yet they had a whole stack of “to go menus” at the entrance. I respectfully suggested that they should get rid of the stack menus at the entrance. I then decided that I would order just one item bc I didn’t agree with the price. I paid for the appetizer which totaled aprox $7.50. I did not leave a tip, which is not my custom, because the experience was unpleasant and they took a little more time. When the server brought the order to the host counter, he brought it without a bag and had unpleasant attitude with comments looks among themselves, then proceeded to place inside a bag, handed it to another server to give to me. I absolutely DID NOT eat the appetizer I ordered. I then proceeded to go to a different restaurant. These servers need to treat older people with respect wether a customer places an order from the main menu or an appetizer. Can’t say much about management either. My husband and I used to go there a lot but the last two years it’s not been good.

The strange thing is that we usually go to the Bahama Breeze in Clearwater, the atmosphere is wonderful and we’ve never had to complain about the food or the service; we always leave very good tips in appreciation for the service. The servers are kind and respectful. We’ve also gone to the Bahama Breeze restaurant in Osceola Pkwy Kissimmee and other restaurants and have not had a situation or been treated disrespectfully.

I will not be returning to the Brandon Bahama Breeze. So sad; I’ve been going there for 8+ yrs. I used to love going there. Sometimes when we were shopping, my husband and I would have lunch there and go back in the evening for a light dinner, soup...

I hate that I ham even sitting in the parking lot writing this but I’m really disappointed. The waitress, I think her name is Zoee, is the worse waitress I’ve ever come across. 1st she came out with my drink and just dropped it on the table really hard without uttering a word to me. Then she came back and dropped my husband’s drink also really hard. Even though we felt that it was wrong, we still decided to stay quiet and give her the benefit of doubt cause you know, people do go through stuff. Then our order came. The gentleman who served us was really kind. Fast forward… she came back several minutes later to ask if we were ok and wanted to order desert ti which I replied that I wanted a to go plate since I had barely touched my baby back ribs and fries. She came back with the plate and We paid and tipped her. I was barely out the door when I realized that I forgot my food on the table. It wasn’t even 2 minutes. When I came back my food was gone. My husband asked her about it and she said they had thrown it. She didn’t even care to offer us something seeing that I had barely touched my food. She just didn’t care. The least she could’ve done was save the food for at least 5 minutes and if I didn’t come back then get rid of it cause why else would I be asking for a to go plate if I didn’t want my food I paid so much money for. Her attitude sucked from the start right through the end. And because of this this will be my 1st and last time ever visiting another Bahama breeze restaurant.

UPDATE*

I am changing my review from a 1 star to a 3 because the management of Bahama breeze reached out to me and apologized on behalf of their waitress. I was also given a $25 gift card which I look forward to using soon. I’m grateful because this has definitely changed my mindset about the experience I had there. However in the future I do believe it’s important they look into hiring people who are more courteous to...