Sunset Grill Clearwater — Restaurant in Clearwater

I’ve been a regular customer at Sunset Grill for years, consistently ordering the same meal. Recently, I noticed a discrepancy in their gratuity policy. While their website states that a 10% gratuity is automatically added only to orders over $50, I discovered that the gratuity was applied to all takeout orders without prior notice.

Additionally, the payment machine prompts customers to add gratuity on top of the already included 10%, which can lead to confusion and potential double-tipping. When I raised these concerns with the manager, I was informed that the 10% gratuity is indeed added to all takeout orders, contrary to what is advertised on their website.

This lack of transparency and misleading advertising is concerning. It’s crucial for businesses to accurately represent their policies and ensure customers are informed about all charges. When I contacted the Manager about this and informed him this was false advertisement, he said it’s not. I told him this is a lawsuit because not only you have been ripping me off , imagine everyone else. He said it’s not a lawsuit! Then asked me what do I want? What kind of response is that from a manager! Sorry for the blurry receipt, when you do the math it’s 10%!

Response from the owner 4 hours ago Juan, the statement you have provided here from our website says "ALL takeout orders are subject to an added 10% gratuity" That means that it is left to the discretion of the host. The same as how on our menu it says all parties 7+ are subject to a 20% gratuity which is left to the discretion of the server. On orders $50 or more it is automatically applied no matter what. That information is clearly stated and is not false advertisement nor a lawsuit. Ask a lawyer. The receipt informs you of the charge. The register informs you of the charge and it very clearly states that you may add an additional tip of 3%, 5%, or 7%. Even if you selected 7% that is still below the standard 20% tip which many places charge. This information is also printed on all of our paper takeout menus. In addition, we have been implementing this practice for over 1 year now so most of our patrons are well aware of this update.

Update: I was never told once by the host that I would be charged 10% gratuity! You say it’s left to the discretion of the host… so was I specifically chosen by the host to charge that fee? I don’t believe you understand the term “subject”. The register informs you of the total amount not the 10% gratuity. So when you guys machines shows add tip it’s a bit concerning because why would someone voluntarily double tip if they knew that gratuity was already charged? You can’t speak for most of your patrons because you don’t know what they’re thinking or what they know or what they don’t know that’s just an assumption that you made however, it will be brought up to lawyer to see if there’s...

I don't know if the owners or cook changed recently but today both the food and welcome were not good.

We have been long time patrons of the Sunset Grill and today, something was definitely off. We frequent this diner during the school year, every Saturday morning around 8am. The parking lot is usually full and the diner itself is packed with smiling faces and the smell of breakfast. Today, the parking lot was almost empty as was the diner.

Upon entering, we asked to be seated with our favorite server and it seemed from the way the hostess responded that it was going to be a problem. It was an odd interaction but before we had time to process it, our favorite server walked over to us and told us to grab whichever table we wanted. The place was EMPTY, it was stranger than strange!!! We ordered our food and it was awful. The three of us all order different breakfasts so it's safe to say that the awful taste was not specific to just one dish, they were all awful. My daughter ordered the chocolate chip pancakes, she usually clears the plate, she only ate a quarter of one. My husband ordered the corned beef hash and said it left an awful taste in his mouth, I laughed it off thinking, it is typically from a can. Sadly, it wasn't just his hash, my home fries had the same awful taste. A bitter flavor that even an hour later as I write this review, still lingers (YUCK). The texture was odd as well. They are definitely not using fresh potatoes anymore. They must be using frozen potatoes and overcooking them, because they have a gummy texture that didn't get any better with whatever oil they are using to crips up the edges. Again, just this awful bitter aftertaste. I can describe the eggs and omelet but you get the picture. All three plates tasted odd and none of us ate more than a few bites. My daughter usually gets a dessert to-go from the pie case but didn't today because of how awful our food was. Ah, and the toast was layered thick with some type of margarine or butter substitute, definitely not butter.

Our server was great, she's always great and she absolutely knew from our untouched plates that we will not be going back...ever.

The diner was still empty when we left, it was sad. I now know that the place being empty upon arrival should have been our first indicator that things had changed. When a community of long time patrons stops frequenting a restaurant, it's a sign that the quality has changed and not for the good.

What happened...

Ordered soup to go. Price has gotten way too expensive at $11.99 a quart. For chicken soup. As well as it's not as good as the old owners used to make. Once outside I realized the price was too expensive and there was an extra charge and the amount didn't add up correctly. Went back inside to speak with someone. Spoke with a server and she said she cannot help whether the soup taste any better or the pricing to take it up with the owner. Also the overcharged or fee is a service fee for the servers. Since they have to get this food themselves and not the cook they deserve a tip since they don't always get one. So it is a service charge. They don't advise you of this when placing your order and I think that is wrong if not illegal. They should tell you first before charging a fee just to place it to go. I said something to her and she said if I didn't like it to contact the owners that it wasn't anything under her control. The person who took my order was very pleasant and nice. The server seemed a little unhappy that I questioned all of this and said they don't make tips on this so they should get something for their efforts. Again I said that's fine but should have been told first that they charge a fee so that you don't tip them and they already get a fee for that. Told her I didn't think it was worth coming back in there. Had gotten an order before for some chicken dinner which was a plain piece of white chicken overcooked some mashedpotatoes and lettuce that was supposed to be a salad. Charged me almost $20. Someone picked it up for me so I didn't realize or I would have returned it right then. The place is not that great and I would not be going back there anymore if it wasn't for the fact my husband was very ill and needed some soup right away I would have left it there. Overpriced and not that great of food. Not what it used to be I wouldn't go there...