J.R. Crickets Smyrna — Restaurant in Vinings

Visited this spot on Saturday early evening to watch NCAA March madness games. When we arrived the TV closest to our table was on wrestling (????) and the main huge TV was on the Texas A&M game. We were watching the Texas A&M game along with 1 other customer (the dining area was empty) and out of the blue the channel was changed! No one bothered to ask if we were watching the game!!! Kk We asked the server to request the channel be changed back to the Texas A&M game. After about 20 minutes of waiting the manager changed the station to Texas Tech game, but on a smaller TV close to us. We asked the server to please request the channel be changed back to the Texas A&M game we were initially watching. She became agitated and yelled “ he is working on it” as we watched him clearly “ not working on it”. The manager then came out into to dining area yelling 🗣️🗣️🗣️at us and another guy that was clearly a Texas A&M fan ( he had on a T-Shirt that said so).. “WHO WANTS TO WATCH THE TEXAS A&M GAME”? Mind you, there was only the three of us in the dining room at the time that was watching the one TV the main dining room😒then he yelled at the top of his lungs… “y’all not the only ones that are watching the TV🗣️🗣️🗣️We were confused (why was he yelling… we could hear him) because were literally were the only ones watching the TV😡. We ended up watching the game on a smaller TV all the way across the dining room behind the bar (ridiculous 😫). This guy totally ruined our night out. We drove from Douglasville GA to Smyrna GA ( more than an hour in Atlanta traffic) to get yelled at… imagine that 😩. Our server started out being ok but when we asked for extra sauce etc… she repeatedly forgot and it took a long time to get whatever we requested 😔 the food was awesome per the usual. It’s unfortunate that they add the gratuity because it wasn’t deserving at the amount billed. But, that’s probably why it’s pre calculated because they get premium tips regardless of the type of service they provide. Overall, our time spent was not...

They know us by name.. Tip and Toyae....we used to go every week and spend tons of money!!! Haven't really been since Covid. It's not the same anymore. This is why I'm regrettably leaving this review. We love the owners and the staff is friendly. The problem is the food. The wing is supposed to be the thing, right?! We asked for crispy and wet, how we've done for 14 years!! The wings were cooked well, but hardly any sauce. Sent them back to be tossed, and the cook just drizzled sauce on them. The wings were plated the same way, which is how I know...Aside from the fact that I've managed the restaurant industry for almost 30 years! If you can't accept food that has already been run to the table, just inform the guest that you will have to re cook them. You lose out on product and customers when you don't take your complaints seriously. Ordered crab legs, asked for drawn butter, but it came so late, the crabs were cold. The prices have already gone up a crazy amount, at least give people what they pay for. Tia and Star are our girls!!!! Chantel was very accommodating and sweet. The speed of your cook/ cooks is deplorable. There were only 2 tables in there, 1 server, and a bartender. Only 2 to go orders had gone out. So to say they were in the weeds means it's not the right staffing if you're going to run a ghost crew during down times. I'm not telling you how to run your business, but I do know what I'm talking about. We spent $119 on bad food. Even after that, we bought 4 bottles of our favorite sauces. So it's not that we don't love Trent and the crew... your cooks need to take pride in what they are doing. When it's treated like more than a paycheck, you Are a reflection of your work, and will be rewarded. More customers, more profit, more...

Folks, don't get mad and frustrated after wasting your money on bad service and food at these eating establishments. Instead, use your voice by way of this amazing tool called Google reviews and the power of your wallet to express how you feel.

I visited this place around 10:30 on a Saturday night during the futile effort 365 days/year to find something remotely edible in this city after 9pm. And Atlanta has the nerve to call itself an "international" city, GTFOH. Anyway, I also ended up here after the equally bad Wing Stop on Atlanta road told me it'd be a 40-minute wait for my order.

Long story short: 20 exceedingly OVERCOOKED literally BITE-SIZED wings, with a half-cooked order of fries, and a smallish cup of blue cheese dipping sauce for 30 f'in dollars; a wait time of approximately 30 minutes when the dining area/bar were virtually empty; and a rent-a-DJ sitting directly in the dining area blasting music from his laptop way too loudly thru a large speaker placed in a chair. Granted, at least it wasn't rap a non-stop barage of rap//hip hop noise, but as a 52 year old African American if it ain't UNIVERSALLY loved classic old skool R&B/soul music then I'm definitely not interested in hearing it....and certainly not at that loud volume.

It only takes ONE TIME for me to make this kind of mistake so needless to say I won't be goikg back. And hopefully this review helps you to avoid wasting your time and money on...