Johnny's Chicken & Waffles Dallas, TX — Restaurant in Dallas

Date of visit: Wednesday, June 18 Time: 11:30-12:00ish Occasion: A birthday brunch for a friend, who chose this restaurant to try it out.

I’ll start with the pros :

-Parking was free today ( please note, it’s a lot that’s not owned by Johnny’s. Sometimes it’s paid, depending on nearby events.) -The waitress was pleasant. -The portion size for my meal, The Chef Crystal’s Texan Chicken Melt, was really good for the price $16.95 (it comes with a side, and I chose the mac). -The outside patios (2) are spacious. -The food didn’t take long. -The chicken sandwich was good. -Food variety on the menu.

Here are the cons, and the reason I won’t be returning or recommending this restaurant to anyone:

-There was an 18% service charge placed on our check for our party of two- automatic gratuity is not the real problem— this wasn’t listed on the menu, and it should be. Be mindful that there’s still a place to leave an “additional tip” on the receipt. -The birthday girl ordered The Fab 4, and just ate 1– the waffle (she left the eggs, bacon, and potatoes to be thrown out). She didn’t like her food. -There were a couple of moments where we found ourselves waiting for service. It’s possible she was the only server working. We were seated outside, so that may have contributed. Not a major issue, but worth mentioning. -The macaroni wasn’t seasoned, and it was greasy. I drained the grease onto the plate. I’ll add seasonings when I reheat the leftovers. -The water did not taste good.

My biggest concern and the sole reason for not returning to this business: -It was my friend’s birthday. She sent me their website link, and there was a pop up advertising “We’re offering fantastic birthday specials INCLUDING a complimentary birthday MEAL for the birthday boy or girl contact (email listed) for further details.” I emailed two days prior. No response. I emailed a day prior as a follow up. No response. I verified that it was the correct email. It was.

I asked the waitress about this advertisement before ordering and told her about the email. She told me that I would have had to make a reservation in advance to get the complimentary birthday meal, but she could give her a shot or a dessert. I reiterated that I did email, but no one responded. She said she’d “let them know to check the email.” When she came back, and I asked again, she said that “they’re“ not there currently.

The waitress updates us later and says the manager on duty told her that IF we came back, we would have to have FOUR people in our party, and make the reservations in advance AND show documentation of the email I sent to get the complimentary meal they advertised. I informed her we would not be coming back.

The advertisement was misleading and seemed to me to be a bait and switch tactic to lure more customers in June. It clearly stated that a complimentary birthday meal would be offered, with no mention of requiring a reservation, a four-person minimum, or documentation of an unanswered email.

Stipulations should be clearly listed upfront. Period.

Advertising a “fantastic birthday special” and then not honoring it (or even responding to emails sent 48 hours in advance) is disappointing and unprofessional. Management 100% dropped the...

I don’t usually write reviews.

for starters: the food is okay 👍🏿 I got the chicken and waffles. The chicken was over cooked but the pieces that weren’t were okay. The waffle is a regular waffle it was good.

If you want a very good meal you’re better off ordering one of the other items on the menu like the cream cheese French toast or something. But I wasn’t fully satisfied with what I had.

The atmosphere was okay I had no complaints it’s definitely somewhere you’d take your S/O for a quick Sunday funday but I would NOT bring a party of more than 5 people ESPECIALLY if you plan to sit and eat.

Service: I’m not the type of person to complain so I mean every word when I say this. The service was terrible. At first it started off okay, the staff were kind but also preoccupied which is understandable. It wasn’t until it was time to order where issues arose. For starters our party was not told about only being able to use 4 cards,being a former server myself I knew that was BS, but still somewhat understandable. The only issue our table had was that we were not informed, certain people only ordered a side while others ordered mimosas food etc. We explained this to the server and was met with a stubborn repetition of what was already said “I can only take 4 cards”

The table was frustrated but willing to pay because stuff like this happens it’s no big deal. It wasn’t until we began to ask our server for to go boxes and she is no where to be found. Literally sitting at other patrons tables smoking hookah, taking shots etc. we asked for to go boxes 4 times (I counted) and she wood acknowledge us then go off and smoke hookah or walk around talking to patrons chatting etc. one of the people from our table just walked up and grabbed the Togo boxes for us since our server didn’t.

When it was time to pay the bill came out to $900+ mind you we can only use 4 cards and some people didn’t order anything other than a side or 2 drinks. So when we brought this to her and asked how to split this up she would repeatedly leave the table for 15+ min (I counted) she would come back then leave come back then leave.

Being completely transparent the service was absolutely terrible and laughable even. The whole check out process took an hour (again I counted) If we wanted to Dine and Dash the entire table ABSOLUTELY could have stood up and walked out and they wouldn’t know about it until 30 min after we all left. This I how bad the service was.

Been in the Dallas scene for the last 8years. Been to about every Sunday funday/brunch spot out here and this is top 3 worst experiences I’ve had at a restaurant out here.

Again I don’t usually leave reviews and my experience could have very well been a rare occurrence BUT I wouldn’t spend no money here again, if anything you’d be better off getting a couple drinks in that waiting area and keep...

This review isn't to tear down this establishment; it was written to say please do better. It is in a great location and has potential judging by some of the other reviews. However, first impressions are everything, and we as customers deserve better when we decide to spend hard-earned money at businesses.

I was so excited to hear that this establishment was coming to Dallas to the point where I started telling everyone to try it out before and after it opened even though I hadn't been yet (I love supporting others...support is needed)...until today.

I finally went, and I must be honest, I left drained, embarrassed, disappointed, and robbed (my food and drink were not worth the price), but I left mainly disappointed.

The "worst" thing about the place is how loud the music is. My hearing is top-notch. However, the music was so loud that it was almost impossible to hear anyone. I literally could not hear the person next to me, which became frustrating after a while because of us constantly having to holler and repeat ourselves.

In addition to the extremely loud music, the air was either off, not working, or on 85 degrees. This is Texas, so the air must be set around a certain temperature most of the year (unfortunately), especially at an eatery. It was cooler outside than it was inside and it was around 90 degrees outside while I was there. If something was wrong with the air, then there should have been a backup plan, as again, this is Texas.

Customer service: Work on it, please work it...shut down for a few days (if needed) for training purposes, but again, please work on it, because that was the biggest issue that I noticed the entire time I was there, starting at the hostess stand.

The time your employees spent on their cell phones was time they could have worked on enhancing their customer service skills. I get most people are addicted to their phones nowadays, but that's still a place of business and should operate as such.

I expected more from my experience, which was to receive good (or better) customer service, good food, good drinks, and decent vibes while catching up with the person that I met there. However, I ended up with a much different experience that left me disturbed. Needless to say, I won't be back. I also won't speak badly about this place to anyone; if anything, I just won't say that I tried it.

Lastly, good luck to your business! I saw the potential because there are a lot of great qualities about it, but it needs some work, starting with...you guessed...