Bonefish Grill — Restaurant in Dania Beach

Where Everyone (Wants to) Know Your Tip

There are so many things wrong with this place, it's hard to begin. Let's start w/ the bartender, Tryon. Terrible. This guy is just rude. I placed a to-go order w/ him, but then decided to "dine-in". Though I'd already paid my bill in full (including tip) before the arrival of food, I went to the host to ask where I might sit. The young man looked like I'd attacked his mother and wasn't sure how to handle me, so I went to another server and made the same inquiry. She turned me down flat, saying that she "needed to save sitting for her customers" (i.e., the ones that would be giving her a tip directly), though the entire dining room was 75% empty. Finally, I return to the bar and Tryon where I placed my original to-go order, assuming that at least he had to show me some love. NOT!!! (Either he or the restaurant has a system where aft you place your to-go order, you're told to wait in the "black" chairs. It turns out that the black chairs are OUTSIDE the restaurant, across the terminal hallway, running adjacent to the security checkpoint (the farest point away w/ a view shot of the restaurant and still be in the terminal). "Your" to-go server, like Tyron, promises to "bring your food over" to you, but what this really means is that he brings to food over to an emergency exit door that he opens and motions for you to cross the hall again and get your now-ready food. I witnessed this process with a flight attendant and grounds worker that ordered after me.) Back to me finding seating, Tryon appeared displeased that I had taken the same seat I had previously been invited to use while placing my order originally, despite there being 7 EMPTY barstools between me and the next guest. Recognizing his disdain and now feeling pressured to ORDER MORE food, I ordered a cocktail and an appetizer (on top of my previous order). NOW THE SERVICE. Forget getting more napkins at this joint, or water if you want to drink more than alcohol, OR, for that matter, ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT UP THE TAB. Tyron promptly ignored me. When I asked if there was another football game on tv, he answered that he was "sure there was since each of the 8 TVs that overhung the bar area was set to a different channel." I corrected him and asked him to look over his shoulder, "no, actually, they're ALL set to the SAME (terrible, blowout) GAME!!! Tryon glanced back, "oh." I got no more of a response, then I realized he did NOT want me to get comfortable at all b/c he wanted the space for the next tip (tho' there was plenty of space). He could have left it at that, but instead started mumbling under his breath to another employee that he was "NOT responsible for the tv. (He could've said he was busy or flat-out "no," but instead he chose to talk about me negatively as if I was not there. Along came another server working in the bar area who starts talking about how a customer was taking too long (out loud in front of other customers). Aft being talked about once, I asked if she referred to me. GET THIS!!! She took the time to say "no" and explain that one of her customers had ordered ONLY 1 drink and had NOT even started drinking it yet. This is a place where the employees offer you the type of service they would not want to get themselves. I would never eat at this place again unless, God forbid, I got sent to Hell AND this was the only choice available. Since food choices are limited, travelers going through the Fort Lauderdale Airport should be smarter than me, leave for their departure earlier, and stop for food at a place of preference BEFORE they get to the airport. (Anywhere is likely to be better.) And I would've given negative stars if I...

We visited Bonefish Grill on Sunday 9/22/2024 for lunch before a long layover. Three nice things I can say about this place is the food was tasty. I had a poke bowl. The atmosphere was pleasant, it was not busy. And, our server brought water with a lemon slice and I did not have to ask, which for me was a nice touch.

Now the bad. The service was slow. So slow, my partners went to use the restroom before the server came to get drink orders. Then the server decided to make the rest of us wait to take our drink order until everyone was back. You know, so it was convenient for her. Food came in a reasonable time but server never checked on us and did not give us a bill after we were done. Probably close to an hour after finishing eating, we finally flagged her down so we would not miss our flight.

When we got the bill, we got a couple of surprise charges. First was an automatic 5 dollars on top of the subtotal of 27 and change. Next when we paid with a credit card we were charged a fee for that. 2.75 %. So much for cc rewards. I did not have time to speak with a manager as our flight was close to boarding, but if I did, I would have. Bonefish Grill is pricey enough. 20 dollars for a poke bowl is normally not worth the price, but tacking on auto tips and fees is unacceptable. You should work harder for my business. I'll be filing a dispute with my credit card for this...

BE WARNED – If you’re planning to enjoy a cocktail while waiting for your flight, prepare for serious sticker shock. I was charged $27.75 for a single Maker’s Mark Manhattan—with no prior indication of the price. That’s beyond airport pricing—it’s outright price gouging.

Now, to be fair, the food (Bang Bang Shrimp and Crab Corn Chowder) was good and the service was commendable. Our server, Heather, was handling nearly half the restaurant by herself and still managed to be attentive and kind. She truly deserves recognition for her incredible effort.

That said, the drink pricing left a bad taste in my mouth. I would strongly recommend the restaurant revisit their drink prices—or at the very least, be transparent about them up front. A charge like that with no warning feels dishonest and takes away from an otherwise decent experience.

And, don't be fooled by the "Restaurant Owner" appearing to care by leaving an instant response. I've yet to actually receive a true resolution despite following...