Johnny Rockets — Restaurant in Florida

Good burgers, good product. I haven't been to one of these before so I don't know how it compares to others. That was the good part. It was 8:20 pm on Sunday evening when we stopped in and found a nearly empty dining room with dirty tables, wrappers on the floor under a couple of different tables, and a very casual staff inside coasting across the finish line. It was very cold inside and beautiful outside so we elected to head outdoors. We passed two vacant tables with dirty dishes as though clearing tables didn't count after 8 pm. This would prove true for us as well as our server never cleared away any dirty dishes or trash the entire time (and it definitely wasn't busy). The best thing he did was spill a glass of ice water on the table that dripped through the mesh top. It was his best moment because he genuinely apologized and was his only humble moment. Every interaction was arrogant or cocky, especially when our server "Rocket Man" (seriously?) took our order. When asked if the burgers come with a side item he said "just look in the center of the menu and you'll find your options." We still couldn't find "our options" other than the heading "appetizers and sides". My three other guests were confused as well but assumed we could choose from the section mentioned. Not answering a simple and direct question was just one of several responses that showed smugness and smarminess. The water glass that was spilled was never refilled, the dead plates never removed. the manager did come by the table and asked quickly if everything was fine but I had no intention of turning my special time visiting my elderly parents into a complaining session where everyone involved is embarrassed. Reading body language and hearing a customer say "everything is fine" is a pretty good indication it's not. At the end of the evening I made it clear to RM in a disappointing tone "it was okay." His exaggerated response "Okay??? Just okay?" I don't give bigger hints than that and it came through loud and clear, but to no avail. Sitting on the table next to us while taking our order with head tucked under the folded umbrella is cute--if your 12. When I paid with a $100 bill Rocket Man said with wishful thinking, "Normally when someone pays with cash I ask if they want their change back, but in this case, I won't ask." When the bill came while we were still eating I noticed that there was a supplemental up charge for the cheese fries, onion rings, and half and half. I really don't care about the additional charge, a mere $3.69, other than our server's calculated dodge of bumping up the bill with some slight of hand. When I questioned the extra charge to test his integrity, he said, "I mentioned that fries are included and there is a $.99 up charge for the other side items. Not true. All four of us shrugged that one off as "didn't happen." A good meal, beautiful weather, and a great time reuniting with family was sabotaged by a fast talker who hijacked our night with his overvalued interaction, poor service, smug remarks and inhospitable performance. Since I am a hospitality consultant Rocket Man will become renowned as one of the worst examples of hospitality I have ever personally experienced. Not so much in technique, but...

So here’s the thing We have been coming here since my eldest son was a toddler at least 20 years My dad loved this place We loved this place loved Yes I know things are going up But today was a sticker shock! Whoever is doing the menu needs to make it clear Burgers are…….a la carte Add fries $ impossible $ lettuce $ It is not clearly marked For those who are used to the old ways it’s very unnerving To come sit down for a burger and fries (Uh oh! That’s separate now) Add on impossible 9.99! What! It’s a veggie Pattie! Fries are bought by the case It’s like going to a Thai restaurant (which I help run) and charge 6 dollars for rice who does this This is unknown Lettuce forty cents Sauce fifty cents A small burger and fries drink (4 dollars!) All of a sudden you have one meal with a drink to be forty dollars plus tip This is ridiculous Thai food all our food is made from scratch, imported, hardly any advertising So forth we are barely holding in to a fresh $22 plate of grilled chicken breast from scratch sauce side of rice or fried rice for four dollars more with veg and egg Yet one burger no side is 16, impossible ten more five more fries three more drink, five onions fifty cents, bottled sauce em that will be another dollar for a portion cup, hmmm And the fries were cold No refills no silverware This is a huge flaw in franchise for lack of training proper menu design and greed Very sad to see this will no longer be our ‘tradition’ I do have to say the staff were apologetic and sweet I don’t ever like to complain Ever It’s not how it works But I see how much goes into each serving at Coporate price and it’s insane Fries and burgers are as American As rice and stir fry...

Had a nice lunch with the family at Johnny Rockets. The atmosphere is a cool retro vibe, like a throwback to a 50's diner or Malt Shop. You could sit at a table, booth, or the counter. It has the open kitchen layout so you can see the chefs working their magic. Downside is if something burns, it's smokes and smells up the place. The food was good. Buns of the burgers are grilled and still had a nice crunch to them. One burger was the Original without veggies. Another was the original with the works. Burgers we delicious cooked nicely. We also shared the bacon and cheese tator tots. The liquid cheese was so so but the tator tots were crispy and flavorful. One kiddo ordered a hot dog w/onion rings. She had a couple bits of the hot dog and maybe 2 onion rings, however that is her normal eating pattern. Onion rings were crunchy and had decent flavor. With a little salt, they were a solid choice. The next kiddo ordered the kid sliders and a side of fries. It was a typical slider and fries meal for kids. The fried are the smaller sized, shoestring fries. Love these fries. The service was good. Our waitress seemed to have 3/4 of the restaurant while the other 2 waitresses split the front 5 tables. Even with that, the chefs were running food out to the tables and one even came out to help bus a table. All in all, a pleasant trip and good food. Be patient and have time to kill as it's not the fastest but the food came out warm and was delicious for...