The Lazy Lizard — Restaurant in Florida

First, let me start by saying out waitress was very nice, and she was caught in the middle of this disaster. If I could’ve given less than one star, I would’ve. Because never in my life have I come across an experience like this. I am in my 70s so I’ve been to many many restaurants and Believe me, this was a shocker. We were a party of four and two of us ordered bloody Mary’s. They were awful. Very watery. You could see right through them so we sent them back assuming they’d be taken off the bill.. Our food came out and mine was delicious. I had the chicken Louie which came with two sides. One of the other people ordered blackened haddock and it was terrible. It was previously frozen fish and had absolutely no taste and the consistency and texture was not good. She sent that back and a few minutes later, the owner came out and slammed the dish down in front of her and abruptly said “what’s wrong with this!”She proceeded to tell her what the problem was and that she was ordering a hamburger instead. The owner in a very loud voice said wel’ll get your hamburger, but you’re paying for the fish too whether you eat it or not! This was unbelievable that a restaurant owner would be so disrespectful towards her customers. I might add that we were very cordial and not making a scene. We canceled the hamburger and asked for our checks. When our bills came, there were extra charges on there as well as charges for the bloody Mary’s which we sent back in their entirety. We told the waitress about this and a few minutes later not only did the wife come out, but the husband came out ready to do battle ! They were yelling, telling us that they don’t take drinks back. I explained to them that they were water. There was no bloody mix …. very little of it. One could. see right through the glass. They were very argumentative, and the husband got in the face of my friend who is another male. We threatened to call the police on him if he didn’t get out of his face. It was clear he wanted to start a serious altercation. Who in their right mind treats customers like this, they told us to never come back again, which we told him it was no problem. We would never be there again. They reluctantly took off the cost of the bloody Mary’s. However, they would not adjust the bill for the extra charges. They said it was for the sides. We pointed out to them that it says right on the menu that the meal came with two sides. I have heard this from several other people and have read reviews on other sites that when you go to the lazy lizard, you better go over your check because they throw in a lot of extra stuff. They must think people are stupid but even if it’s only a dollar or two more , that adds up when you consider all the customers. It is a popular place, especially on the weekends and since the Drunken Mullet fire. These people have no business being in the restaurant industry.. They’re sneaky, rude and disrespectful and the most miserable people I have ever come across. TERRIBLE...

I'm seriously shocked at the 5 star reviews ??? Where do I begin to explain our complete disappointment of this restaurant. We arrived Saturday early evening around 5:30ish. about a 1/3 of the outside tables were empty because they were reserved. No problem with that at all. Good to know that some restaurants still do reservations. We were given an indoor table in a "side room" that also seems to be an area for storage because stacked up against the wall were boxes and plastic containers. Mind you this room only has maybe 10 small tables in it. Very boring area but that's not for long because every time the phone rings in the building there is an alarming sound thru out the small room almost like a fire alarm siren that is SO ANNOYING. You had to stop all conversation every time the phone rang because you couldn't hear any thing but that noise. The drinks were horrible, very cheap liquor, definitely not anything we have tasted before. The coke in the drinks did not taste like coke at all maybe a dollar store knock off? I had to send mine back and settle for water. The food was just fair for some of us and definitely over-priced. We had an 8 yr old child who ordered the kids chicken nuggets and fries. They brought 3 very tiny pieces of chicken & maybe 15 fries. Mom asked if she could order some additional chicken and was told no she had to buy another meal, which she did ....so basically she got a total of 6 small nuggets & fries for $12.00. One person ordered the 1 pound of peel-n- eat shrimp for $18.00; she received a small plate with 11 large shrimp, nothing else and there's no way that the 11 shrimp were worth $18.00 ! Overall the food was no big deal at all and overpriced. The drinks are cheaply made. We were 5 adults and 3 young children and we were charged a 20.05% gratuity which was automatically added to our check. Our waitress was very nice but I would have much rather enjoyed my meal, the drinks and atmosphere somewhere else for that much tip. You're really going to count us as a party of eight when they are just children? When leaving we could hear the band at the outside bar and they were definitely good. It was clear though that everyone was there to party and dance which is fine; but I would never recommend this place as an affordable option to eat or drink at. The management really needs to step up their job and make some worthwhile...

The Lazy Lizard, formerly The Cove, has been a very special place to me, my bf, and many of our friends. We have been loyal customers who visit on a weekly basis. It is our favorite spot on Hernando Beach and we missed it so much while it was closed for renovations. We were so excited when it finally opened back up under new ownership! However, last night made a huge impact on our future relationship with The Lazy Lizard. While we understand that new ownership means that changes will be made, they need to seriously consider how those changes affect the local, loyal customers who have supported the business for years. Our group took up an entire side of the bar and collectively we spent over $400 on food and drinks by the end of the night, but we were absolutely shocked when we got our bills. The bartenders have ALWAYS rang in our beers as a bucket, but the owners are no longer allowing them to do this. We asked the bartender to void out the individual beers and ring them in as a bucket, but the owners were steadfast in their decision to charge us for each individual beer. We know the chip system is gone, but to price gouge us like this was a slap in the face. A bucket is normally $14, but we ended up having to pay $25 for 6 individual beers. We are extremely disappointed that the new owners clearly don't care about their loyal customers who have consistently supported this business. Our group represents a large portion of steady business for The Lazy Lizard and WE WILL STOP COMING if this price gouging is going to continue. There were 12 of us last night, but we could get at least 30 people to take their business elsewhere. What a shame, because we LOVE the staff and none of this is their fault. The ball is in the court of the owners. What are you going to do to fix this? I hope the extra money was worth it because you will lose so much more in the long run when you insult the people who are putting money in your pockets every week. We are just so utterly disappointed, angry, and sad that this is what has become of the place we love so much. FIX THIS. Make it right.

Look at the picture to see their response. They are lying and threatening their staff. We were NEVER offered a bucket last night and we weren't even there the...