Hot Pot BBQ — Restaurant in Fort Myers

Was very excited to come in and try hot pot for the first time, but ended up with a pretty midling experience.

The Pros - The interior is very clean and well decorated, the table was clean and well cared for, the buffet of meats, sauces, etc was also clean, well stocked, and everything was fresh. Different meats were labeled clearly which was meant for the bbq and what was meant for hot pot, what was ready to eat (like seaweed salad) and what needed cooking.

My server asked if I needed anything explained, and I said yes - he was thorough in showing me how it worked, and getting everything set up.

The cons - I wanted to go for what had been recommended online for first time hot pot enjoyers - trying to get two broths in a split bowl, with one side being the clear broth, the other being the spicy. I knew this might not be an option at first, but on walking in there was a poster by the host booth that showed a hot pot bowl that was split and it got my hopes up, so I asked my server if it was an option. At first he nodded and said yes, but when I pointed to the two broths I wanted to try he asked 'which one?' In the end, I only got one broth.

The second complaint was that I under margerined the grill (margerine not oil??) which caused some of my first batch of meats to stick a bit, which I was okay with since it was my mistake and would have just rolled with it - but when my server returned he got very upset and chided me over it, then removed the grill and brought me a new one, and proceeded to pour a huge amount of margarine on.

Minor complaint was the conveyer belt, which was cool but, after a while, I realized only served ramen noodles, two or three types of mushroom, bean curd, brussel sprouts, and one type of leafy green I think might have been spinach, but wasn't sure. I wasn't sure what all options there would be and kept checking for more, but realized there wouldn't be anything new 30 minutes in.

The last issue was that many booths are set in dead end aisles blocked by the conveyer belt. It made it hard to visit the buffet because often the aisle would be blocked by a cart for table clean up, which has a water bucket on the bottom they need to cool down/take the used grills. Three tables, back to back, left and I was stranded sitting for a long time waiting for the busboy to finish so I could get more food (which is where the conveyer belt being so bland of choices got...

i’ve been to this location many times, and usually it hasn’t been bad and i’ve enjoyed it, but tonight was the worst experience I’ve ever had. We got in at 10:00 PM and they don’t close until midnight. We just got the hot pot and not the barbecue. At around 10 there wasn’t much going around on the conveyor belt but that was to be expected towards the end of the night and we were able to grab everything we needed. However our waitress didn’t check up on us at all leaving us with soup that was too spicy for us to handle (I have gotten spicy hot pot at this location MANY times before and it has never been this hot…EVER , so I just wanted to switch out the pot for a different one, I would’ve even paid an up-charge to get a different one as well) , empty drinks, and a bad experience . We finally were able to get another employee’s attention in order to get our own server’s attention as she had NEVER once checked up on us in 40 minutes! (there was probably may be two other parties in the entire restaurant so there was absolutely no excuse) She asked” oh was the hot pot too spicy for you ?” to which I replied “yes I need a new base soup “, she said “well we close in an hour so I can’t get you a new one”. That was absolutely ridiculous so I just used my sisters hot pot to cook one more container of noodles. At around 10:45 , they were taking everything off the conveyor belts! So we couldn’t even grab more food which was absolutely ridiculous, and when our last friend arrived our server had the audacity to ask him what he wanted to order (hot pot or bbq)… which why would he order anything if y’all took everything off the conveyor belts already????!!! When she finally gave us our check she was HOVERING over us the entire time to each at a point I feel obligated to give her a tip! i’m a server/bartender so I get it , bad nights like this can happen or things don’t go as planned with certain customers BUT you try your best to make it right ! and she didn’t do anything to do that. She made it seem like we were obligated to tip her well. I gave her a GOOD tip which was more than I should’ve given her (35%, because she was hovering over! honestly would’ve left 10% or less, and well, i’m not an a-hole). I am so disappointed in this place and their employees that I don’t think I’m ever gonna come back! I am so embarrassed that I invited my out -of -town friends here tonight and got...

Chose to go here for a birthday dinner for my wife. For the most part, had a good time with a few caveats. This place is kind of like the "melting pot" on steroids...so much food and a great variety of it. It was definitely not cheap, but it's a place I'd recommend trying at least once. However, don't plan on staying long; if you do, they start giving you the side-eye and start prompting you to finish your meal and leave. Pros: Interactive experience - its a choose your own adventure dinner! Attentive Staff - never went long without a refill. Variety - Surf, Turf, and everything in between. You pick what you want, so nearly any diet/preference can be satisfied. The sauce bar is spectacular - any sauce you can imagine, you can make. Meal Size - All you can eat, what more can I say. Decor - Nicely decorated, clean. Well laid out all you can eat bar, and the conveyor belt food delivery is a unique touch. Cons: Lack of Instruction - You'd expect at least a bit of instruction from the staff for cooking times when dealing with cooking your own raw meats. But none was offered until we specifically asked. Comfort - If you're not skinny, you're not going to be comfortable in the booths; they aren't moveable and they're very tight for anyone that isn't thin as a rail. Ask for a table with chairs instead. Price - Expect to pay a premium here. After tip, a group of 4 getting the hot pot and BBQ options can expect to pay close to $200. Felt rushed - As you walk in the restaurant you see signs saying you'll be charged for wasting food and that there is a 2 hour time limit for dining. However, after at just over an hour, a random server (not our waiter) came by and shut off the BBQ grill that we had paid extra to use, without asking if we were finished. We had to flag down our server and ask to have it turned back on to continue cooking our food. This made me feel very rushed, as if they wanted us to hurry and finish so they could usher us out the door. For me this soured the...