Jonathan's Grille — Restaurant in Franklin

So I have eaten at Jonathan’s twice now. Both times I had their prime rib. It is ok. Nothing overly special, but not bad. I keep reading about their great service on the reviews, and both times my service level was frankly sub par. Last time I ordered an appetizer which didn’t come out until after my entree and I sent it back. I waited most of the time with an empty glass. I figured it was a fluke, so this time I went out of my way to say that I wanted my appetizer before my food came, and I guess it did technically…. Maybe about 3 minutes before. I had the bang bang shrimp for an appetizer and it was slathered in sauce, and quite boring. Not sure where the bang is supposed to come in??? So before I could eat half of the shrimp on the plate here comes my prime rib… so I guess not quite as bad as last time, but let’s face it, this isn’t rocket science, and especially after specifically saying I wanted my appetizer before my meal, it just seems to be hopeless around here. I never touched my salad - again because the meal was right behind the appetizer hitting the table. I ordered my appetizer, drink, and food all at one time as I was hungry and wanted to eat and get out. My drink was not brought with my appetizer or before, and then when my meal showed up I asked the guy from the kitchen if he could bring it to me, and he did so quickly. So…. I wanted Jonathan’s to be better than my first time, but sadly it was very much the same experience as the first in many ways. I’m one to give anybody a second try, as everybody has a bad day now and again…. But fool me once shame on you, fool me twice…. Well you know. So I will let my feet do the walking and I won’t be back. I tried….just wish they had tried a little harder...

Where do I begin…On a Sunday after church I was impressed with the minimal wait. Everyone in my party were on their way and she said she would seat our party of 8 as soon as half the party was present. As soon as we were seated we were greeted by our server and she promptly returned with our drink requests. We then ordered Fried Pickles as an appetizer as we debated over the many different varieties of dishes from salads to pastas, to sandwiches, to burgers, to the plentiful meal worthy appetizers. Our party shared sweet potato fries that were delicious. I could have chosen so many things on the menu. I had a hard time choosing but ultimately I decided to go with the Roasted Red Pepper Pasta and I was not disappointed. A large portion that I actually brought the majority of it home as it was such a big serving but I also devoured the much talked about ceaser salad they serve there. Others were happy with their wings. Another in the party got a Waldorf Chicken Salad, hers was a lunch order portion and she was quite full. Lastly, the California Club was enjoyable to another individual in our party. For this individual and myself, we had never been here and we LOVED it and want to try more things out on the menu. Other dishes recommended by the happy staff were their Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders, Caribbean Chicken, Fajitas, and Fish Sandwich. My only complaint and I wouldn’t call it too much of one as it was only for a very brief period of our foods arrival. The server who delivered our meals that day was gruff with a RBF demeanor and we were informed by others that he was always like that. But like I said it was just a minute of our great experience and I...

Decent place to grab a bite with lots of menu options.

FOOD: My wife and I ordered the Cowboy Smash Burger and Philly Cheese-Steak, both with fries. The burger was mine and it was good. The menus showed BBQ sauce, but I’m not crazy about BBQ sauce on a burger, so I left it off. The burger and toppings were good, but the jalapeños were not terribly fresh, but not a deal killer. The Philly Cheese-Steak was good, but nothing spectacular, where the bun could have been a bit more fresh. The fries were good too. So, overall, no deductions, but no bonuses either.

SERVICE: We sat on the patio outside and waited for almost 10 minutes as at least 6 other servers/employees served other guests and looked at us, but kept on walking. I was at my limit and about to leave when our waitress showed up, BUT at the hostess check-in, we heard them say to each other “be sure to let them know they are there,” assuming to let our waitress know we had been seated, and I think they dropped the ball. As soon as our waitress showed up, we had good service. No bonuses or deductions.

OTHER: The place seemed clean enough and had a heavier restaurant feel than a sports bar feel, but overall not bad. Bathrooms were ok, and no deductions there.

OVERALL: We had a decent experience (after being recognized) and would eat here again. The food settled well and we left full, so it met our expectations. Nothing overall to give any bonuses, but again, we would go back and based on our experience, we could recommend it. A solid 4...