The Ritz — Restaurant in Jacksonville Beach

I’ll start with the good…. Ok, no I won’t. In my opinion, “the good” doesn’t really matter if customer service doesn't matter to the staff.

My first (and last) experience at the Ritz consisted of 3 draft beers, 25-30 minutes of time attempting to play music on the Touchtunes jukebox and about 10 minutes of time trying to get a credit for the $20 worth of music credits that I purchased that could not be used.

If you aren’t familiar with Touchtunes, it’s a jukebox that includes a very convenient app that you can add to your smartphone that allows you to buy credits and play music direct from your phone. The catch is that if you purchase credits to play music, you can only use those credits at the establishment where you purchased the credits. Well this particular jukebox was apparently not connected to the internet and so I followed the tedious instructions to connect to the jukebox manually. Once my phone was finally connected to the Ritz’s jukebox, I purchased $20 worth of credits. Unfortunately when I attempted to play some music, I received an error that stated that I was too far away from the jukebox. When I asked the server if there was a trick to getting the jukebox to work, she stated the obvious which was to just walk up to it, put your money in and select the song that you want to play. I then explained that I had already purchased $20 worth of credits using the jukebox’s app on my phone but that I was receiving an error message. She then stated that she didn’t know anything about being able to select the music using a phone but that she was sure that I could contact Touchtunes directly to discuss whatever issue I was having with them.

Feeling pretty unappreciated, I asked for her to close out my tab and also asked if I could speak with the manager. Without the slightest acknowledgement of my request, the bartender turned and walked away. Within a minute, the manager appeared and after explaining the issues I had attempting to use their jukebox, I was told that their jukebox was not connected to the network and therefore it was not possible for me to connect my phone to their jukebox. When I showed her that my phone was in fact connected to their jukebox and that I had in fact purchased $20 in credits, she stated that this was the first time that this issue had come up and offered nothing more on the subject.

To add insult to injury, during my short discussion with the manager the bartender “tossed” my credit card and receipt at me from far enough away that the manager stepped back just a bit as it landed. I asked the manager if she was ok with her employees angrily tossing credit cards at customers, she simply stated, “I’ll discuss that with her” and walked away.

Apparently the Ritz is owned by the same folks that own the Brix Taphouse and based on the reviews I’ve read, managment and service issues seem to be a...

The Northeast Florida skies were about to unleash a torrent upon my head. I had parked about a block from this joint and was trying to get into it before being struck dead by lightning for all the hell I caused my parents in my teenage years. It was three o'clock in the pm.

I made it to the front door just before the skies opened, but the door would not, it was locked. But before I could turn to plan my next move, I heard the lock turn behind me. Bam, a smiling pretty face poked out the crack of the door and the words could not have sounded sweeter "come on in, we don't normally open 'till four but there is no way I can leave a soul outside in this mess."

Kim could not have been more kind, she poured me cold 420 and asked me who my favorite artist was, which I thought was odd. "Well I kinda like that Salvador Dali" I said. She said she had never heard of them and asked if I liked Chris Stapleton, which of course I do, who doesn't, and she had him playing in no time flat.

The place was reminiscent of some old Florida bars I had wandered into over the years, eclectic, odd artwork on the walls, some dead animal heads, a pool table er two, and the bar stools were high backed and comfy. I chatted with Kim as she set up the bar for the happy hour crowd she said would be rolling in soon and we watched the afternoon storm which lasted longer then most. But I was not in the least troubled by its duration for there were more than a few new draft beers on tap that I had never tasted. Kim kept giving me samples, I kept buying. Her tinged blue hair was a topic I enjoyed.

Sure enough at a lil after four the storm moved east and the crowd came forth. Kim was joined by Casey, another friendly chic bartender and they seemed to know every customer by name, and beverage. Many regulars had their drink waiting on them as they opened the door, the bartenders could see patrons heading their way through the large windows that gave ample viewing of the beach goers and activity surrounding the joint.

The owner, whoever he or she may be should be proud of the staff and I am happy to have stumbled across this Jax Beach gem. I...

Walked in and ordered two club sodas with lime for my buddy and I who weren’t drinking. Bartender had a huge attitude when he gave us the drinks, clearly upset we ordered non-alcoholic (free) beverages assuming we weren’t going to tip. I pulled out a wad of cash and offered to pay him, which he refused. Asked him what his problem was and he told us to get out. I asked for the manager and he said he was the manager (5'6 Asian/Polynesian Male around 30 with tats on his arms). When I refused and continued to ask what his reasoning was, he had the cops called. Being completely sober, and flabbergasted, we left to avoid any further conflict or unnecessary law enforcement engagement. As we left, the door guy who witnessed the event, apologized for his behavior and admitted they’ve had issues with him in the past. Upon attempting to give the business another shot last night, we arrived at the door and asked the same door guy if that manager was working because if so, we’d rather not enter and go to another bar, but if he was off we’d like to go inside to have a good time. 2 minutes later the same manager comes around the corner with a police officer and has me registered as a trespasser. Again, completely sober and both nights we were both wearing dress shoes and blazer). Not that I would ever attempt to enter this establishment again after this embarrassment, but if I as much as step foot on the property I will be arrested for trespass. I have tried contacting the GM to no success. After working in hospitality, customer service and sales all my life, I am blown away at this experience and will tell any and everyone I can to take their money elsewhere. 10 years of going to bars, I've never been registered for trespass even once. Absolute insanity. If a manager or owner would like to verify this information, you can check the cameras on 3/28/2019 around 1:20am and watch the body language and facial expressions. As for future impressions, I highly recommend firing this individual. Feel free to reach out for...