La Bamba Mexican Bar And Grill 4 — Restaurant in Kennesaw

BUYER BEWARE: TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT AND OWNERSHIP

We were regulars here due to the convenience of the location to our house. The food was decent most of the time. We came in for a birthday and decided to order a round of shots at the end of the meal to celebrate the occasion. When we asked what shots they could make, the waitress said anything we want. So we ordered some vegas bombs for the guys and a couple lemon drops for the ladies. The waitress then proceeded to tell us that she would have to ask the bartender( who was 18 years old) if she knew how to make them. The waitress came back 30 minutes later and said that the bartender did not know how to make the shots and was trying to figure it out. 15 minutes later the waitress brings us FULL DRINKS that were similar to the shots we ordered, with ice and all. We were all confused and baffled( by the way, there had been a serious communication problem all night). We told the waitress that those were incorrect, and she just shrugged her shoulders and left. The manager/owner came buy just to see if everything was alright and we said no, that the drinks were supposed to be shots. He didn't look as if he knew what we were saying. He then proceeded to ask us if we would like some tequilla since our order had been so messed up and taken soooooo long. We said, sure and he brought out several bottles and we chose the one we wanted. We were upset, but a little happier that he was trying to make the situation right. He then came back by and said do you want round 2, and 2 of us said sure. He then asked whos tab all of the shots were on?!?!?!?!?!?!?!He attempted to charge us for the first round of messed up shots AND the shots that he brought us as compensation for the whole mess. By the way, the waitress had said that the first shots were going to be taken off the tab a while back. We told the owner that the whole mess had been their fault and that it had taken over 1 hour to get 1 shot of liquor that we really did not want( we were trying to avoid tequila) due to the incompetence of the bartender to make the shots we had originally ordered. He refused to take the shots off of our tab. The waitress sympathized with us and seemed to know that the owner was completely in the wrong and obviously did not understand business 101( take the damn shots off of the tab, make the wrongs right, and u might keep the customers coming back). We paid and expressed complete disappointment for someone with owners status and told them that we were never...

The overall dining experience at La Bamba restaurants is good enough to rate a solid four stars. The menu options include the familiar standards, along with occasional specials that surprise. Accommodations requested due to dietary restrictions and/or food allergens have been well received and executed.

La Bamba loses a star for one reason: consistency.

The GILES RD location: The meals here are consistently better than the Baker RD location. The flavors are stronger and more complex, permeating through the entirety of the protein rather than simply coating the outside. There are a handful of Mexican restaurants close by, but the food at this La Bamba easily sets them apart as the go-to of choice. The service at this location is less than satisfactory. While some servers are great, it seems more are only willing to do just enough to hit the 15% tip mark. There are a couple ofc,, servers disinterested enough to bring out the drinks, food, and maybe make one stop by to refill drinks as they drop off the ticket. Then you won't see them again unless you ask someone else to bring what you need.

The BAKER RD location: The food here is average. It is exactly as you would expect from any Mexican restaurant, neither better nor worse. Requests for accommodations due to dietary restrictions/food allergens is usually met with "I'll have to check," followed by "that'll be an upcharge if..." All of which is why the Giles Rd location bests them on food points every time. In sharp contrast -- to both their own food points listed above And the Giles Rd table service -- the service here is usually top notch. Servers check in regularly at their tables to ensure everything is to satisfaction and if you need anything at the moment. Even better, most of the servers here take the time out to interact with any children at the table, making sure they are enjoying their meal as well. Drinks are usually refilled when the glass hits the halfway mark, and a kid's drink is rarely empty. Finally, he ticket is brought at the end of the meal as opposed to the quarter or halfway point.

TLDR: Both La Bamba locations (Giles and Baker Roads) earn a solid four stars, so you won't be disappointed with your meals. The one on Giles has outstanding food but lacklustre service. Don't eat there if you have time constraints. The one on Baker has average food but outstanding service. They'll get you in & out if...

Let me preface this by saying that Joe, Nathan and I literately eat here at least THREE times a week. And during Covid-19, we supported them by doing takeout at least once a week. During their down time with Covid-19, they had new managers come in and I was still out on my opinion as I really liked Armando. Sadly, tonight was my last time frequenting this establishment. They often have offers on Local Flavor and I occasionally purchase them. I had one to use tonight. We had planned to go last week and I had printed it out and checked the status to make sure it was current & not expired. I then put it on my dresser since we changed plans last week. Tonight, our bill was $88.99 before the $30 discount( the offer is $30 worth of food for $15 ). This also included our friend’s dinner. I gave our waiter (that I love) the certificate and he cashed out our ticket. He was tipped generously on the amount before discount. Less than 5 minutes later, Ingrith, one of the new managers came over and asked if I had the original receipt for the coupon purchase. I pulled up my email from the end of April to show her. When we clicked on view certificate, it came up as redeemed and her argument was that it had already been used. I told her yes, Mario had entered it already, hence redeemed and I had signed our ticket. She proceeded to tell me no, it was redeemed before that. I tried to explain to her nicely that I had checked it last week, but she apparently didn’t believe me and continued to basically say I was cheating them. I then wasn’t so nice, as I told her that we are there at least 3 times a week and she could check with any of her wait staff...but especially Mario, Shakail, Ale & Don Josè and if she felt the need to charge me the $30 that I would not be back. Well, Ingrith took my debit card and ran the $30 and then didn’t even have the nerve to bring it back and instead sent it with our waiter. I got a litttle teary explaining to him why I wouldn’t be back. I got to hug everyone’s neck but Ale’s and that ok...I’ll be seeing her around. For the record, I will be contacting Local Flavor and trying to see if there is a corporate number for La Bamba. — with Joe Bryan and 6 others...