Johnny Blacks LakeHouse — Restaurant in Lake Orion

Maybe because it's a Tuesday afternoon & it's cold & snowy, but this is my 2nd time at this location and I swear I couldn't get a "hello" or a smile out of anyone if I paid them here. The bartender upon us entering, "Just sit anywhere", and then went back to the conversation she was having. We sat and waited. And waited. There was one other couple on the bar side. About 10 mins later, a young waitress hands us our menus, gives us water and walks off. I felt kinda bad for her because she clearly acted like she did not want to be there. No smile. No enthusiasm. Just here's your water, silverware, and menus... and walked off. Didn't even ask us if we wanted something else to drink besides water. We finally got to order & got the steak bites and shrimp and it was very good. The cook on the steak bites was spot-on and the shrimp were grilled beautifully. Unfortunately, the zip sauce tasted like 3-day-old flavored grease, the celery was browning on the edges/ends and the carrots had that dried-out white chalky appearance to them. My daughter had the blackened chicken fettuccini and she said it was great. I really don't like leaving a negative review, but seriously, when you spend almost $50 on lunch for 2 people and the employees can't even say hi, I'm gonna take my $$$ elsewhere. There's a lot of other really good food joints all around that area that'll at least make us...

My family and I visit often, and every time has been a great experienc but this past week truly stood out. I came in earlier in the week with a friend and was thrilled to see that we were seated in Austin’s section, a waiter I’ve had before and really enjoyed. He was nothing short of amazing, especially since it was my friend’s first time visiting. We had such a lovely evening catching up, made even better by Austin’s top-notch service.

Then, on Friday, June 13tmy birthday—I knew exactly where I wanted to go to celebrate: back for the delicious chicken with goat cheese (yes, twice in one week!). I gathered our adult children and extended family, many of whom don’t live in the area, and specifically asked to be seated in Austin’s section again. Everyone in our group was beyond impressed with both the food and especially the service.

Austin truly went above and beyond. Every single family member spoke so highly of him, and even though they’re from out of town, they’re already talking about returning—and hoping Austin is working when they do.

He’s a 5-star waiter who clearly takes pride in what he does, and it shows. For me, that kind of care and attention is priceless. Thank you, Austin, for making my birthday celebration so special. We’ll...

Since Johnny Black’s bought this place it’s been a rollercoaster of ups and downs. We tried to like it after CJs but their breakfast prices are outrageous and nothing on the menu is that great. Instead of focusing on a strong core menu they do specials and let the core menu slide. Passing salsa off as ranchero sauce to customers that have been coming in for years is an insult to our intelligence especially when we know what the ranchero looks and tastes like. When I called the manager out on the lie he blamed the cook saying he is new and likely has a new recipe. Why not be honest? You no longer have ranchero sauce so you’re peddling salsa instead. My partners scrambled eggs were raw. The food runner was using the sleeve of her hoodie to protect her hands from the hot plates which is unsanitary. I don’t believe this place is striving for quality or cleanliness and that’s why we won’t be back. It makes me sad because we love Debbie and Wendy which are OG CJs waitresses and we will miss them but some of the new waitresses are awful and make me not even want to come back.There are plenty of great breakfast spots with more on the way. Orion Grill is 10x better and quality and cleanliness is...