Hong BBQ & Hot Pot Lakeland — Restaurant in Lakeland

I arrived at around 8pm last night and was told there would be a 10 minute wait even though the restaurant wasn't even super busy. I was staring at an empty table the whole time and after 20 minutes of silence and not further acknowledgement by staff they sat us at the very table I was watching which was funny. The first host we had was awful and didn't seem to care about us. I wish I could say her name but I don't recall. She's the slender white/kinda Asian girl. She seemed like she may have been related to the female manager because they were constantly talking and conversating at the front desk/bar as we were trying to order food. Mind you their ordering system is very mediocre and lackluster. You have to order all of your items from the waiter or waitress and you're at the mercy of their consistance. She took forever in between orders and we never got a refill from her specifically. I also ordered a $7 boba drink which was not sweet at all and when I asked for them to add some sweetner she proceeded to tell me there's sugar at the bar and for me to get up and get It myself. My friend stepped in and they ended up adding the sweetener. I just thought it was ridiculous to tell me to go put sugar in my own drink that I paid them to make. Needless to say that just added to the experience. For a good 15-20 we didn't see her and her colleague Gracie took over. She was a breath of fresh air for our experience. The attitude difference was night and day and she at least gave us great service and saved what I could say was a terrible experience. She jumped right on top of us to get our drinks and everything in order. Changed our bbq grill. She was the best part of the experience and I tipped her well and I will not be returning simply because there's better and more valuable options in the area. If you like Japanese art and culture it's a great place for pictures but if you want good food and service go elsewhere. Thanks again Gracie you were wonderful, your colleagues...

Tonight I took the family to Hong BBQ and Hot Pot, located at 5125 S. Florida Avenue in Lakeland. They had their grand opening yesterday, so we thought we'd give it a try. First, the layout of the restaurant is beautiful with spacious booths and bright Chinese decorations. The restaurant is all you can eat, so come hungry. We all went for the BBQ and Hot Pot, and we were not disappointed. The menu is divided in two sections, Hot Pot and BBQ, with color picture for every food option. (This is quite helpful because you then know which food to grill and which to boil.) For the hot pot, you have a choice of several broths, so everyone can choose what they like. A decorative pot of your chosen broth is placed on an induction heater just in front of you where you cook your food.

There is a BBQ griddle in the middle of the table where you grill your food. You tell the server what you want (meat, seafood, vegetables and noodles), it's entered into an electronic device, and someone brings the food to your table to cook. (This is different from other hot pot restaurants where you walk over to a refrigerated case to pick out the raw food yourself and bring it back to the table for cooking.)

The selection is large, and the food is good. There are cooking utensils at each table and the attentive staff are always around to assist you. Our server Tracy was very helpful. Back along a wall is their sauce station where there are dozens of sauces that you can sample and mix to suit your taste along with a selection of fruit, little cakes, and ice cream for dessert. We all enjoyed our meal and agreed that we will be coming back again. ...

On Valentine's Day, I arrived at the restaurant and was prepared to wait. I patiently waited for one hour, which I found acceptable given the holiday. Once I was seated, I waited an additional 30 minutes before being asked about my drink preferences. After placing my food order, I felt completely overlooked. After some time, I managed to flag down my waitress, as my patience was wearing thin. Three items from my order were missing, and I ended up waiting another 30 minutes for these items, which included two types of meat and a vegetable. To clarify, my order consisted solely of hot pot, two meats, two vegetables, and ramen, yet half of it was not delivered. As I sit here in the restaurant, I have not seen my waitress for the past 30 minutes, making my total wait time two hours. I have only been able to eat for about 30 minutes, and I expected to enjoy my meal like everyone else, rather than feeling neglected. I have decided to try a different hot pot restaurant, as this experience has been quite...