J R Crickets Lovejoy — Restaurant in Lovejoy

Our first clue should have been that there was absolutely no one in the place on a Saturday at noon. Our second should have been the table so sticky we had to move. And when I looked around and saw how dirty the entire place was, we should have gotten up and left. But we had heard so much about how J.R. Crickets served the "best wings in Atlanta" we were gulled into staying. Besides, we were starved. The server who eventually came over brought menus and came back with drinks. "Ready to order?" she asked. Yes, we replied. "Okay, give me a minute," she said and walked away. About five minutes later she returned and took our orders for a Philly Steak and a basket of lemon pepper "wet" wings. A long time passed--we were still alone in the restaurant-- and she returned with our food, which was warm, not hot. The Philly steak had raw green peppers in it, which were not in the menu description. The meat looked like cat food and was very dry. The onions were raw. The whole (quite small) sandwich was squashed down. The wings were even worse. Firstly, they were not wet, at all. Secondly, I would bet my last dollar that they were left over from the night before and refried. Even through the very medicinal and artificial taste of whatever they put on the wings, the chicken itself was super dry, stringy, and cold inside, and it had that unmistakable mineral taste of leftover chicken. When the server returned with the blue cheese dressing she had forgotten, I took a piece of celery and dipped. The dressing was fine—hard to mess up opening a jar, I guess—but the celery itself, though crisp, has a strange off taste, as though it had been stored with rotten food. Just wanting to get out of there forever, we asked for a check. She went away and came back without our check. "Is your food okay?" she asked, looking at our mostly uneaten baskets. "Yes, it's fine, can we please have our check now?" I asked again. I didn't understand why she came back with the cc machine and held it while I put in my card and paid, but when we left I looked at the receipt and saw we had been charged a five dollar "gratuity fee," despite the menu stating that said fee only got applied to checks fifty dollars or more. I am appealing the charge with my CC company. When we got home I immediately wrote to J.R. Crickets customer support, emailing them essentially the story I just relayed here. Needless to say, the only response...

Ordered wings to go. Ordered garlic Parmesan and medium wings. Ordered an extra order of fries because they alway give you enough fries for one when you order 20 wings. I ordered fries extra crispy and extra crispy wings so they aren’t soggy. As I am pulling in the parking lot I get a call from JRCrickets. They say I’m sorry but we don’t offer garlic Parmesan wings. I said no problem. Make them all medium. I pay. Look at the food. Tip and leave. I live 3.4 miles from there. I got home. Came straight in and began to eat. Fries were cooked and the wings were cold. I called the JRCrickets to let them know the situation. The owner wanted to argue he cooked to order and said maybe people stopped on the way home. I reacted and said I didn’t stop anywhere. He asked if I ate there before. I said yes. He said have I ever had a problem. I said no and that’s why I’m calling him now. The wings were cold to the touch. Not even warm. He dismissed my concern completely. Not trying to make it right. I adamantly let him know that this establishment will never see another dime from me. He didn’t seem to care. I’m not mad and didn’t expect to eat for free since I have picked up to go previously and have contributed to a local eatery. Well. No more for me. The wings were horrible and customer service is terrible. A quick note to any parents. If you want to get food from a reputable place. Don’t eat here.

Also. The music is offensive and explicit. If you ever visit and have kids I feel you will turn around and leave immediately. I personally don’t mind language and explicit content much but you may want to stay away if this atmosphere may offend you. The ownership lacks accountability. Maybe they get so many complaints that it’s normal. This Behavior and lack of sincerity is not acceptable to me. I did try and support locally this restaurant but the quality of the food is mediocre at best but only served as convenience. I will go out of my way to support other wings restaurants. The complacency of ownership is subpar.

I gave one star because I could not...

Had high hopes for my first visit here. The place touts itself as having the best wings in Georgia, and I decided I was tired of missing out and wanted to experience Crickets for myself. For claiming to be #1, gotta say it was sorely disappointing. From the minute we walked in, the establishment was filthy. Tables were sticky, floor had grime all over it.

That I can usually forgive if the food is really exceptional, but sadly it wasn't.

We ordered a 10 pc of the lemon pepper wet, and they were the farthest thing from wet imaginable. They were chalky enough to draw on a blackboard.

We also split a Philly steak and it was completely flavorless. The peppers and onions were undercooked and the whole thing lacked seasoning.

We still ate our meal without complaints, because even if were honest with how we felt about the meal it's not like anything could have corrected it at that point. If they brought something else out for us, it likely would have been equally disappointing. Our server was kind enough, so 4 stars for service is the most generous rating I can give this establishment.

We also noticed signage that stated orders over 50.00 would be charged an automatic 5.00 gratuity. Our meal was under 40.00 and somehow we were still charged for that gratuity, so keep a careful eye on your tab.

Of course we didn't want to be Karens and make a fuss, because that won't help anything. We didn't want to squeeze them for free stuff just because we were unhappy, but best believe we won't be going back.

American Deli has better wings tbh.

The place would benefit from new management.

But who knows? Maybe Saturday at noon is just a bad time to go. Maybe your experience...