Dave & Buster's Panama City Beach — Restaurant in Panama City Beach

I’ll have to say I was a more than disappointed in my experience at Dave and Busters PCB today.

I’ve been to this location many times before because I live in Vernon FL about 35 minutes from PCB, so we come to this location a lot and have been for quite some time. I havent been with my family since last summer. I’m not gonna lie the girls working the counter this time seemed totally disinterested in seating us. They did seem to have a very important conversation going on while they checked their nails and discussed their personal life while I waited for a second to let them finish. After they finished they looked at me surprised but they still seemed willing to help out. I told them my party consisted of 6 people 2 adults 4 kids. They seated us at a back area away from the games and the place where i normally expect to be at a Dave and busters and seated us in this weird red and beige room in the back. There were a couple other parties seated there but to be honest it felt surreal and out of place for the whole “Dave and busters” vibe. I asked to be seated near the game stations or the bar, anywhere but that space basically. I wasn’t drinking that night because I was with my kids and met my brother and his family just to say hey. They were not eating with us and weren’t in our party

I ended up actually just deciding to ask the hostess to be moved please because I just couldn’t be near where my family was going to be at and there were many open tables near the bar/game area enough for 8 at least so I am not sure why I was sent to the back rooms lol. But anyway when I finally got reseated my waitress was very rude and acting like everything we said was stupid, we only ordered 3 appetizers, 2 children’s Mac and cheeses and 4 sweet teas and 2 waters. It was hard to believe we were such an inconvenience. But anyway, on to the food,

Our usual favorite to get to share is the truffle fries. Normally they come on a huge tray with 3 dipping sauces. They’re advertised very much the same way as I always remember since last summer when I went. But this time it arrives and it’s half the size plate. Bigger fries like the steak fry type. Mind you I am talking about the truffle fries with the sauces. This time it was half the amount, bigger fries so it was harder to share while still trying to look like a big portion and only one dip sauce for everyone. It was tasty but the website still advertises it like it used to look and the menu is very fine print and doesn’t make it clear this is a different fry appetizer than they used to serve, so I was pretty disappointed on that. The chicken potstickers were good , though they weren’t advertised to be as spicy as they came. They deluxe queso was good but I feel like it’s just the same rotel/sausage/velveeta dip we heat in the crock at home and I do like ours better so nothing special there. The kids Mac and cheese looked creamy then I tasted it and it just turned out it was milky and cold and awful. I normally try to eat or take home my toddlers little Mac and cheese for later if we go to a restaurant but this I left behind. It was served to us cold it was a little hard to believe but I guess this location has gone downhill. I left a tip it wasn’t an awful tip because I try to support waiting/waitressing but I’ll say it was below 15%. It was like 12% because I’m not rude but then their little tablet they give you to pay says to you “hey you tipped below 15%” and then says the amount otherwise I wouldn’t have known what percent I was tipping but yes, I tipped a whopping 12% for a rude and disengaged waitress on a $72 meal, my bad

All in all this location has lost its touch; the food is overpriced bar food and the menu gives vague descriptions it’s not worth the money, I’d suggest eating before arriving; if you have small kids make sure you have a team of adults because its an easy place to get lost in. The staff in disinterested and rude and I feel like it will be a long while before I come back to this...

Subject: Disappointment Regarding New Year's Event at Dave & Buster's Panama City Beach 2023/2024

Dear [Event Coordinator/Management],

I wanted to take a moment to express my deep disappointment regarding the New Year's event held at Dave & Buster's Panama City Beach last night. Our party of 10 attended the event as we did in previous years—2022 / 2023—where we had an absolutely fantastic time. Unfortunately, this year's experience fell far below our expectations.

I must acknowledge the positive experience we've had previously, where the event was well-organized, enjoyable, and worth the extra investment. However, this year was a significant departure from the standard you've set in the past. It was disappointing to note the lack of communication about changes to the event setup, particularly the noticeable downgrade in various aspects.

One of the key areas of concern was the food arrangement, which was not suitable for children compared to the family-friendly buffet style setup we've previously enjoyed. Additionally, the decision to rope off the outdoor patio and remove tables made the overall experience less inviting and restrictive. It was an all-around disappointing contrast to what we've come to expect based on our previous experiences in 2022 / 2023.

Moreover, it was evident that other attendees shared similar sentiments of disappointment regarding this year's event, as relayed by onsite managers. I sincerely hope that, upon receiving feedback from myself and others, there will be a reconsideration to return to the setup that made the previous years' celebrations such a success.

Furthermore, the staffing issue was noticeable as well, especially with only one waitress handling a significantly large number of guests. This impacted the quality of service and left customers waiting excessively for assistance.

As loyal patrons who have thoroughly enjoyed your New Year's events in the past, it is disheartening to contemplate not participating in future celebrations if similar changes are made without prior notice or improvement in services.

I kindly request that you take this feedback into serious consideration while planning for the 2024 / 2025 events. I believe a return to the standards set in 2022 / 2023 would ensure a more positive and enjoyable experience for all attendees.

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my concerns. I genuinely hope for a reconsideration and improvement for future...

I went to D&B in PCB today like many times before. I played a couple of games with my kids and went to the bar to get a beer and some food. I sat next to a family with people clearly not 21( no problem, it's a family place, right). About 10 minutes later that family left and I was the ONLY person on that side of the bar sitting there (20+ open seats) After a few minutes my daughter sat next to me to tell me about a game. Immediately the bar manager told her she had to leave because she's not 21. WHAT? Is this a family friendly place or not? I respectfully contested this and she backed herself up stating that it's the law. That's funny because I am a bartender and we serve food to anybody sitting at the bar because it's not illegal. I could have accepted " I'm sorry but it's a corporate policy and I'm just doing my job" but to lie right to my face assuming I don't know better was extremely insulting. If the bar was packed with people eating and drinking, I would have understood, but my daughter and I were the only 2 people sitting there, nobody ANYWHERE around us. Plus a whole family was just sitting there 15 minutes earlier. For this agresive and angry person to be in charge is poor hiring. To add insult to injury I looked up there house rules and NOWHERE in there does it say kids can't sit with an adult at the bar, as a matter of fact it doesn't say ANYTHING about where underage kids are or are not allowed and I can assure you on many occasions I've seen underage ( not 21) people at that bar including my own kids. I've attached the D&B "House Policies" in their entirety, with overlapping so you can see i didn't omit any parts, as they are posted online, please read them and show me where it says kids have limited access to the seating arrangement. I guess I'm just the kind of person that doesn't like being lied to by trash humans!

Update. The corporate office sent some auto response pretending to care but it was just smoke and mirrors. I've tried 4 times to contact them via phone ( leaving contact information for a call back) and emails all with no response. The corporate office is full of do nothing clowns as well! Seems par for the course. Trash management gets...