Pepper's Mexican Grill and Cantina — Restaurant in Panama City

Title: Disappointing Experience at Pepper's: Subpar Service, Disorganized Meal Delivery, Cold Food

Rating: (1 star)

As longtime patrons of Pepper's, we were excited to introduce our friends, who had recently moved to the area, to this restaurant known for its delicious food and excellent service. However, our recent visit left us deeply disappointed and frustrated.

Upon arrival, we were seated, and our server took our drink order while handing us menus. Unfortunately, after that, things took a turn for the worse. The table was overloaded with chips and salsa, leaving no room for our meal items.

After placing our orders, we engaged in conversation with our friends we hadn't seen in years. Regrettably, it was around 20 minutes before my order of tacos, beans, and rice arrived, and to my dismay, the rice was missing, and the beans were cold, setting an unfavorable tone for the evening. My wife's fajitas arrived sizzling with shrimp, onions, and peppers, but crucial elements like tortillas and side items were forgotten, making the dish incomplete and disappointing.

When the tortillas finally arrived, they were already cold, and instead of clearing some space on the table, the staff merely pushed items around, creating a messy and uncomfortable dining experience. Our daughter's food was even more delayed, and she had to hold a plate on her lap due to the lack of table space. It was disappointing that the server never returned after the initial delivery, and it was the kitchen staff who brought out subsequent dishes.

Seeking assistance, we asked the server to get the manager's attention. After waiting for him for about 10 minutes, his response was far from satisfactory. He seemed unprepared and unable to comprehend the severity of the situation, leaving us feeling unheard and disheartened. While he offered to prepare hot plates for us, the idea of waiting an additional hour for our food was unappealing and impractical.

Despite hoping for a turnaround, no concerted effort was made by the staff to rectify the situation, and the lack of acknowledgment for the poor service was disheartening. After enduring 20 more minutes of this ordeal, the server finally informed us that the meals were removed from the ticket. However, some items never arrived, and our concerns were met with indifference.

In the end, we can't pinpoint what went wrong, but the overall experience was disheartening and left us with no desire to return to Pepper's. We had hoped for a delightful evening with our friends, but unfortunately, the subpar service and disorganized meal delivery overshadowed any positives.

We sincerely hope that the restaurant takes this feedback constructively and works towards improving its service standards. Good customer service is the cornerstone of any establishment.

Summary: Issues:

Overcrowded table: The table was cluttered with chips and salsa, leaving no space for meal items, leading to a messy and uncomfortable dining experience.

Missing and cold food: Several dishes were either missing elements (e.g., rice with tacos) or served cold (e.g., beans, tortillas, fajita side items).

Disorganized meal delivery: The meals were brought out at different times and in disjointed portions, leading to delays and cold food.

Lack of attentive service: The server did not check on the table after delivering the initial order, and the kitchen staff brought subsequent dishes without any follow-up.

Inadequate management response: The manager seemed unprepared and unresponsive to the issues raised by the customers, failing to offer appropriate solutions or demonstrate effective customer service.

Failure to acknowledge the problem: The staff did not recognize the severity of the poor service or make an effort to address the issues raised by the customers.

Overall dissatisfaction: The disappointing dining experience, coupled with the lack of resolution and customer service, left the customers with no desire to return to the restaurant.

Would not recommend &...

This place is fabulous. The staff is terrific, friendly, fast, courteous, and attentive. The food is among the best Mexican food we have ever had. To put this in perspective, we lived in Southern California for 6 years and have eaten at hundreds of Mexican restaurants throughout the U.S. and Mexico from California to Virginia Beach. We now live in Florida and have been searching for a good Mexican Restaurant for 10 years. The salsa isn’t spicy hot, but it has a delightful and refreshing flavor, seasoned with lots of fresh cilantro and mild onions. Ask for the hot salsa. It will knock your socks off with a smoky hot flavor. It’s best to get both and alternate dipping between the two. We went there two nights in a row to get a good reference. Everything was exceptionally good. They have a large vegetarian selection with is great for my wife. I got the enchilada Mexicana, three enchiladas, one with green sauce, one with red sauce, and one with cheese. The green sauce is hot, spicy, and very flavorful, just like they make it in New Mexico. The cheese sauce is the good kind, not the sour or flavorless cheese some others use. I also got the Tortilla soup. Perfectly prepared with fresh avocado, equal to the soup served off River Street in San Antonio. The second night I ordered the Camarones Diablo. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and served correctly with soft tortillas on the side. The vegetarian burrito was fabulous, stuffed with a variety of fresh stir-fried vegetables that were deliciously seasoned. They use a house variety of Tequilla in their drinks. I was hesitant, but was actually blown away at how good the Margarettas were. Get the top-drawer Guadalajara Margaretts. They were strong, delicious, and highly refreshing The staff are all fantastic too! Don’t miss this wonderful authentic...

Unfortunately, our second visit here was terrible. We returned because our first visit was great. The service, food, and atmosphere was fantastic so we figured why not go again. However, tonight proved to be quite the opposite. We are not ones to quickly complain. We understand the food industry and the service industry but tonight warrants a complaint. The service was neglectful. We were not brought chips, salsa, or drinks until we asked for it. Our food took almost 45 mins to be delivered. The excuse was that a big to go party ordered but 3 tables came in after that and were served their entrees first. I figured they probably forgot our orders and just didn't own up to it. We were not checked on during this entire time and I had to ask several other waiters to fill our drinks. Once the food came, 2 orders were wrong. At this point, I asked my husband to talk to the manager. You would think he would have at least apologized or been understanding of the situation. Instead, he made excuses and then said he would "check the cameras to see if we were waiting that long." I couldn't believe he said that. My husband graciously just said ok sounds great let me know what you find. The manager never came back, never apologized, and in all honesty he made it very clear he didn't care about us as customers. As we left the restaurant he was at the register, he literally refused to make eye contact with us. It was unprofessional and immature. We weren't looking for a discount or a free meal, we didn't even ask for one. We simply wanted him to acknowledge their mistakes and instead he acted as if their restaurant was not in need of making money off of customers like us. So we will grant his desire and never return to the Peppers again. This restaurant is more than disappointing. We visited the...