Jimmy Changas {Pearland} — Restaurant in Pearland

I normally don’t do reviews but this last visit just didn’t sit well with me. My boyfriend and I went to eat here because I had a $15 gift card that I had been meaning to use. Let me give a little more detail on how we got the gift card in the first place. I had met my cousins at Jimmy Changas before the Astros vs Braves game last season. As we got our food and were about to dig in, I noticed something in my refried beans. It was a bit of plastic from the bag that the refried beans comes in. I didn’t even make a huge deal out of it because it just didn’t bother me for some reason. I brought it to the attention of the waitress. She apologized profusely and even offered to make me a new plate. I declined a new plate because it would’ve been a waste of food. The then manager came over and apologized to me and gave me the $15 gift card. He even comped my meal. I wasn’t even going to accept the gift card but he insisted and thanked me for being nice about it.

Which now brings us to yesterday’s visit. It was a great late lunch/early dinner. The food was great. The margarita was delicious. Our server was so sweet. When it came time to pay, we handed her a debit card and the gift card. Didn’t think anything of it. The current manager comes to our table and tells us “I’m sorry but you can’t use this card” and I just said “oh ok??” Not thinking it was a big deal either but then I asked why. He then told me they looked up the card and even though the amount was still valid, the card itself “expired on the 20th”. He had the card in his hand but I couldn’t see it from where he was standing so I didn’t think anything of it. He handed the card back to me and I looked at the back of the card. Now I didn’t even think gift cards expired??? So I was confused. Well when I look at the gift card, I see that there was no expiration date on it whatsoever. It was blank because it’s supposed to be written on the gift cards. That is when I got a little upset. Our waitress came back and asked if we were ok with what the manager said. I then mentioned “well no actually because this card doesn’t have an expiration date on it so this is a bit of a concern for me” I also explained to her how I got the gift card in the first place. She then asked me what that managers name was??? “Ummm, I couldn’t tell you that. That was some time ago” It wasn’t even the fact that it was a measly $15 dollar gift card. It made me feel a certain way as to why they couldn’t honor it when the amount was still valid??She ended up going back to the manager and I was hoping he would come back to the table. Our waitress came back and just informed us that they were able to use the card after-all. We don’t live in the area so we have to drive almost an hour to get to JCs . So if you have gift cards please be sure to check their expiration dates even though the Federal Law CARD Act, the value is valid for 5 years. I am not sure if we will be back just because we have had these couple of issues with our last two visits. I just wanted others to be aware, especially if they...

I have to preface this with I hate leaving negative reviews as I have been running restaurants for years. My family and I have always loved Jimmy Changas. We come often for special celebrations, birthdays and more. This visit however was highly disappointing.

Sweet server who seemed straight out of training and was trying her best. None of this was her fault. Ordered guac and it was mashed avocado with half the bowl filled with lettuce. Barely any guacamole. Our grown children enjoyed their shrimp empanadas, chicken tacos & machete salad. However....my husband's fajitas? Underseasoned steak on top of a plate of grilled onions. No peppers, tomatoes, nothing....when we inquired, the staff said only shrimp fajitas now came with other veggies. I mean seriously? $22 for that? That isn't fajitas....it's a steak sitting on onions.....

I asked for two veggie fajita tacos because I can't eat meat or cheese and shared that with the server. I always gotten this every time and staff is always accommodating. She brought me two tacos. Separate plates. With cold tomatoes, lettuce & cheese. I asked her to please bring them back and shared again what I had in the past. After everyone ate, my tacos still didn't come out so I asked to not even worry about it. My tacos came shortly anyways with a scoop of sauteed veggies in each tortilla.

Then the bill came. Was charged for 2 chicken tacos. Same price as my daughter. $8.58 for two scoops of veggies that I waited over 10-15 minutes for the remake......same price as my daughter's chicken tacos?

I'm not one to complain, but this entire dining experience was mind blowing to me. I did share my dissatisfaction with the server but also told her I didn't want anything taken off the bill. We weren't there for a free meal, we were there to celebrate with our family.

For a place that is normally really good and we look forward to going to, unfortunately this restaurant has changed their standards and we will most likely and sadly not visit again. I would give our experience one star if I didn't know how it affected the restaurant as a whole.

I hope they do better for the rest of the patrons that...

If I could give the service a 0 I would. From the moment we sat down our waitress Mel (at least that’s what the manager said her name was) had an attitude. She didn’t introduce herself. She didn’t have a badge on. We tried to make small talk but she wasn’t having it. She asked what we wanted to drink with an attitude. We gave the order and added an appetizer. I told her we needed a few minutes to look at the menu for the main course. We finally had to flag her down because she never followed up. Our appetizer came and she just threw the plate on the table. No small plates no utensils. We had to flag down three other waiters to get us what we needed because she never bothered to ask or come by again. We should have left from the beginning but it was already 8pm. Too late to go anywhere else. At the end she brought the bill with a feedback card. It asks to get the waiters name to include in the feedback. I had to go ask her for her name and that’s when it got worse. She stood there staring at me and would not give me her name. After repeating myself three times I told her the survey asked for a waiters name. She looked me straight in my eyes and said she wasn’t giving it to me. No reason what so ever. I asked to speak with the manager she pointed at her. When I explain to the manager, the manager asked her if she didn’t give me her name and she told her straight out no. She also noticed and told her she wasn’t wearing her name tag. The manager told her to step away. I explained to the manager that I had no idea why she acted that way. She was laughing and tending to other tables but not ours. Not that I cared if she smiled at us but to tend to us. I told her we didn’t know her and we didn’t know what we did to upset her. The manager offered to give me something for our next visit but I told her no. It wasn’t about that. It was about customer service and respect. She asked why didn’t we say something sooner and I told her I didn’t want to cause a scene. At the end the manager gave me the girls name, Mel and apologized. Worst service ever! Never again. So...