Zipps Sports Grill — Restaurant in Phoenix

EDIT: It's been a few months since I wrote my original review and I have some new things to say. Like I said in my original post, we always end up coming back, no matter how terrible the service was. Well, we came back last week. We got a new waitress (or at least new to us) named Jennifer. She is absolutely wonderful! She's friendly, attentive, and professional. All the qualities that our past service has lacked. She has inspired us to add ZIpps back on to a list of places that we regularly consider going to. Thank you Jennifer for turning our Zipps experiences around, we will probably see you soon :) (I have increased my rating from one star to four, simply because I can't look completely past what has happened in the past at Zipps)

ORIGINAL: We go here a lot, but we had yet another tough experience at Zipps. We already expect less than mediocre service coming here, but we were truly amazed tonight by how far they missed this meager bar. To begin, in the past, when we were not attended to, our waitress flat out told us that she had other tables that she saw as more important priorities, hence why she did not ever make it over to see us. This time the excuse shifted from a switching of shifts, to a problem with the ticket machine. When we came into Zipps, we were talked to initially to get water and put in an order for a burger, but then 30 minutes went by. Nobody came to our table in over thirty minutes while two new people showed up, and my SO still had yet to order. It got so bad, we had to call the restaurant to ask for someone to come serve us. We got our orders in, and unfortunately, one of the things we ordered (which we ordered twice) never made it to the table. Now we have waited about 45 minutes, still, no sign of a burger. We asked and we reassured it was coming, and it did indeed come close to an hour after I ordered it. Whenever we needed something, one of us would have to go out of our way to get a hold of somebody. In return for the worst service all four of us have ever had in our entire lives, we were given ten Zipps bucks. We used the ZIpps bucks on our tab, but we got the feeling that was not what the intention the Zipps managerial staff had in mind. Since they never came back to us, we made the executive decision that the Zipps bucks were okay to use for the night. I just cannot imagine ever going back to spend $10 on anything there if I know I would get better service just by staying home and cooking myself. My SO wanted to say something nice, so, he wants everyone to know he enjoyed the alaskan...

This is the first review I ever write for a restaurant. Usually, I like to spread word by talking with my friends and recommending the places I go to.

I am 27 years old and have traveled to many places, eaten and discovered great restaurants and have encountered a few that were bad as well. But this experience definitely stood out.

This Zipps location is one where my friends and I have gone for the last 5 years and the last couple times the service has been horrible but yesterday was a disgrace.

My baseball teammates and I showed up with our partners after a baseball game to celebrate a victory by having some beers and wings. It never even got that far. The waitress that attended our table was rude and you can tell she did not want to serve another large table. Her first words were "I need to see ID's and if you are not over 21 you will have to leave." . . . which I respect the idea that after 11PM it's all over 21, that's understandable but the way in which she approached it was really rude.

Then I talked to the manager about getting a new waitress because my wife did not like the way she was helping us. The manager said that this was her only waitress for the night and that we could not go around asking for other waiters.

After waiting 10 minutes, a waiter that was already clocking out saw that we still had not been getting any service and he said that he could take our drink orders before he left. . . 2 minutes later the manager comes to our table again and repeats that we could not be asking other people that are clocking out to serve our table. . . First of all, you have a waiter that actually has some customer service in him and took initiative to serve our table because we were not getting serviced. . and Second of all, are you kidding me???? Talk about not wanting to be there. .

After ordering our drinks, we just said the hell with it. We'll just go to a local mom and pop shop that really deserves the money and not this large corporation. After leaving the restaurant, 3 of my teammates just went home from this sour taste in the mouth. When I told the manager that we were just going to leave, he just said "ok cool bro".

I see companies that fail and there are companies that continue to succeed. This is a prime example of why established companies fail, their lack of innovation, customer service and poorly managed business.

Visit marks cafe on rural and guadalupe so you guys can see what customer service looks like and to help you go back...

"Loyal Customer of 6+ Years Disappointed by Poor Treatment and Lack of Service at Zipps Sports Grill"

On January 20, 2025, at 6:53 PM, as long-time loyal customers of Zipps Sports Grill—visiting weekly, and sometimes twice a week for over six years (see my review from 6 years ago)—we called ahead to check on available tables for a party of three. Knowing the Ohio vs. Notre Dame game was on, we wanted to ensure seating was available. We were told, "Come on in; we have a few tables open."

We arrived just five minutes later and were told there was only a table for six available. The hostess explained that if we had a party of four, we could be seated, but for a party of three, we would have to wait for a smaller group to leave. The table for six was simply two tables pushed together, so I asked if they could be separated to accommodate our party. The hostess refused.

As regular customers, Jeff, the manager at this location, and some of the waitstaff know us and even our usual orders. I asked to speak to Jeff to see if he could assist us. However, when Jeff approached, he seemed dismissive and unwilling to help. Before I could even explain the situation, he immediately asked for my name and stated, “You’re on the waiting list.” When I asked again if the two tables could be separated, Jeff refused, citing a "policy" that tables of six are reserved for parties of four to six during games. I asked to see this policy, and Jeff curtly responded, “That’s just what it is.”

At this point, I requested the corporate office contact information so I could formally inquire about this supposed policy. It’s truly disappointing that after over six years of loyalty—visiting this location up to two times a week—we were treated as if our business didn’t matter. It seems one-time game-day customers are prioritized over loyal patrons like us.

You have lost our business, and we will be sure to inform others of the terrible experience we had at Zipps. I strongly urge your management to provide customer relations and retention training, especially for Jeff. Treating loyal customers with such disregard is unacceptable.

For those that have a bad experience please see the contact photo to reach the...