Don Pepe Taqueria — Restaurant in Poinciana

Other than the food being decent its waiters are lacking in the department. Rule of thumb is check in on your customers every 10min to 15min. On top of that please put a DISCLAIMER in the front of your store for mandatory GRATUITY for dine in. I pay in cash for GRATUITY based on the level of service not via credit. A disclaimer on menus does not make it legal without a proper personnel waiter describing it & make it visible!! having it advertised in the front of store as well. I tried advising the owner and her behavior went defensive, like take a chill woman it's an advise opinion nothing to be sour about. but anyways it's been reported to the better business bureau as well as my personal bank for a partial refund. Tipping culture is out of control. I even ask her WHO gets the tip you!? Or them? & She replied (I'm the owner no-no I'm the owner I know the law)..you wouldn't make it if it wasn't for the cooks as the food is what keeps people coming not your customer services, that you have to make hand signals to get them over to you!! embarrassing. Even your waiter said I don't know, that's what the boss says. They don't even know where the tip goes.

Response: I'm sorry you're hurt for questioning who get the tips from questionable conversations with you. I tip waiters not owners!, don't blow a gasket it was just a question I asked you. YOUR waiter said that's what the boss says & that' made it questionable!

just in case there's more to that FL: statue

Many restaurants, especially those in South Florida commonly include an added charge on a customer’s bill, which is known as an automatic gratuity. According to Fla. Stat. § 509.214, if a Florida restaurant is going to add an automatic gratuity or service charge to a customer’s bill, it must give notice on the food menu and on the face of the bill that the automatic gratuity is included. if a restaurant in adds an automatic tip, it must post a notice conspicuously, either on a sign or in a statement on the business’s menu or price listing in the same form and manner as the other items on the menu or price listing, and written in a legible manner in English, Spanish and Creole.

Additionally, the Fourth Circuit recently ruled that automatic gratuities are not tips as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in Wai Tom v. Hospitality Ventures LLC No. 18-2509 (4th Cir. Nov. 24, 2020) and can therefore not be included in tip pools without violating the FLSA. Further, Revenue Ruling 2012-18, defines automatic gratuities as service charges, which are considered restaurant income. The IRS clarified that in determining whether a payment is a tip or service charge the following must be considered: 1) The payment must be made free from compulsion; 2) The customer must have the unrestricted right to determine the amount; 3) The payment should not be the subject of negotiation or dictated by employer policy; and 4) Generally, the customer has the right to determine who receives the payment. The IRS concluded that the absence of any of the four factors creates a doubt as to whether a payment is a tip and indicates that the payment may be a service charge. Thus, automatic gratuities—which fail to meet the criteria above—are service charges. This implies restaurant employers cannot attribute automatic gratuities toward an employees’ overall wage using tip credits in order to meet the applicable minimum wage standard.

Again let it go you made your point. but it was questionable & you did not let me explain as you cut me off & became defensive next time just listen even if you don't agree but don't blow off keep it chill! that's the responsibility of an owner. anyways let cut it, have yourself many prosperous...

Worst experience EVER! I would give 0 STARS, but it's not an option.

I ordered online. There was a miscommunication with the hostess. She confirmed that my order would be ready in sixty minutes. I confirmed "6-0" and the hostess responded with a yes.

I get to the restaurant and the dining area was empty. I was worried that my food had been sitting for a long time. The hostess at the counter had to have been the person that took my phone order because she didn't understand when I was asking if the order had been sitting or just arrived from the kitchen. She got a second hostess to help. That hostess explained that they don't leave food on the counter for a long time but I ordered an hour ago so that food was there for a long time with no heat source. I requested a remake since the food had been sitting for a very long time. The second hostess denied and directed me to a manager.

My experience with the manager was WORSE than being told that my food would be ready in sixty minutes just to find out it was done a long time ago. I approached the manager with my concern and was wondering if the food could be remade because on the phone I was told sixty minutes. The manager is FURIOUS! She begins YELLING at me in RAGE. Not one time did she admit that her hostess was in the wrong. I, the customer, was being blamed the entire time. I mentioned that I could have chosen any restaurant in the area, but I chose this one. Never again!

I hate to put race into it, but she wouldn't even look me in my face as we were speaking. I DO NOT RECOMMEND this establishment to any black women that are not Hispanic.

The manager offered to remake the food after I admitted that this is not how a customer should be treat for something they did not do. I left because I did not feel safe receiving food from them.

I've had the food before. It was my first time ordering via phone. The food is average. I'm sure it's all sitting in the back for them to microwave on the spot in the case of an order.

I HAVE DEFINITELY BEEN TO BETTER MEXICAN...

Don Pepes would receive 10 stars if I had to judge solely on food. I’ve lived in Poinciana 20 years, and when they opened, I’ve heard nothing but good reviews about their food. When I decided to give the restaurant a try, and saw they had Birria tacos, (I was so excited to discover this gem), especially since all the social networks made Birria Tacos a hard item to find - but worth trying. And they were! I’ve been to this restaurant several times before, and several times I’ve dealt with the owner herself. Each time when going to pick up my order, she would express her concerns related to my order. Today I ordered my food through DoorDash, although DD allowed me to customize my order, I gave Don Pepe’s a call to eliminate the confusion and to verify the offer still displayed on the DoorDash website (free chips and salsa with a purchase of $40 or more). When the owner answered, she again began to rant to me - about having called the “owners personal phone”. After apologizing and explaining how I came to call that number, she then began to rant about people calling and asking questions about orders, saying that people should know what they want when they call, and shouldn’t have so many questions because it ties up the lines. I was able to confirm the order, however she was very dismissive. Once I received my food, I saw my food was EVERYTHING I asked it NOT to be. I gave the restaurant a call, (on the other number), & again spoke to the same lady. Even after a kind approach to the matter, she still argued with me, stating that I was wrong, because she personally bagged and checked my food. To which I had to respond with telling her that I would be showing up with my entire order, so that she could see the errors of the order. Her tone only slightly changed but she was still condescending, and clearly frustrated. When I arrived, my concerns of my order was fixed and ready for an even exchange. On the way out, I had it confirmed that the individual I was dealing with,...