Houston's — Restaurant in Pompano Beach

On a beautiful Sunny South Florida day, we had much excitement to be celebrating my Birthday with loved ones.

Unfortunately, it did not go as anticipated, from the instant we walked in.

The notes from our 1:30 PM reservation certainly mentioned a birthday celebration, there were two hosts upfront, one tried assisting us out, although the other one took charge and made sure that no requests would be met, she mentioned this our protocols and there’s no way you can sit your entire party next to each other or at the same table, our tables are designed for parties of 4 guests, and allow room for an extra guest only.

Anyhow, we just wanted to sit at our table and avoid conflict, this is a birthday not an outing with friends for happy hour.

Upon sitting a nice server named Courtney introduced herself and took our drink orders, then they moved 3 of us to the next table, when our bottle of wine arrived we ordered appetizers, and food for the kids, which we’re sitting on the next table, Courtney made clear she was unable to order anything for the kids, due to be another server’s table, we then ask for that server and placed the order for the kids, she was not happy with it, but took the order, the food arrived at both tables, our table came with everything, the kid's food was delivered with no silverware or anything else whatsoever, and it remains that way, so we gave ours to them and nobody acknowledged that silverware we’re missing in neither table.

Our two guests arrived, and brought gifts, another inconvenience that I never heard of, they said those items could not be there, that was the company rules, and they would allocate those items to the office, or we could bring them to our vehicle, creating another hassle, our vehicle was parked with the Valet, so we let her take it to the office.

Later on, the host was back, and started apologizing for disturbing us so much, and mentioned she would move us to a bigger table in the corner with much more space (they said at the beginning that wasn’t such a thing), there we went and the manager was around helping, the table across us and the one next to us said “You should bring this to the manager and demand some assistance, this unacceptable”, the elderly lady on the across us stopped by and said, my apologies all of this is happening to your day.

Other little things happened afterward, one of them was that my food came completely wrong, and the person that delivered offered to fix and replace it, although at this point I was hungry, disappointed, and afraid of what they may do to my meal.

Food was great as usual.

In the end that plate was removed from my tab, I eat it and was willing to pay, they removed it from my check but also made it LOUD and CLEAR that it wasn’t there anymore.

I’ve been to Hillstone’s Restaurants several times throughout the nation, but this was by far the most unpleasant experience, and it was...

There seems to be a new problem every single time my family and I eat here. We will not be dining here again.

It was not mentioned or discussed until I reached my table and sat down that I was asked to take my hat off. The gentleman at the table immediately next to me was wearing a hat, while he was eating.

I was informed he was a veteran so that is allowed. His hat was not a service hat, and it made me wonder whether they asked him to take it off and he pushed back, or how they were able to identify he was a veteran. Nevertheless, I’m okay with a veteran being allowed to do things I’m not.

However, there was a young boy wearing a volcom hat just three tables down. There were women all over the restaurant (at least three or four in the immediate dining area) wearing hats (interesting to have a policy that only targets one gender, not sure how well that would hold up under scrutiny). Some of them didn’t look like women, but we can set that aside for sake of the discussion.

People all over the restaurant were wearing shorts and sandals. At least 5 or more people in the restaurant were wearing sunglasses.

The feckless coward of a manager only came to speak with us after I requested or inquired about the policy a second time. He then immediately began an argument with me about the exaggerated number I used to demonstrate several other people somehow didn’t fall under this policy. It seemed like I was the only patron in the restaurant that was asked to or did remove my hat. When confronted with all of the other dress information that doesn’t seem to be congruent with the policy (shorts, flip flops, sunglasses), he shrugged and suggested we are near the beach. To that I would say: don’t people wear hats to the beach?

The entire episode felt disrespectful. Having worked years in customer service, I would suggest there are a million (an exaggerated number, don’t unleash the coward back upon me to argue) different ways to handle the situation that could’ve resulted in not only my family and I staying to dine, but completely turning around the experience.

It seems to be that the sole success of this restaurant rests with its location. We know it certainly isn’t because of the prices or customer service.

Nobody seemed to care. The waitress who approached our table, I would add (nice thin blonde lady) was very kind and friendly. The highlight of...

I recently experienced a disappointing incident at Houston’s Pompano Beach location, where I was denied entry due to their Jersey policy, despite wearing a collared shirt. This encounter left me feeling frustrated and confused about their dress code policies.

Upon my arrival, I was informed by the restaurant staff that individuals wearing jerseys were not allowed inside. However, I was surprised to learn that this policy extended to my collared shirt, which I believed met the desired dress code requirements. It was disheartening to be denied entry based on what I considered to be acceptable attire.

Furthermore, I found the staff's handling of the situation to be less than satisfactory. The explanation provided lacked clarity, and the overall tone conveyed a lack of empathy. As a potential customer, I would have appreciated a more understanding and courteous approach to explain the dress code policy. This unfortunate encounter tainted my perception of the restaurant's customer service.

Regrettably, I was unable to experience the culinary delights and ambiance that Houston’s is known for. It is disappointing when a seemingly minor dress code policy overshadows what could have been an enjoyable dining experience. In my opinion, a restaurant's success should be primarily based on the quality of their food, service, and atmosphere, rather than rigid dress code restrictions that could potentially alienate potential customers.

While I understand that establishments have the right to enforce dress codes, I would like to suggest that Houston’s reevaluate their policy to ensure it is fair and inclusive. A more flexible approach that considers a wider range of attire choices could help create a more welcoming environment for all patrons.

In conclusion, my experience at Houston’s was marred by their Jersey policy, despite my compliance with what I believed to be an appropriate dress code. I hope that the restaurant takes this feedback into account and reconsiders their dress code policies to foster a more inclusive and customer-friendly atmosphere.

Please bear in mind that this review reflects my personal experience and viewpoint, and others may have different interpretations or encounters...