El Jarrito Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Ruston

I'm torn with this review. I visited the restaurant with a girlfriend of mine. FIRST TIME OUT SINCE COVID HIT. The waiter was very nice, but he really couldn't recommend us anything (he had NOT tried most of the menu), and he got her order wrong. She ordered her meal without shrimp because she's allergic. Guess who's meal had shrimp in it anyway?!?! The waiter/servers seemed to disappear for a long time and then when he reappeared, he was hard to flag down. My meal lost its heat as I waited for them to bring her a new meal without shrimp. I had the quesadilla, it was great. Good sized meal. Did I mention they never brought the appetizer. Right because we forgot about it too until halfway through the entrée.

My rating is based on safety, product, and service.

The place was NOT AT ALL busy when we got there yet they still wanted to seat us close to other parties. There were at least 8 tables and 6 booths but she still wanted the guests seated back to back. No ma'am, not in a pandemic. Yes, they followed the current COVID-19 mandates/guidelines, but I want to keep the 6-feet distance everywhere I can. Seating guests at tables, back to back, when they don't have to... it's the reason I probably won't go back. Forgetting the appetizer AND getting the main order wrong, they can do better, and most likely they do do better. You just don't get too many chances with me. My money floats! Or said differently, I will spend for dependable products and service, wherever that is, regardless of price. I mean, again, the server was nice. Some training could be done in how to address customers when they ask a question about or are looking for recommendations on items you've never tasted.

I wish them the best. As restaurants are getting back into the swing of full capacity, I'm sure it...

I would rate this restaurant zero stars if possible. My experience here was extremely disappointing, largely due to poor customer service and unprofessional behavior from our server, Carlos. After encountering multiple issues during our visit, I asked to speak with a manager. Carlos dismissively claimed that no manager was present and explained that the restaurant is “family-owned” with managers constantly “in and out.” This lack of managerial presence is unacceptable for any establishment, as there should always be someone available to address customer concerns.

Later, I saw a man I presumed to be a manager and requested to speak with him. However, Carlos stated that the individual was not a manager but the owner. When I asked to speak with the owner, Carlos responded that the owner “doesn’t talk to customers.” Shortly after talking with other servers it became evident that the owner had “just left” which is odd after just requesting to speak with him. This response was unprofessional and concerning, as engaging with customers is a critical responsibility of any business owner who values feedback and improvement.

This was my family’s first visit to this restaurant, and unfortunately, it left a poor impression. The food was mediocre, and the lack of honesty and accountability, particularly from Carlos, severely detracted from our experience.

On a positive note, Hunter and Keyshawn stood out for their excellent customer service. They consistently checked on us and made genuine efforts to connect us with the manager despite Carlos’s misleading behavior. Their professionalism was greatly appreciated but could not redeem the overall negative experience. Based on this visit, I would not recommend this restaurant and do not...

We went for a friend’s birthday as a party of nine at 7:30 and were immediately sat. The waiter didn’t get our order until an hour later. Then 30 minutes later they showed up with the wrong food and then like 30 minutes after that they showed up with only half our food. And when we hit the 2 hour mark with people’s food still not there one of the guys in our group brought it up to a manager and she said she’ll try to get us a discount with the big boss. Then the big boss I guess just straight up told us no and that any other place would be that busy (it’s a Sunday night for context) and would also have us be there for over 2 hours but there literally wasn’t even anyone in the section they pointed to as busy and all the while our server kept ignoring our table and ppl that got there after us left an hour before us. The Manager completely disregarded us and talked down to us like we were dumb. Our server also only stopped by our table like three times that entire time and we had to specifically ask for refills even if our cups were empty. Another guy in the group also ordered queso when we got our drinks and didn’t get it until the second wave of food came out 2 hours later. And after not really being there the whole night he tried joking around with us saying with one guy who was paying with a $100 bill if he could keep the change. The jokes fell flat since it felt like a desperate attempt to get a tip from us after ignoring our party and focusing solely on the other tables. Absolutely terrible service and the star is only because the food was...