Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que — Restaurant in San Jose

Date: 01/12/2024 Party of 10

As a regular customer that always goes during the week and brings in plenty of business it pains me to have to write a review about this establishment I truly enjoy going to but it must be addressed.

We recently had a truly terrible experience with the manager at your establishment who was shockingly rude and disrespectful. What was supposed to be a night out with friends to celebrate a birthday from the moment we walked into the restaurant , it was clear that this manager had absolutely no regard for customer service or basic human decency.

Firstly, the manager “greeted” our party with a dismissive attitude and a condescending tone. It was as if we were inconveniencing them by simply being there. They made no effort to make us feel welcome or valued as customers. After the manager finished greeting our party and walked away, We could immediately detect the strong smell of alcohol emanating from her breath and clothing. It was clear that they had been drinking heavily, which was completely inappropriate for someone in a position of authority.

Throughout the interaction with this manager, they consistently interrupted us while trying to address the issue & consistently accused our party of not paying our bill when we had been paying it in cash to cover the drinks we were ordering, It was incredibly frustrating and made us feel like my opinions and concerns were completely insignificant. Their lack of listening skills and basic manners was beyond disappointing.

Furthermore, when we attempted to address the accusations of not paying our bill, the manager was incredibly dismissive and unhelpful. They refused to listen & did not allow us to take responsibility for the problem we were being accused for, and instead continued to embarrass our party in front of other guests . It was clear that they had no interest in resolving the issue or providing any sort of satisfactory solution.

In addition to their rude behavior, the manager also displayed a complete lack of professionalism. They made inappropriate and offensive comments that were completely uncalled for. It was incredibly unprofessional and left us all feeling uncomfortable and disrespected.

Overall, this eye opening personal experience with this manager as well as the party i was with, it was an absolute nightmare. Their rude and disrespectful behavior, lack of professionalism, and dismissive attitude towards customers is completely unacceptable. As a customer, I felt extremely uncomfortable and unsafe in the presence of a manager who was clearly under the influence of alcohol. It made me question the integrity and reliability of the establishment as a whole.

In conclusion, encountering a manager who smells like alcohol is not only unprofessional but also poses a significant risk to the well-being of both customers and staff. It is imperative for establishments to ensure that their managers uphold high standards of professionalism and refrain from engaging in behaviors that compromise their ability to perform their...

I have not visited this place in years and now I know why. My friend was visiting from New Orleans and wanted to try their food. We walked in waiting to be seated. A server in the bar walked by us and gave us eye contact but kept walking. We waited for 4 minutes and decided to seat ourselves. The waitress arrived and her service should have been better. No introduction of the sauces ( unless they change this ), no chips, or straws. The food took a while but I guess it was because I wanted trimmed beef brisket, ( only because Smoking Pig offers this ). The waitress did inform us so I asked her to bring my friend's food out. She brought our order without the brisket. Once it finally arrived it was on burnt bread smh. I tasted the brisket which tasted like fat meat with no flavor. I told the waitress I did not like the taste and this will not work. I asked her to exchange this for the boneless chicken to go. She walked away and did not apologize. The manager approached my table to ask what was the problem? I explained my complaint and she said, sorry and replaced my order. The female manager was actually professional. Once the boneless chicken arrived we waited for our bill. The waitress finally brought it but took forever to process the transaction. Since we made plans at a certain time we needed to go immediately! Now I am pissed!! Walked around the dining room and no employees were on the floor. We walked straight to the bar to pay the bill and the bartender told me the waitress should take care of my bill. I said, we have been waiting forever and we can not find her I need to go!. He looks over to his left and tells me to take the bill to that lady ( the manager ). She looks up walks over and takes my bill brings it back and now I can't find her!! I left my receipt on another table and walked out!!! Go to the " Smoking Pig " if you want 'real bbq with flavor and...

The service and quality of food has been going down for several years at this restaurant.

On our latest visit we were forced to sit in the bar because the restaurant side "had a large party come in and it will be a while before a server can get to you." Seriously! The place was half empty and they couldn't take care of a party of two for lunch on a Sunday afternoon.

On the bar side the bartender had to also wait on all the tables. She was very nice but one person can't take care of the bar and wait tables on a Sunday afternoon during football season. It was also noisy, which is why we didn't want to sit in the bar.

Food was decent when it used to be excellent. The last two visits the burnt ends have been chewy and not melt in your mouth tender like they used to be. The ribs were OK but not the quality they used to be. When a rib joint can't get ribs right something is seriously wrong.

When we paid the bill we were told we couldn't leave a tip with our gift cards. Ridiculous.

On our previous visit we were told they had to get manager approval to use a gift card for tips. She did it but messed up the gift cards. We had a card with only a couple dollars left on it and we told her to use that card first so we didn't have to carry multiple cards. She messed that up and we ended up with multiple gift cards with only a few dollars on them. Where do they find these people? This is not a complicated request.

We visit a Famous Dave's location in MN when we visit there in the summer. The food and the service at that location is still excellent. Not sure why they can't get it right here in San Jose. We will not be going back to the San...