Parker John's BBQ & Pizza, Sheboygan — Restaurant in Sheboygan

Update 3.16.22: Finally decided to give Parker John's one more shot after our poor experience. I can't make this up - we walked in and were greeted by a gentleman who informed us there "is currently a wait". I asked "are we talking like 15 minutes or 50?". His response was "If I could predict how long people would eat I would be a millionaire." I looked at my wife and adult son and all we could do was break into laughter. Is the training given here to ensure that no time estimates are given at any cost? We then said we'd wait at the bar, not knowing how long it would be. We all ordered a drink and before we all had our drinks, we were informed that a table was ready. It was less than a 5 min wait. And he couldn't give us any idea? I said I'd close out with the bartender and would just be a minute. "I'll leave the menus on the table", he said. I paid, then we proceeded to walk around the dining room looking for a table with menus on it. The rest of the experience was satisfactory. I don' get it. This place boggles me with the sustained rudeness of the people up front. You'll see by my other reviews that I rarely leave a negative review. We have had great experiences at many other restaurants in the area. Needless to say, we will never go back. Finally, in full disclosure, after I left the original review and went back and forth with Jordan, he gave us a $25 gift cart. That's why we came back. I didn't use it. I don't know why but using it after another negative experience just felt wrong.

Update 11.30.21: After a the reply below I emailed Jordan per his request. He further explained how they have addressed the situation through training, including an updated to future training. Here's what I really appreciated - there was no request to change my review at all. Just a detailed, personal communication about how the situation was addressed and a genuine apology. I didn't complain for a free meal or to get anyone in trouble. The situation was handled perfectly in my opinion so I've added another star. Will we be back? I can say that's it's been upgraded to a "maybe" at this point.

Update 11.29.21: Adding a star for a great reply from the business.

Original review: In a time where restaurants are struggling to stay open and quality of service is at its most important, I’m embarrassed on behalf of Parker Johns for the attitude of the woman that just answered the phone. I called, and asked if they took reservations. “Um, no.” Alright, abrupt but to the point, no problem. It was when I asked if there is a long wait is when I got offended. “Look, I don’t quote wait times over the phone and I can’t tell the future sooooo…”. Her voice just trailed off and I sat for a second in disbelief. Then, click. She hung up on me. We’ve been to Parker Johns about 10 times. It’s hit or miss both with food and service, but still a place we would come back to. Until now. There are plenty of other options in the...

Where do I even begin? My experience here started the day before. As I was walking to the restaurant I could see a line of people waiting to be seated that told me something right away. I decided to skip on the wait and come back the next day. The very next day we came back and as soon as I walked in the door the smell of bbq and smoked meats engulfed the entire restaurant. We were seated right away, the outdoor seating had 2 fire pits to add to the lake view ambiance but the mosquitos were out for blood literally that day 😅 so we Sat inside instead. The menu was full of options and fun starters had never heard of. The drink menu was plentiful and the bloody Mary selection is quite impressive too. I went with the back porch iced Sooo Good!!! Now onto the main menu, as I said the menu selection has something for everyone even if you don't like bbq. I went with the Pit Master Platter which has 2 lbs of 3 meat selections, it also comes with 3 side dishes. I opted for the Burnt ends, St Louis ribs and finally the Brisket. I felt a euphoria in my palate as the meat just came right off the bone, the smoked flavor was so perfect it cannot be described with words. I cannot wait to come back this summer and try so many different items next time. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Shaboygan WI. Excellent job to all the staff and pitmasters at...

I will start with the good. Amazing views!! And we did have a good server, Nick. He was attentive and timely. Same can be said for the bartender. Food is average, we had a BLT pizza and it wasn't anything to write home about. Cheese curds were good, fried pickles were really good. But here's what really irritated me. I called about 2 weeks in advance to see if they took reservations as were showing up with a large party. I was told no but call ahead and we can get you on the list. Ok fine, so I did. I called about an hour ahead and assumed they put us on the list, I did give them our arrival time. I was wrong. My sister arrived first and they got an attitude with her when she asked for my name. Keep in mind we all arrived at the time we stated we were going to. We were told 30 minutes but it was almost an hour. When I arrived (about 2 minutes after my sister) and was told what my sister was, I asked to speak to a manager. Upon telling her why I was upset she copped an attitude and basically said sorry we don't take reservations. That was not even my complaint! It was the fact that I was lied to several times by their staff which is unprofessional and shows a lack of proper training. I would not return based on crappy management, lying employees and...