Jonathan's The Rub — Restaurant in Spring Valley Village

I seriously thought I was going to have a nice evening and I was in between going back to the Heights or going to Jonathan‘s. I’ve met the owner before and I’m sure he would not have been pleased with what I experienced tonight. I first started going to his restaurant when he was in that very humble beginnings of a little restaurant by the park. I just kept my mouth shut tonight. I mean seriously I get better service at McDonald’s. I purchased a filet mignon that was not as good as what I could get from a bar with a steak night contractor called meat Mojo. The filet was subpar. I patiently waited for someone to come by to refill my glass of water (that never happened). I do not partake in Alcohol consumption or sugary drinks.The server kept trying subtly to push me out the door and get me to pay while I was still eating my dinner which was irritating the heck out of me , there were many other customers watching the World Series so it’s not like I was the only one there. They’re where several other couples there. And he wanted to know twice if I was ready to pay. When it was time to leave, he throws a clear clamshell container at me and wants me to put all my food in it. I did order the broccoli with the blue cheese sauce and I had an order of brussels sprouts and an 8 ounce fillet that I still had 4 ounces left and I’m like you’re not gonna box it up for me ? what ? and I’m thinking like is this McDonald’s? why do I want to mix my blue cheese sauce with the rest of my meal when they do serve it to me separately ? so he brought out another container with a lid on it so I could put my dish in it and not spill it all over my interior of my car ….and get this. I still had to box it myself and I’m like OK I see you really don’t want a Tip do you? I still tip 20% even though the service sucks and the waiters know they give a poor performance/ service. I don’t treat people like waiters treat their guest that they stereotype may not tip ( I know what’s happening) .. I expected a lot more from this restaurant experience tonight. If I had known this, I would’ve went to Ben Berg’s restaurant steak 48 or Savoir on Yale. . Then I’m trying to figure out my bill and all it shows is this one final total amount with tax included and you don’t pay tips on Tax .it did not show an itemized bill and I just did the math in my head for 20% tip. On the pre-tax price which made me spend a little bit more time calculating a really easy bill. Yes, I’m mathematically challenged.. the waiter who checked me out asked me if I enjoyed my meal I said “mehhh it was ok ‘ which he replied. I hope you come back sir and I’m like it’s not gonna happen. I’ll give 30% tip for someone to box up my mail for me put it in the bag for me and I get a smile.. and I can get a better cut of meat over at Ben Berg‘s for the same price. With top notch service. Yes when I go out, I like to get pampered I like to get treated nice I Tip nice I’m nice to the waiters. I don’t treat them like they’re below me. This was my reward night for an exceptional week . It went very well with my new assistant...

I went on a Thursday night with a small group of friends, and the restaurant was very crowded. They did not have a table available immediately, so we agreed to wait a few minutes for one outside. The food and service were decent, but a little pricey. Unfortunately, due to a negative interaction with another guest, I’m unlikely to return. While waiting to be seated, our group was talking amongst ourselves, when a man approached us from the bar. He asked if everything was ok, sounding concerned. Confused, we thought he was perhaps the manager/owner, checking on us since we were the only ones waiting. We said everything was fine, but his “concern” became evident as sarcasm once he proceeded to interrogate us as to why our party was all wearing masks then? Were we sick? He asked about our vaccination status and mocked people who continue to wear masks even though vaccinated, saying he doesn’t understand. He said the flu was more concerning. He questioned whether we had legitimate reasons, or if we were all just that afraid of getting COVID? Not that it was any of his business, but we have immunocompromised family members and must take extra precautions; he declared that a valid reason, as if giving his blessing. Throughout the conversation, his friend sat at the bar smirking and taking our picture. The two of us who noticed felt very uncomfortable and were so shocked we didn’t know what to say. When we told our friend, she was furious and asked the man why he felt the need to take our picture; she requested he delete it. He said he had already posted it to twitter and didn’t really have anything else to say. Neither felt they had done anything wrong. This isn’t intended to be a political statement about mask mandates, vaccination statuses, etc. I don't have an issue with the fact that no one else was wearing a mask. However, it was totally unnecessary for this man to go out of his way and belittle our personal decision to continue wearing masks. It was obviously not from a place of curiosity. He made it clear that without a reason he deemed valid, our decision to wear masks was ridiculous, laughable, almost offensive. The reason I’m posting this is because the interaction occurred in front of the hostess stand and bar, and based on the whispers and stares we received, I find it very difficult to believe that none of the employees were aware of what was happening. None of the staff intervened or apologized; their silence seemed to condone the behavior. While we felt relaxed at first, we suddenly felt very self-conscious as we were shown to our seats outside and became aware of stares/whispers along the way. So if you don't wear a mask and/or share the opinions of this man and the rest of the restaurant, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the food, drinks, and atmosphere. If, however, you choose to still wear a mask in public, this restaurant may not be a very welcoming...

My experience with Jonathan's The Rub is a bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I took my girlfriend to Jonathan's for our first date. It was wonderful. The service was excellent, our waiter was attentive, but not intrusive, my steak was fantastic, her fish was great, and it was a lovely ambiance. We even stayed late, not realizing the only other table still going in the place had a man sitting there with friends who introduced himself as Jonathan. My only knock would be that their corking fee is a bit on the high end ($15/bottle for your BYOB/BYOW). We enjoyed it so much we went back for Valentine's Day. It was obvious that management had put forth effort for Valentine's Day. They had complimentary champagne to start the meal, a red rose and chocolate dipped strawberries to close the meal. But the service was abysmal. Our waiter was extremely pushy trying to get us to order our entire meal when we wanted to sit and enjoy our wine and appetizer and ease into our meal. Finally he asked if that's what we were doing and he left us alone, but as soon as he did two other waiters started hounding us (they were rude and short with us) for our order. I might've understood if they were in a rush, being Valentine's, but there were plenty of staff and plenty of empty tables, so they definitely didn't need our table for the people who were not waiting. As soon as we ordered our entree...crickets. We had to try for our waiter's attention multiple times to get our second bottle of wine opened and I poured the whole way through (on our first date our waiter kept an eye out for empty glasses and checked on us as needed). Also, my girlfriend ordered her steak medium rare and it came out medium well, almost well done. Not a big deal, can be fixed. But the waiter did not wait for her to cut into her steak to make sure it was done right. He also never came by to ask how things were or how our food was for the rest of the evening. The only time we got attention again that night was when they were trying to push the check on us before we were done. One of the other servers literally grabbed the check and my credit card from my hand as she rushed by without stopping so much as to even look at us. When I got the check back to sign, I literally had to set it down in front of me and rest my hand over it so that the two of us could sit there and finish our meal and drinks without disturbance for the check. It felt as if the staff did not want to be there. We might have complained if anyone bothered to ask how everything was, but instead we left unsatisfied. We loved this place the first time we went and the food is excellent. We thought this was going to be a go-to place for us for special evenings, but we are so turned off by the service we received last time that we may not return. There are plenty of great restaurants...