Flanigan's Seafood Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Sunrise

I have enjoyed Flanigans since I was a child and so has my family. Having moved away when I visit South Florida it is always where I go for dinner and recommend friends. Tonight was my third and final straw with the Sunrise location. I would have given up prior but it is closer for my parents then the Davie location (should have taken the drive). We arrive and are glad to only have to wait about 8 minutes before being seated. We are brought to a table meant for 4 but we had 5 including my baby. We asked for one of the two open booths adjacent from us and were told they were for parties of 6 or more. This forced my father to have to sit in a chair in the aisle blocking the walkway because he is handicapped. My carseat for my baby wouldn't fit in the booth without my husband and I not being able to sit. This forced us to have to hold him since he isn't large enough for a high chair. We had to return to the car to put his carseat away. Our server was polite this was the only highlight of the night. We waited 30 minutes for our salad and garlic rolls just for two of the four salads to be inedible with no dressing or toppings. The garlic rolls were hard and had little to no sauce. At this point it had been about 40 minutes and the two booths we weren't able to sit at are still open while I try to struggle to eat while holding my baby. Right when we were going to let everything slide the same host that denied us the large booth sits two people at the booth next to us. After this blatant disregard for my family's comfort or enjoyment of the night we asked for a manager. We explained our disappointment in the hosts service and the disappointment in food. His reaction was hardly sympathetic and he seemed to not know how to respond other than to explain we obviously wouldn't be happy and he would box our food and give a small discount. My mother denied her meal at this point as it was now over an hour past and she didn't want to eat late. There was a table full of uneaten salads and garlic rolls. I am very disappointed in the managers clear lack of customer service training that has clearly trickled down to the lack of training in the staff. I can not fathom how this manager would give a miniscule discount and a dismissive apology for customers who expressed their love of Flanigans and their history there; let alone allow us to leave hungry and dissatisfied. To add insult to injury upon leaving my mother addressed the hostess at the front expressing the disappointment in denying us the table just to sit a couple. She explained that they had withheld it because of a large party but they had decided to leave so the table was open. I would think any decent hostess would have come to us and asked if we still wanted to move after the cancelation. That simple fix would have done wonders to make our experience better and we may have stayed for dinner. I hope this is seen by management and used as a growth and development...

I’m a frequent patron of the sunrise location, usually a bar guest as the bartenders always provide great service! Came today to pick up a take out order. One of the managers on duty was assisting an employee with an employee meal as I entered and walked away to continue his duties. I had not yet been greeted. The employee working take out was on the other side of the restaurant completing an order and had not seen me so I patiently waited and watched as two servers utilized the pos systems located in the take out area. Standing there about 5 minutes now alongside another guest already previously waiting, the same manager from earlier came by to speak with them regarding a refund on their order that never came through the system. The manager proceeded to turn to walk away with me still being disregarded and not yet greeted, I spoke up asking “If I’m here to pick up a take out order” but he walked away and I was ignored. One of the two servers who was still entering her order in the computer apologized for his behavior and assisted me in checking my order and relaying it to the takeout person. The girl scheduled for take out that night promptly came over with my order following that and helped me get additional sauces requested. I had no issues with the service provided by the employees. Management on the other hand could be improved.

As I was handed my other the same male manager from earlier came over and had the decently to apologize saying that one of the servers informed him I was talking to him earlier when he walked away. I replied with a simple no problem. After working a 12 hour day as a manager myself at a different restaurant concept, I did not have the energy to exert in making a scene. Management skills, communication, and customer service / resolution of customer service issues could all be improved on a managerial level at this location.

Customers maintain the flow of business in the restaurant industry. If customers are disregarded it certainly leaves a sour taste and does not make them want to return. Maintaining a positive customer experience from start to finish whether it’s for in house patrons or take away should always...

We visited this restaurant based on a recommendation, only to find out later (after sharing our experience) that this location is known for being consistently bad.

When we arrived, there was a 40-minute wait for a table, which we accepted since it was a busy weekend. Once seated, we quickly ordered our appetizer and entrees, hoping for a nice meal.

At first, things seemed promising. Our water glasses were filled quickly, and the appetizer came out fast. But after that, everything went downhill.

It took over an hour for our entrees to arrive. We had long finished our appetizer and repeatedly asked for updates on our food. The server kept saying, “It’s coming,” but nothing showed up. We tried to get the manager’s attention twice, but he ignored us. Meanwhile, our waiter was disappearing for 15-20 minutes at a time, only returning to offer more water and give vague assurances that our food was on its way.

When our meals finally arrived, they were cold. Both my husband and I had fries that were room temperature at best, and our sandwiches were stone cold. My chicken was dry, and his burger wasn’t even warm. Frustrated, we told the waiter we’d like to pay for the appetizer and leave. To our surprise, he brought the bill for the entire meal. We refused to pay for cold, inedible food and explained we were only willing to pay for the appetizer. After settling the bill, we left and sat in our car trying to figure out what to do next, as it was now two hours later than when we first arrived.

As we sat in the car, the manager finally noticed us and came out, offering for us to come back another day. We declined, explaining that we weren’t local and that we had already tried multiple times to flag him down during our meal, but he wasn’t interested.

This entire experience was incredibly disappointing. Our friends claim the food here is usually good, but based on our experience, we’ll never know. They regret sending us to this particular location. If I ever return to the Ft. Lauderdale area, this will not be the place I...