Jonathan's Grille — Restaurant in Tennessee

I’ve ordered from here on DoorDash before, so I was excited to finally experience the restaurant in person during happy hour. Unfortunately, my experience at the bar was extremely disappointing.

When I sat down, I wasn’t greeted for quite a while. I understand it was busy, but even a simple “hey, I’ll be right with you” would’ve gone a long way. When the bartender finally approached, she asked what I was drinking. No greetings. Just straight to business. I asked for a menu, and she walked away. She came back, placed the menus in front of me, and left again without any follow-up. Again, the wait time for her to return was quite long. When she eventually came back, I asked questions about the happy hour menu drinks, she spoke quickly. When I asked her to repeat, she had an attitude. I felt rushed and dismissed, which made me hesitate to ask any more questions.

Despite the tone, I ordered the brussel sprouts and firecracker salmon. She asked me again what I wanted to drink and I told her I needed more time. She never came back to offer a drink, nor did she return to check on me. I had to leave briefly to get my wallet, and when I returned, there were people near my glass in my original seat, so I asked for a replacement. Another bartender kindly gave me water, but unfortunately, there was something floating in it, and again, I couldn’t find my original server.

When the brussel sprouts arrived, they weren’t good, but I ate on them because I was hungry. Still, I pushed them aside. When my food came, I had no silverware and couldn’t even drink my water. When the original bartender finally returned, I asked for a new water. She replaced it with an attitude and didn’t even fill the glass to the top or provide a straw until I asked.

My entrée arrived and was good. Another bartender ended up checking on me twice after my this part of my meal arrived. She was friendlier and seemed in a better mood, the only bright spot in my experience. When I asked for a box and my bill, I noticed the brussel sprouts weren’t on the happy hour menu. The helpful bartender explained that only items with an asterisk qualify, which would have been helpful to know before I ordered.

I expressed this concern to her and she just walked away . When my original bartender returned, I brought it up again and asked if anything could be done. Her response: “I mean, I can ask,” and she walked off.

Then, the manager came over. I calmly explained that I was unaware of the happy hour item limitations, tried to ask about it earlier but didn’t feel supported, and didn’t enjoy or finish the dish. The manager was just as dismissive, asking, “Did you not like them because they’re not happy hour?” That kind of sarcasm has no place in customer service. If I liked them, I would’ve taken them to go just like the entrée I did enjoy.

I was never trying to avoid paying. I was just hoping for more grace, accommodation, and professionalism from both the bartender and manager. This experience left me feeling uncomfortable, dismissed, and disappointed. If this is how concerns are handled, I don’t feel confident that real issues would be resolved appropriately.

I hope this review reaches someone who truly cares about customer experience, because tonight made me think twice about ever...

If I could give a double roast I would! Jonathan's Grille was absolutely HORRIBLE from the service to the food!

To begin with their table set up is crazy! The hostess squeezing through with customers to get to a table makes no sense.

This was the first time & more than likely my last time there. We asked our server what she suggested for an appetizer & she suggested the Bam Bam Eggrolls. $14.00 crispy tortillas filled with our signature bam bam shrimp, pepper jack cheese & veggies. So we placed that to try. She came back to take our order and we ordered our entrees.

I ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl $16.00 sautéed with broccoli & red pepper served over jasmine rice & garnished with carrots, sesame seeds & grilled pineapple slices.

My friend Charity Cruz ordered the Chicken Tostada Salad $17.00 mixed green, crisp corn tortillas, top with chilled Cajun chicken, corn medley, pico de gallo, avocado, cheddar cheese & tossed in a spicy ranch. She also ordered a side of jalapeño bread (it came with two pieces).

The only positive thing that I can say about these meals is they do give you a large portion!

Our server never checked on us but one time. When she finally did come over, we were halfway done with our entrées when I let her know we never received the appetizer. Her response was “gotcha.” We both watched her walk over to the server station and put the order in at that point. She then proceeded to come back and tell us that the kitchen is working on it right now. So she basically blamed the kitchen without actually blaming the kitchen.

Don’t get me wrong… We can completely understand that mistakes happen! She was not busy in her station so it wasn’t like she was overwhelmed, she definitely wasn’t tending to our table… And I would’ve had more respect if she would’ve just said oh my goodness, I completely forgot to put it in, let me go do it now.

Neither one of the entrees were overly spectacular. & the jalapeño bread had very little jalapeños. It was more of an over dried butter bread.

The appetizer finally came out & we wished it hadn’t! It had absolutely NO taste. They chopped the shrimp into little pieces & there was seasonings, spices or taste to any of it.

At one point one of the hostesses were walking by and I asked if I could speak with a manager. She told me yes ma’am she’ll get one in just a moment.. within a matter of minutes our server suddenly shows up & asked and if there’s an issue. I told her yes unfortunately there was & proceed to tell her the appetizer was horrible. She did say she would have it removed, took it & walked off.

The manager came over and we explained the situation from start to finish. She informed us that the server was still relatively new, so she would take that into consideration and talk to her.

It took us another 15 minutes to get our check, which she never asked us if it was together or separate. Just for us to get out of there quicker we went ahead and just put it...

Review for Jonathan’s Grill – Mount Juliet, TN (August 15, 2025)

I’ve lived in Mount Juliet for over 25 years and have been coming to Jonathan’s Grill since it opened. For the past several months, I’ve had a standing Friday lunch date here with a friend, so I’m a very regular guest.

Up until now, my experiences have been positive. The new manager, Michelle, has usually come around to greet tables, and I’ve always found her cordial and professional. Unfortunately, my experience on Friday, August 15, was very different and honestly disappointing.

After finishing lunch, I realized at a nearby gas station that I didn’t have my wallet. Since Jonathan’s was the last place I used it, I immediately went back, concerned about possible fraud. When I asked the hostess if anyone had turned it in, she checked with the bar and manager but returned saying it wasn’t there. I insisted it had to be, and asked to see the manager.

When Michelle came out, her demeanor shocked me. Instead of concern or reassurance, she appeared irritated to have to deal with me. She was dismissive, saying, “If they said it’s not here, it’s not here.” I felt brushed off at a time when I was already anxious. Eventually, after checking again near my table, I found my wallet on the floor. Rather than relief or professionalism, Michelle’s response was sarcastic: “Well, there you go, you found it.”

I tried to share how her approach made me feel, especially given that I come in weekly, but she was quick to push past the conversation and offered only, “I’m sorry you feel that way.” To me, it wasn’t about me “feeling” dismissed—it was the way she actually dismissed my concern.

As someone who has been loyal to this restaurant and values customer service, this encounter left a very sour impression. One moment can outweigh months of cordial greetings, and in this moment, I felt like an inconvenience rather than a valued guest.

I hope this feedback is taken seriously. Customer service is tested most in stressful situations, and on this day, Jonathan’s...