Jimmy's Grotto Inc — Restaurant in Waukesha

Omg. We stopped here on a whim as we'd heard it was a Waukesha institution. Well, if it was meant as in a run down, mental hospital cafeteria, I guess that's correct. After sitting down to a 40 minute wait for the signature ponza rotta, it became abundantly clear that we should have surveyed reviews for the place first. Seems like maybe at some point it was a well run, well liked place. But the shake machine was down, half of the soda fountain flavors inoperable, even the soap and towel dispensers were out of order in the bathroom. It appeared as though the place was still under some sort of renovation- not an improvement, but simply restoring the place to the condition it was in before someone's body was thrown through the drywall. After quenching my thirst with a poorly mixed, flat Mountain Dew, my Taco Ponza Rotta (or should I say Rotten)was finally ready to pick up at the window. I bit into the admittedly delicious crust only to find that half of the item was filled with air, half with what I can only describe as essentially what would result from someone vomiting a taco bell burrito into an oversized hot pocket. Maybe we just caught this place in a slump. Maybe people are sentimental for the place. Idk. It's got late hours, and the prices are cheap. That notwithstanding, I'm giving it a HARD PASS.

update: STILL a ZERO. They have coupons that can only be used in very isolated situations.... I ordered to try them again anyway and it's basically a pastry diarrhea of meat. it tastes disgusting and I would never recommend this place to anyone. the love for this place has to involve geographic loyalty. the food is EMPIRICALLY bad. they don't honor their own coupons. it's a MESS of a place. would unRECOMMEND 500x. I have no idea why people visit this place. the food is garbage, the service is deplorable, and they don't even honor their own deals. I've tried this place multiple times over 3 years because it's supposedly a staple of Waukesha. and every time it's a complete waste of time and money.

unless you are drunk and desperate, this is t even worth calling food. HARD PASS. The ONLY reason anyone goes here is because of legacy. The only people that return here are either suckers hoping it will be better, or people stupidly sucked into the idea of a geographic novelty. THIS IS BAD FOOD, SERVED POORLY, BY PEOPLE THATBDONT CARE.

maybe once upon a time this place haddecent food, briefly, during a drunk cavalcade where the 10-2 crowd riled the market in the 60s. but now? go to Pizza Hut or Taco Bell or pretty much anywhere else.. It's vomit in a diaper. and they charge you for the insult on your taste buds.

I'm not a priss. I'm a welder that lives nearby. this place actually,...

5 Stars for this visit - great customer service. After our last bad experience, We decided to give Gottos another try. 5/6/17 - we called in our order we were told it would be about 30 minutes. Got down there - paid for our order and waited...and waited, after another 15 minutes they said it was coming out of the fryer. (order: 2 ponzas, 2 burgers, chicken tenders and pepper rings) Got all the way home and the 2 ponzas were wrong!! So, I called and asked to speak with the owner - Doug. He got on the phone and I asked for our money to be deliverd to our home. He agreed and stated he would be over shorlty. About 5 minutes after hanging up, he called back and asked if he could bring us new food. We agreed. not to long after, he pulled up in our drive with the food and offered to refund all of the money for the entire order. I declined but he wanted us to have the money, so after going back and forth, we agreed to split it. HUGE THANK YOU, to owner Doung for going above and beyond...GREAT Customer Service. We will be back!!!

ONE STAR For this visit. Last night, we called in our order and we were told it would be 45 minutes for a pick up. Not a problem. We get there to pick up our order and the line is out the door, again, not a problem as this is usually the case. Once we finally made it into the building, we noticed that people were upset and very frustrated. So, once we actually make it to the counter, we asked how long, we were told another 20 minutes. So we decided to wait for our order. We paid and then sat down to wait. More customers were coming in and getting upset. We understand that things happen, but nobody offered any explanation as to what the problem was. It would have made a huge difference if the manager on duty would have come out and made an apology and offered the waiting customers at least a free soda for...

Long Story Short- they mess up your order often and don't honor the "credits" they offer. Take your money elsewhere!

I used to think highly of this place, but my last 3 visits have forced me to change my review (leaving my original review below as proof that I'm not just a hater)

Family was visiting, I suggested Jimmy's, as I always do. Our order was not correct, and I had to get back in the car and drive back to the restaurant while half of the family ate. They replaced the incorrect items, and despite the delay, the corrected items were delicious.

Same family recently returned and wanted Jimmy's. Picked up our order, returned home, and AGAIN, our order was incorrect. The receipt was accurate, the scribbles on the container were accurate- but the items were not what I ordered. I call, and am told that I can come back or be given a credit for a later time. This time I opt for a credit instead of putting everyone's dinner on hold and begrudgingly watch while everyone else enjoyed their dinner. Fast forward 2 weeks:

I call to place an order and mention I should have a credit. I'm told that there is no credit and that they'd need to check with the boss. Boss determines that my "credit" will be "about $6". They aren't honoring the credit, they aren't replacing my items- they don't care at all about customer service and it shows. I will not be returning, sadly, even though I love it when they manage to make my order correctly. Only reason I'm docking one star is because the side of bbq wasn't closed tightly and it leaked out EVERYWHERE, including all over the tan interior of my vehicle. Otherwise, it was an absolutely delicious meal! I ordered a chicken, mushroom, pineapple ponzarotta with no sauce and it was the best thing I've...