Volcano Hot Pot & BBQ — Restaurant in Winter Garden

Everything seemed pretty good and was comparable to the other k pot style restaurants. However, they make you pay the 18% tip. We were just two people. They stand over your and watch you do it. And sure enough, just like I see on other restaurants that are Asian ran, they point out the "suggested" tip area if the receipt like you didn't see it.

To make it worse, He kind of put me in a weird position. My girlfriend and I split our checks evenly. He ran my credit card, I put what my half of a tip would have been, minus what my girlfriend would have put for a tip, most likely. But since he ran my card first, she had to pay the difference to equal 18% - according to his demand.

Then he started pointing out the sign on the table, which states 18% gratuity on 6 or more people. Which was strange because that doesn't help what he's trying to say because we're 2 people!? He even repeated it several times like he's trying to make some kind of point that wasn't making any sense and not helping his case - lol

All he ever did was refill a drink one time, and ask us if we're "ok". Oh, and maybe picked up two used plates because we stack ours nicely off to the side...

He also claimed he only gets paid by the tips. I believe there's labor law in place, where he gets a fixed pay and he gets tips also.

We asked to see a manager, and he hesitated for a very long time before he ended up walking away as if to get one. Then, in about 30 seconds, he returned and said, "Just tip whatever you want...".

I can already see the response to this review. It's going to say that they don't support enforcing tips. This is a joke, because this happens all the time, and that's always the response from asian restaurants in these reviews. They know that's what they do. They really don't understand what the tip means. Because what if I didn't really have a good experience? I didn't necessarily have a bad experience, but I don't think a $13.95 tip is reasonable for the customer when they don't do anything and the bill was $84. This should be treated like a buffet restaurant, whereas there is no order taking, which means the tip isn't generated by percent. It should be generated by how you feel. This is a restaurant where you actually even cooking your own food. So they really aren't doing anything.

Maybe in hindsight, my tip could be more. But when restaurants like these enforced tips, it doesn't set well with me.

If Asian restaurants are going to choose and actually only pay their employees from the tips.... Well, that isn't going to work because there's two different types of tip concepts happening here. Both of which won't...

I love bbq & hot pot and not many places will offer both at the same time. This place is new and I’m happy winter garden finally get a place like this. Food was fresh and flavorful, will definitely be back.

Food: We did both bbq & hot pot. All the meats, seafood, and veggies is fresh. I chose spicy broth (sichuan pepper) for my hot pot and it was hot & satisfying. If you can’t handle spice well, I would order a different broth because it is pretty spicy. My husband chose pork bone and it had mild flavors and definitely need extra sauce to boosts flavors. Luckily their sauce bar is awesome and you can mix different sauces to your own liking. There’s also appetizers and desserts but we didn’t get to try because we were too full.

Service: The staff was friendly and attentive. Our server came to refill drinks and take away dirty dishes. Half way through he even came to replace our bbq grate which was very nice.

Value: $30 for hot pot or bbq alone and $35 to do both, very decent price! The time limit is 90 minutes.

Ambience: This place is still pretty new and very clean! Nicely decorated and pretty spacious with good layout. Note that the tables are all in a booth format so if you’re coming with someone who can’t sit in a booth you can want to call ahead and ask what can be done.

Crowd: We went around 7:30 pm and it wasn’t too busy and we’re seated right away. There were several tables already inside. Somehow around 8 pm it did get busier and more people came in so this place is getting popular in the area. I would suggest coming not during the normal dinner time so you can freely explore all the options without waiting in line with a lot of people.

Parking: Plenty of parking in the Winter Garden Village...

I've been wanting to try this spot for a while but unfortunately it did disappoint. The atmosphere was amazing. The variety of food was ok. Our service however was not the greatest. From the moment we entered the waiter seemed to be rushing us. We came in and he asked us what we wanted to do within a few minutes of sitting. We didn't have a chance to view the menu or ask questions. He spoke so quickly that my girls and I just ordered anything. The table was filled with the plates we used to fill our pot. I don't know if that is how they do it for price but it didn't seem right. When it came to the bill omg. He put the bill down. I placed my card down a few minutes later and he came with the machine. He showed me the area for tip without me asking. I always tip. I told him my daughter was tipping. He looked at her and she handed him cash. It was only $4 dollars. That's all she had in cash. I was about to add more but he then showed the receipt and told me the suggested tip. I have never experienced anything like that before. I've been to hot pots in the middle of Pine hills and never felt rushed or bad about the experience. So not worth the $30 a...