Don't get me started on this place. The first visit started with the Manager telling me I could have been seated 'sooner' if I'd had an A&M shirt on instead of the one I was wearing.. The second time I was seated, got tea and a menu and never saw the waitress again. I finally tracked her down to pay for the tea. The third time everything fell into place, except the pasta I got was similar to a tv dinner in taste. Should I go back??
BJ’s Brewhouse is a new restaurant in town, it is not even a half a year old yet. It can be found next to the Richland Mall on E. Waco drive. I have graded BJ’s based upon many aspects; including first thoughts, the wait, the food, and even by comments from other clients. Based upon these aspect, BJ’s Brewhouse is one of the best places to go in order to find some good food when pricing is not a problem.
The inside of BJ’s Brewhouse was a lot better than what I thought it would be. The dark color of the tables, chairs, floor (both wood and rock), and the light colored walls (some wood and some are blocked rock) are the perfect combination. The colors give the restaurant the look of a bar but also a high leveled restaurant. Speaking of the bar, the BJ’s Brewhouse bar takes up one complete side of the restaurant, and the bar area around the bar is one of the biggest I have ever seen in a restaurant. So if a group of people wanted to go out and eat good food without having a big meal; the bar area at BJ’s would be a good place to go. All around the restaurant there are 60 inch tv screens, people are now able to see the score of the football game from the other side of the building now; especially with the big screen right behind the bar with six of those tv screens combined together. The first thing that people notice first though is the extravagant smell that fills the entire building. If you were to close your eyes inside the restaurant you would believe that there was a buffet right in front you. Making your adrenaline increase to an alarming rate; forcing you to open your eyes in order to save yourself. That fresh garlic aroma in the air along with the smell of the smoky meat will make anyone wonder “Why is this restaurant making us suffer while we wait”.
My family and I were lucky to come in at that time we did, for we only had to wait about ten to fifteen minutes, but it is a different story for others. Tatebarrett said “My wife and I went to BJ’s on the opening night and they told us the wait for two would be about seventy to eighty minutes”. Tatebarrett and his wife did go to BJ’s on it’s opening night so the place is going to be packed. When we got there, the waiting line was not long, but once my family got a table more people were coming in and the waiting was becoming longer. Probably about within about fifteen minutes of sitting at the table, twice as many people were now waiting. BJ’s Brewhouse though understands the waiting is really boring so in order to keep the customer satisfied employees would bring a tray with plates of food on them so that a customer can grab and have something to snack on while waiting for a table. People come to BJ’s to eat good food, they do not come just to sit down and wait. When people wait for a long time they tend to become aggravated, and when people become aggravated they tend to either yell or leave. By bringing the customers some good food to eat while they are waiting, the customers aggravation will decrease because they finally have something to eat.
The waitering could have been better. It seemed they just greeted you and got your order, brought your food, and gave you the bill. They might do some small talk with their client and that would be it. This is disappointing I believe because the colors in the building were amazing, the smell unbelievable, the television screens are massive; but the the waiters seemed to be like some waiters from other restaurants. Good waiters are those who talk with you, welcome you, stay happy while they are serving you, and take some pride in their job. The waiters at BJ’s seemed to take no pride in their job, although they did smile in order to keep the customers, so it is not a complete lost
The different foods all around the room would make any man drool like a dog; BJ’s has so many food choices to choose from, the menu was a book with more pages than this evaluation. One can pick a pizza, a hamburger, a pasta, a soup, a burrito, there are so many choices. The wait between ordering the food and getting the food though was too long. It took about an hour until we were finally given our food, but by then the food has already cooled down. People are paying over the average amount for a meal that has cooled down, along with just sitting in order to get the meal for way too long. Although either hot or cold the taste of the food was still delicious. I ordered a BJ’s Double Deluxe Burger, along with some golden crispy fries, and when go back to BJ’s to eat again, I am going to have that same meal. The juicy meat patties and the gooey swiss cheese make a perfect combination, then by adding that with applewood smoked bacon, mayonnaise, and BJ’s burger sauce you would have one of the greatest burgers ever made. The side of crispy fries were also unbelievable, probably the best fries I ever had in my life. Once somebody finishes that meal they stuffed/full feeling in their stomach and that is a good feeling. It’s the first reason why people go out to eat, they good food and they want to get stuffed.
Out of a score of five, I would personally give BJ’s Brewhouse a four. The food was amazing, the look was satisfying, the smell of delicious, but there were the things that lowered the score. The worst was the wait, my family and I entered into the building at about eight thirty and we left at about ten thirty. People have other things that need to be done, but they just wasted the time waiting. BJ’s is also not the cheapest restaurant in Waco, but if you feel like paying the price then go on ahead. I would still suggest others to go to BJ’s Brewhouse because the food was really good, and I think BJ’s Brewhouse is the best restaurant in town now.
I had the gluten-free pizza, which comes with cheese only, and I added spinach. It was scrumptious! They used whole-leaf fresh spinach, and the crust was crispy and flavorful.
I also liked that they have Pepsi products, because I don't find Diet Pepsi on menus very often, and I prefer it to Diet Coke.
Two friends and I arrived very early for lunch (11:10am) and did not have to wait for a table, though the place filled up very quickly.
My wife and I went to BJ's on opening night and they told us the wait for 2 would be about 70-80 minutes. We were going to go somewhere else until I spotted an open booth in the first come first serve bar area. We had to wait a while for our food which is understandable due to the size of the crowd on opening night. The manager came over to check on us several times during our wait and even brought out complimentary salads and a sample of one of their specialty drinks while we waited for our entrees. I know some people don't want to wait or mess with crowds, but BJ's did everything they could to make our experience a great one and we will definitely be going back, and I encourage everyone to give it a shot.
We've enjoyed BJ's in Temple occasionally, and we're VERY glad to have it here in Waco now. I especially like the deep dish pizzas (not too many good choices for that here in Waco except for Rosati's), and the BBQ chicken pizza is my favorite. Menu is extensive, including locally brewed beers of all varieties. Of course the wait time will be long for awhile (this is Waco -- that happens when there's a new restaurant in town), but they have plentiful staff to keep things moving, and the food is worth it!
Called 30 minutes in advance for table, since they don't offer reservations and this is the farthest out they would place our name on the list.
Arrive 10 minutes early to double-check that reservation was put in - and wouldn't you know, they had all the details, but their placement system is meaningless. You are put on the list upon arrival, and calling ahead netted me ZERO advantage or consideration.
Time quoted to me (70-80 minutes wait) was the exact same as the party they quoted coming in the door behind me.
In the end, frantic calls to the rest of the family, and on the hunt for another restaurant on a holiday, at the last minute, with two young ones in tow.
We called ahead because it was my first Fathers Day, and I didn't want our kids waiting more than an hour for a table. The unapologetic manager and hostess made sure I'll never be coming back.
I understand that when a new restaurant opens, there are growing pains. However, if you do not impress the early visitors, no one will come back. I decided to try out lunch and go early to beat the crowd. Of course, it did not take long for the place to fill up. Arrived at 11 AM, ordered around 11:15 AM, and did not receive our food until an hour later. To make things worse, when the food arrived, it was cold.
I may try again several months from now when things calm down but I hope they fix things soon.
