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| - I tried Local Jonny's about 7 months ago for lunch, and the food was excellent. While in Cave Creek again this evening, I made it a point to visit them with my wife and one of her friends. The dining experience on this occasion was, however, negative on 3 counts.
Count 1 - The food. The Veggie Bean Wrap I ordered was poor (i.e.the tortilla was dried out and the "seasoned bean medley" was significantly overcooked). The side orzo salad was equally unappealing and bland. My wife and her friend ordered "The Crunch" and the "Southwest Chicken Salad Wrap" respectively. Neither enjoyed or finished their meal.
Count 2 - The noise. The restaurant commenced a "trivia contest" as we sat waiting for our food to arrive. In the contest, the customer who correctly answers the most trivia questions is apparently eligible for a free drink or some food. During the contest, an individual (I'd guess to be the manager?) continuously circulated throughout the room repeating the same question (or story problem) to each table in a loud, animated voice. There were 15 questions and 8 or 10 tables involved. The contest was thus ongoing throughout our meal. The noise made it hard to have a normal conversation, and hearing the same question repeated loudly 8 or 10 times was grating.
Count 3 - The tipping. At Jonny's, there is apparently no table service (other than delivery of the food to your table). You order at the bar and pay for the food in advance. Their system also prompts you to tip at the time of payment; prior to knowing the food quality, service or overall experience. In our case all 3 were substandard, but the tip was already in the system (very annoying).
Here's the good news - The ladies behind the bar were very pleasant and the sauvignon blanc was good.
This might well have been a good place having a very bad night, but I cannot imagine returning. I can understand messing up the food (new chef, equipment failure, whatever . . . ), but the trivia contest was deliberate and it was unbearable.
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