True that but the crowd/cars would have warned me well ahead of walking in. I like grilled octopus but I know I will enjoy it more on a less crowded hour. Then again sometimes you just cave and try to make it work.
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You mean free pie doesnât draw a large busy crowd?
Because it is possible to work in hospitality and be completely clueless. A customer that walks away teaches very little.
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Honestly, my exposure to Johnny Macâs has only been on Sundayâs for their âbrunchâ. $3.00 mimosa or bloody mary, legit pour of booze and with every drink you get a FREE omelette. (I swear to God a fresh made omelette that would rival an omelette from Molly Pitcher brunch). That goes till about noon then at 1pm the pizza starts, free personal pie with a regular priced drink, toppings are just $1.00 per. My first time there I fully expected the 1/3 rectangle slice from a frozen ellios pizza, but they have a real pizza guy who takes out a small ball of dough, kneads it, puts sauce and cheese and into the brick oven it goes. Have I mentioned itâs FREE???
Let me tell you, nothing goes better after a dozen bloody maryâs and a dozen omelets (yes I did this one time) than a free pizza with a martini to wash it all down!! Oh-oh-ohâŚletâs not forget the free unlimited candy stash if you can find itâs hidden location!!!
Johnny Macâs is an unapologetic barâŚthey will do everything and anything to get asses in the seats and I truthfully respect that. Iâll be the first to admit Iâll throw a $100 on a steak to cook at home any day of the week, but to go to Porta and pay $10-$12 bucks for a drink AND $10-15 for a pie vs. $5.-$10. max for a drink at Johnny Macâs with a free pie, I canât justify going to Porta. lol Sorry.
So to answer your original question by 10am when I usually get there for the brunch there isnât much of a crowd, by 1pm when itâs ending it does start to fill up, by 1-2pm when the pizza starts and Iâm a dozen bloody maryâs in, I donât remember if it was crowded or not!!
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Thatâs some crazy love, Jr! I have been there and its a fun joint, decent food and crowded because of all the good things you said about it. All true. But, I wouldnt even bother comparing the two restaurants.
Know this, Iâm not a big meal kinda guy, free and super sized portions dont get me in the seat but certainly would for a group in my tribe.
Focusing on seals exp, I hope your next trip to Porta is better.
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I should add, I probably only go there 2 or 3xâs a year. lol I"m way to old to handle days like that anymore, and if I do go it has to be a holiday weekend because I wonât be functioning too well on Monday. Hey, isnât this a holiday weekend !?1?1?1?1?!?
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Thatâs true. A good point but it also then puts more burden on the customer to contact the restaurant again.
I need to weigh back in here. For me, the key to a successful restaurant is consistency. I go the first time to be surprised. I return because I expect things will be the same. And, for a restaurant that was once touted as âbest pizza in the USâ, I expect it even more.
True, if you are in the know, and you ask for some honey to dab on Portaâs 14 and a half pie, it is a very good pizza. But since Rosieâs opened up in Point Pleasant, my last few pies at Porta have not even been the best in our area anymore.
As for service and FOH issues, it is not on me. I shouldnât have to beg and yell for what the FOH promised me and I shouldnât have to waste my time getting them to improve. If you tell me that I will have a table in 75 minutes or less and I choose to agree to that and wait, then I better have a table after the 75 minutes are up. No muss no fuss. Too much of both last night.
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Yeah, Iâve got to agree with you here. Thatâs what frustrates me so much about my all time favorite restaurant (locally) The Raven and Peach in Fair Haven. I truly love this restaurant and have so many memories here, but I canât stand going more than a couple times a year. I could LIVE here if they had any consistency but sadly they donât, and it breaks my heart to go there and consistently be disappointed. (mostly with service rarely if ever food)
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I just want to recognize and compliment the stellar decision making by @seal. Rather than standing in the hot sun listening to his nephew he âvolunteeredâ to go sit inside Porta at the bar to wait for the table.
Despite the difficulties that arose with the table being ready this was a very smart decision he made.
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I donât see calling the restaurant as a burden. Itâs unfortunate its needed but I believe in communication.
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I went through this yesterday as I tried to plan a family lunch st a Marriott resort in FL (no, Iâm not paying!)âŚ1st email to the head of dining bounces back as undeliverable/no user with that name. I forward that trail to the catering contact and get an out of officeâsheâs on maternity leave. These are the 2 email addresses posted on their website. I called and got the GMâs email and asked if heâd have someone contact me. Itâs been almost 24 hours now⌠I wonât beg to do business there, but the guy paying the bill is a Platinum member so heâd prefer to spend there if he can. Weâll seeâŚ
Iâve said it before and will repeat myselfâI know many chefs and restaurant owners and I know itâs a tough business, but if you canât get the basics of hospitality down, thatâs a major problem.
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There should be a number just for platinum members and I have found calling the main reservation desk to let them know Im getting nowhere On my own results in an interoffice email up the chain at my request.
Thatâs my next move⌠thx
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Interesting, very interesting. 24 private security guards - AND - 6 off duty police? Really? Sounds like a bit of over kill if you ask me. Has there been a history of fighting there? As much as Iâm not a fan of Porta I never got the impression they were a nuisance to the community, no more so than any of the other restaurants and bars. Iâm far less surprised to see my beloved Johnny Macâs on there since it is by far more a bar/tavern than Porta. As I saidâŚvery interesting.
With that much police presence the late night crowds are going to venture to a venue with a little less attention being paid to it, and the family / social eaters drinkers might fear getting caught up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (In my experience restrictions like this is the first sign of the beginning of the end)
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As someone noted above, the experience at Porta depends on what time youâre there; Iâve only been there once after 9:30pm, and thatâs because we sat at the bar late to get dinner about an hour before they changed over to âclubâ mode. I stay far away past 9pm because thereâs a) a limited menuâmaybe pizza only after then and b) the place is SWARMING with 20-somethings from the suburbs on those âclubâ nights. The line literally goes around the block, and they always have security guards on the weekends to control the bruhs and overly-dressed/made up girls. Itâs like itâs a different place altogether, and the night I was there late my friend went out to add $ to the meter (app wasnât working) and it took her 20 mins to get back in after convincing them she wasnât trying to jump the line. The funniest part for us is the DJ was playing remixes of all of OUR music (weâs not 20-somethings any more)⌠
ETA that I donât go to Porta more than 1-2 times in the summer because itâs simply INSANE in thereâat the bar, outside space, or indoors. The problem is that itâs one of the only good options near the boardwalk, and truly THE best option if you want to sit and have a meal (vs. MOGO, which I love, but thatâs a grab-a-bench-for-10-minutes meal). Iâm told that High Voltage (on the boards) has good food, but itâs a limited menu and theyâre often sold out of food by mid-afternoonâthen theyâre primarily good for coffee/snacks.
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So 30 security guards? Wtf? Iâve driven by that place on crowded nights and there is no way you would need half thatâŚnot even a single Patrick swayze
âŚmaybe half a swaze. I can assure you the hells angels arent showing up to porta.
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Local governmental bodies (especially in NJ) are not well know for their expertise or common sense. Sounds punitive to me. They just like to âgovernâ whether itâs needed or not. Where (and how) do you think all our tax dollars go?
Iâll bite. Who is your nephew?
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