Rob C.
Yelp
I've been living in Bethesda for two years now and this is the THIRD restaurant to occupy this space. I have no idea what the rent is for this large dining area but I'm fairly certain that the cost is too much to maintain a profitable restaurant. However, you would think that new restauranteurs would want to learn from the mistakes of those before them and at least have some common sense when it comes to customer service and food quality.
First, you are located in Bethesda. There are literally about 75 restaurants within walking distance of your location. That means you need to step it up in the food quality and customer service department. It's really easy to walk next door to get something better.
Second, know your customers! Most of the people who live here are VERY well off financially. I'm not necessarily one of those people but I am willing and able to pay more for a good meal and experience if it is actually good.
Both the food and the experience at Tommy Joes was amateurish. I think that is the best way to describe it. It looks like some first time owners, maybe fresh out of college, run this place. It's a shame because the roof deck is the only one of it's kind in Bethesda and is a really great draw.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good dive sports bar type atmosphere from time to time but I've honestly had a better customer service experience at a dive bar than I did here.
I walked off the elevator on the roof deck on a Tuesday evening and was greeted by no one. It was packed because it was a nice day, but I managed to find an empty table, so I seated myself. After waiting a few minutes, a server greeted me and handed me a menu from another table. I asked him about the happy hour specials and he told me that he would get me a happy hour drink menu. He quickly rattled off the food specials as he left. He eventually came back and said he couldn't find a menu but told me what the drink specials were. I ordered a drink, some wings and a some potato skins. The server wasn't horrible but definitely not great.
As I waited for my food and drink, I noticed a lot of things that are not good to see and really highlight the "amateurish" nature of this place. There was clearly no clear layout for the tables. A certain employee never found the right table on the first try and made his way to every table in succession asking if he had what they ordered. To be fair, this is probably not his fault.
I also saw a male employee who I assume was off the clock, sitting with two females (who may have been employees too) drinking, smoking and hanging out. This would've been fine if he wasn't wearing a Tommy Joes shirt and hat and the girls weren't helping themselves to napkins and silverware. Honestly, this is only a small gripe. But if I were the owner, I would require that they NOT wear their work clothes after they clock out.
When the food and my drink arrived, I was even more disappointed. The wings were actually okay. Only okay, seriously nothing special. The potato skins were basically inedible. The cheese on top was pretty burnt and it tasted like they didn't even put salt and pepper on them. No flavor whatsoever.
The drink arrived in a 12 oz plastic cup. I'm okay with getting a plastic cup. I understand we are on a roof top and glass is not advisable or perhaps illegal. But 12 oz? At least give me 16 oz plastic cup. The happy hour price wasn't very appealing either. I paid $5.05 for a 12 oz IPA during happy hour. Doesn't sound like a good deal to me...
I won't come here again, even on a nice day. I predict that this place will go out of business in the next 6-9 months unless they change things.