Had a lovely lunch here after our flight from Vancouver. Sophia was an amazing server and gave us fantastic recommendations that did not disappoint. The food was delicious, the service was warm and attentive and it was the perfect way to start our trip. We’d definitely come back!

I want to start by saying this was my first time dining at a BJ’s, and I had actually heard great things about the brand overall given their multiple locations. The food at this Burbank location was consistently good. Unfortunately, the service experience over two separate visits was extremely frustrating.

I was in town on a work trip and ended up dining here two nights in a row. The first night, we came in for the 9pm Happy Hour and specifically requested a booth. We were told it would be about a 25-minute wait, which we were totally fine with. When we were finally called, the hostess immediately tried to seat us at a table and said a booth would take another 10 minutes. We again said we were happy to wait. While she was explaining specials, we watched the couple who arrived after us get seated in a booth. When I went back to the host stand to ask about it, the interaction turned argumentative instead of solution-focused.

Once seated, service continued to be inconsistent — basic requests like ketchup had to be asked for multiple times, and the Happy Hour discount was initially missing from the check. We assumed it was just an off night.

The next evening confirmed it wasn’t. We arrived around 5pm and were told the Happy Hour specials were only valid in the bar area, which was fine — that’s where we wanted to sit. However, we were then put on a waitlist and ultimately seated outside the bar section where the specials didn’t apply. We were told to find our own seating if we wanted to move, which caused us to miss available spots. The system around Happy Hour seating felt confusing and poorly communicated.

I do want to give credit where it’s due — our server Danielle was excellent. She was attentive, kind, and clearly doing her best within what seemed like a challenging service structure. Her effort did not go unnoticed.

Overall, while the food quality was great, the service flow, communication, and guest experience felt disorganized. As someone who has owned a restaurant and worked in customer service for many years, I understand how busy nights can be — but consistency, clarity, and basic hospitality standards should still be maintained.

I hope management takes a closer look at how Happy Hour seating and host communication are handled, because the food alone would otherwise make this a place worth returning to.