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Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Southern Restaurants Cajun/Creole Seafood, Southern, Cajun/Creole [Edit]
John's Pass185 Boardwalk Pl W
Madeira Beach, FL 33708
(727) 397-4867
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
31 reviews for Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Review Highlights
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"If you are a Forrest Gump fan you'll love at the very least..." In 5 reviews -
"The Fish & Chips was so good." In 3 reviews -
"...off with 3/4 of a pound of peel and eat half cajun and half..." In 4 reviews
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31 reviews in English
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Review from Thomas A.
2/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
As mentioned in several reviews...this is a chain restaurant. It seems that expectations naturally decrease when you head into one of these places.
The food was very good. On par with Red Lobster or Joe's Crab Shack. If anything, the big chains are extremely consistent with the quality and presentation of their dishes - and Bubba Gump makes it happen.
I had the coconut shrimp with "Cajun marmalade" (the marmalade was better than the pina colada stuff that comes with Red Lobster's offering, and the shrimp themselves were succulent and perfectly cooked). My daughter had the lobster-stuffed shrimp, which was outstanding and decadent.
The whole "Forrest Gump" theme works well. It's an odd twist having a restaurant based on a movie. Still seems very strange, considering the shrimping portion of the movie was just one part of the whole. All the menu items are "movie related" in name, like "Jenny's Catch of the Day".
The reason I go with 4 stars for this place is primarily the LOCATION. Right on John's Pass, with vast outdoor seating and great views of the ocean...it is perfect beach dining, without the greasy "heart attack burgers served between two donuts" offered by most beach eateries.
Recommended! -
Review from Ken D.
Tampa, FL
5/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
I actually prayed last night this place would close down,and i don't believe in god so that's a little nudge to let you know how bad this place really is.
The waiter Jason was so preoccupied with doing his side work to leave that out table was completely neglected.
It was my birthday and it was ruined by the service and the food here.
Three of my friends actually got food poisoning after we left. none of us had ever been here before and thought it would be a great http://idea.it wasn't.
the food was all frozen pre-made 'with no care' i should say and a lot of it tasted old or off or bad.
look,i get the tourist trap thing and the don't have to care cause they have no regulars but this was out of hand.
there were 12 of us in the party last night and three got sick and the rest were horribly dissatisfied.
they should not of sat us if it was to late to care about us.
to top it off the gratuity included idea was a sure sign Jason would even care less.
so after i paid the very dissatisfying amount on our bill we had to tip him an extra 150 bucks for the worst service ever.
BAD FOOD
BAD SERVICE
NOT WORTH THE MONEY
I love food, that's why im on here,im just truly in shock over this,it was a wonderful day with friends at johns pass and it ended with this.
it was really heart breaking and im just sad about the whole thing.
I still love the movie but Tom Hanks would never eat here....ever. and I never will again.none of us will.
We were openly talking about how unhappy we were and no one questioned it.
when you have a whole table of 12 people that are unhappy and you know it,you might want to ask questions but the normal questions weren't even asked like 'is everything ok?' nothing.
I have even asked if a drink could be made with rum and not vodka and the waiter just said 'NO' not suggesting or helping in any way.
just,everything was a problem here.EVERYTHING.
I wish we just went to hooters next door. and now I know and now you all know.
The girl in the gift shop was a sweetheart.
simple case of people not giving a shit. happy birthday to me.Jerks. -
Review from Brittnay W.
Northville, MI
4/5/2012
Definitely did not meet our expectations.
My family has been vacationing to this area every year and love John's Pass and this location. We wanted to try something new and different so we choose Bubba Gumps.
We put our name in and was told the wait was two hours. Which is long, but we didn't mind because we expected a long wait since it was spring break. We went down the the Florida WInery a few feet away and had a drink while we waited. After an hour we called Bubba Gump's and they said we still had about 30 minutes left to wait. IMMEDIATELY after calling we began heading toward the restaurant to wait the remaining 30 minutes. After about 15-20 minutes we asked the hostess again how long and she said she had already called our name three times. Impossible.
After explaining to the hostess that we have been waiting right here, another person working there (maybe a manager), said he could seat us. Not sure of his name, but very nice and definitely seemed to know what he was doing. The hostess seemed disorganized and not quite sure how to handle the excess crowds.
Finally the food. Not so great. For a shrimp place, I naturally choose the peel and eat shrimp. The shrimp was small and not fantastic. My mom's tilapia was very tasty tho.
So overall I would not go back here. Just not worth it with all the other great places around.
The Hut is also located on John's Pass down the boardwalk in the opposite direction. They definitely have there stuff together. If you put your name in they actually CALL you when your table is ready and the food and drink selection is awesome with the same great atmosphere. Or Hooters which is located right next store. Too many other options around then to return to this place. -
Review from Michael K.
5/1/2012
Excellent food, excellent service.
My wife thoroughly enjoyed her shrimp skewer, with vegies!
Key lime pie was good too.
Almost no wait times, my shrimp plate was a bit cool, so I asked to warm it, they bring a new HOT one!
Wine by the glass could be a bit more full, as it didn't rise to even half of the wine glass... -
Review from Larry I.
Kingston, MA
4/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
I went with my family to Bubba Gumps, we sat outside and then it began to rain, The staff immediately accommodated us with seating inside. Staff was pleasant and food was good. If you like the Movie "Forest Gump" YOU will love this place. My family and I enjoyed this place very much.
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Review from Robert S.
Middlesex, MA
4/18/2012
Hi All,
Dinner was actually pretty good, Accidental Fish & Shrimp, Mama's Tilapia special,and Coconut Shrimp. Service was far below par. No engagement, not interested, no interaction, forgot appetizer, no attempt to make up for this. Very prompt at presenting bill though!!.
Spoke to manager, her main comment was "He didn't charge you did he?". Other tables had better service at least by observation and engagement of servers.
What a disappointment.
So it you are not expecting much from the staff or management, and can enjoy the food but not the experience, good luck. -
Review from Mme C.
Tampa, FL
4/22/2012
The particular location: Very casual and great fun for the easy going.
I visited the John's Pass location. Right off the water, cool breeze, nice place to watch sunset from deck. Staff was helpful for 1st timers and very quick to your requests (just flip that STOP FORREST sign). Portions were avg to eye but large to the tummy. Great place for just drinks too! Family friendly, great to bring company/family, I would definitely return.
Other locations (eg: Bay area, santa barb CA): not as casual but not formal either. -
Review from Austin H.
Strawberry Plains, TN
Updated - 3/27/2012
After the bad experience my group had at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Madeira beach, I posted a poor review. Since then I have been contacted by a national rep for the company, and the local general manager. Both were very apologetic, and very professional. They both assured me that what we experienced was not normal, and not acceptable. It is nice to see that they care about their customers, and the service they provide. I have been impressed at how they have turned a negative experience into a much more positive one.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/21/2012
Group of 6 stopped to eat for supper on 3/18/2012. There was no wait, but the place was close to… Read more »
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Review from Kevin D.
Stow, OH
9/17/2011
It's a chain restaurant, but we had a good time. Everyone liked their dinner... I had the steamed seashells, delicious and filling. I bet this place get's packed in the afternoon evening... lots of seating.
Overall I liked it, nice view of the bay / bridge... and there's a good southern feel to the place. Plus the service is pretty good. -
Review from David L.
St. Petersburg, FL
7/24/2011
My Rating: 1.4/5.0
Run Tourist Run!!!
Thank goodness we didn't wait 45 minutes for a seat outside. What a waste of $50.00.
No grouper sandwich on the menu (in Maderia beach, that's a little weird). The "fish" sandwich I did order was a cheap cut of frozen mahi-mahi. The tomato was larger than the piece of fish. The cajun chicken tenders were tough and had an awkward blend of wing & bbq sauce.
I understand gimmicks...but turning over a dirty license plate to get the waitress to stop was a bit too much.
Save your money and visit Dave's restaurant down the street to get fresh local seafood for half the price. -
Review from Rich D.
9/18/2011
I took my Dad here for his birthday recently, as he picked the place and he absolutely loves shrimp. It was the first visit at a Bubba Gump's for both of us. The atmosphere was very nice as we got to enjoy the gulf views in the open air with a nice breeze. Service was a bit slow, and we had to wait a bit for drink refills. He said he enjoyed his platter of fresh shrimp, and my red beans and rice was surprisingly flavorful. I say surprisingly, as my expectations for how a chain like this would do for that dish was pretty low. BG's did a respectable job with both the andouille and cajun flavors. I did think the prices were a bit high, compared to the local seafood places I usually visit
I have every reason to hate a chain like BG's, much preferring the numerous excellent, small local fish houses in the area, but this meal met my expectations.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 3
Food: 3
Value: 2 -
Review from Dawn E.
Austin, TX
5/15/2011
It gets 2 stars because of look, location, and adequacy of food.
Typically, I truly like the rule that restaurants won't seat incomplete parties. I think that is a good practice for lunch and dinner rushes. However, mid-afternoon lunches when no one is there...the rule is kind of ridiculous. We had a party of 8, 6 adults, and two children. The children (3 and 5 y.o.) and their parents arrived first, and were told they would have to wait (in the unshaded area) until the rest of their party arrived. Okay, a rule is a rule, I would have let it slide if the rest of the dining experience had been decent.
We were finally seated and told our server would be right with us. A few minutes later our server appears to take our drink order. And about 5 minutes later he finally came back with them. Except for the alcoholic drinks which took an additional 5 minutes. Another 5 minutes after the bar drinks came he finally returned to take our food order.
Amazing, salads came out very quickly. The same could not be said for the rest of our food, which arrived 35 minutes after the salads were removed from the table! It would have been nice to hear from the server that the kitchen was running a bit slow, and ask if there was anything else we needed in the meantime. But that happens when you have a good server.
I think at this point, one can surmise the service was less than good, and the typical inadequacies plagued the dining experience (not refilling drinks, not clearing plates, etc..).
On to the quality of food (and drinks)...
Two people ordered the Medal Margaritas, which they claim is made with premium tequila, cointreau, and lime juice. From the taste, it was made of less than one shot of cheap Sauza, club soda, and sour mix. We told the server, and he didn't even offer to have the drinks remade. It was not as if they drank the whole thing and asked for more. You could clearly see they poured one drink from the shaker, and had only a taste of what was in their glass.
I had 3/4lb of the Peel 'n' Eat shrimp in the garlic spice sauce and a side salad. I do recognize its an appetizer, so I don't mean this in a whining way....The shrimp were not very filling for a meal, but I couldn't see spending $21 for 1.5lbs. While very tasty, I would recommend getting this item as it is intended, and not as a meal substitute.
My fiance had the fish and chips, which he seemed to enjoy, though he has said that he has had much better for much less money and the fish was slightly overcooked. He's a large man (6'4", 230lbs) so he ordered the larger portion for an additional $3.50, but he was still a bit hungry once we left, so we ate again just upon returning to our hotel.
My fiance's parents split the Shrimper's Heaven, which again was not that filling even with the $5 side salad added for both of them. And the coleslaw that came with them meal, never quite made it out of the kitchen despite asking the server for it several times.
Moral of the food story...decent taste, but not much bang for your buck.
Moral of the service story...ugg
Moral of the whole story...spend your money elsewhere for more food and better service. -
Review from Kelly H.
Tampa, FL
2/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
Very good food and drinks, with a beautifual view of the bay. What you might expect from a commercial seafood restaurant, but their food is good quality and playing Forrest Gump trivia with the waitress made it an experience! Unfortunately the best drinks are priced for tourists, so you get a glass with it. Not a bad thing necessarily, but I would like to be able to order just the drink. If you go in the evening, you just might see some dolphins in the bay!
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Review from S W.
Columbus, OH
12/28/2010 1 Check-in Here
This is my first and last time going to Bubba Gump Shrimp. I was excited to go to the restaurant of course because of the movie. The service was good and the concept of the license plate services is very accommodating.
The food was not good at all. I ordered the medal margarita and it was the worst margarita I have ever tasted. I would have been nice if they would have added some alcohol to my watered down lemonade. The food was piss poor at best. The onion rings were ok, the kids' meal was ok, the chicken sandwich was not good, and the shrimp basket was ok at best. None of the food was hot. The side dipping sauces were nothing special and very tiny.
I would not recommend this to eat unless you want to go for novelty sake. I would have to be starving to death to consider returning to this place. Oh and my bill was outrageous...
Find another place in Johns Pass Village to eat!!! -
Review from Amber E.
10/23/2010
We came here for my sister's birthday dinner....err...lunch today. The whole family is huge fans and come here often, whereas this was my first visit.
I'm usually not big on chain restaurants, but the service here definitely isn't "chain material" service. The host ,unfortunately, was not as friendly when my sister and I asked if we could sit at a booth instead of the table he lead us to. He waved his head towards the booth RIGHT next to the table and all but threw down the menu, napkins and silverware as he walked off. However, our waitress was very friendly, knowledgeable, and our food arrived quickly.
My mom said her shrimp was lacking in flavor, but my dad and I agreed on the deliciousness of the Cajun Chicken Sandwich (I LOVE a sandwich with guacamole on it!!), and my sister enjoyed her mushroom veggie burger. The menu is mostly seafood, but that's pretty obvious in the name. The prices are reasonable, but I'd rather have a smaller, less expensive lunch menu. They have a slew of delicious sounding drinks (alcoholic and non) but we didn't try any of them this time...
Quick Tip: arrive with your Forrest Gump movie trivia handy...the servers quiz. :) -
Review from Diane C.
Seminole, FL
2/1/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I love the concept of this place. I'm a big fan of the Forrest Gump movie so it's a lot of fun. The kids always enjoy it here, too. The food and drinks are all pretty good. This isn't a gourmet place but I don't understand one how a certain reviewer here said it was so bad. So one bartender messed up the margarita. Don't hate the entire restaurant.
If you like spicy, try the Cajun shrimp appetizer. I have to have it every time I go. Don't forget to stop in the gift shop for movie memorabilia
Try not to go on weekend nights. Way to busy. -
Review from Gregg P.
Clinton, IL
2/11/2012 4 photos
We went to Bubba Gump's n Kona HI a fews back, so we thought we'd go again. I wasn't disappointed. Great location on John's Pass. It has indoor and outdoor seating. Consistently great.
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Review from Virginia G.
Saint Petersburg, FL
10/1/2009
I was so excited to try this place and now so disappointed I'll never go back.
We first sat at the bar to get a feel for the place. Well our first feeling was of being invisibile to the bartender who was too busy spinning (& breaking) bottles to notice new clientel. He didn't even appologize to the patrons for the shower of glass splinters he got everywhere.We finally ordered a drink, cashed out and went to the hostess for table.
We waited in line and got a table in 10 mins where? Of yes, by the bar. With the same elbow to elbow atmosphere and lousy service.Then our waitress came and said "Oh I see you have a drink" and walked away. That was our welcome. No explanation of the "run & stop " signs ,no "Ill be right back" So she finally came back and we ordered the cajun steamed shrimp. Which were basically small shrimp in the usually shrimp boil that eveyone makes. We missed the cajun part.We then tried the clam chowder. Of course the waitress didn't bring a spoon. When we asked for a spoon she responded with a sigh "ANYTHING else while I'm here?" NO JUST SOME SILVERWARE!!
The chowder was warm and not bad but more of a potato soup with clam chips then a chowder . Way too many potatoes.So we moved on with the po boy. It was not bad. Hard to mess up fried food on a bun with tomato though.
I was so disappointed. I had waited months for this place to open only to be treated like a dumb tourist.Trying to find a bright side we sat outside on the water, had a drink at the bar and played bubba trivia. That was the best part of this meal! I won't be going back -
Review from Brad K.
7/5/2011 2 Check-ins Here
yes it's a chain
but a very consistently good seafood chain offering what we feel is a fun dining experience
we loved the st john's pass location
out server was excellent
we will go back -
Review from Christopher S.
Dunedin, FL
7/8/2010
Passed up a chance to hit this place in Chicago ten years ago. Finally did it at John's Pass.
Started with the specialty drinks, Louisiana Lemonade and Lt. Dan's Pomegranate Punch. Very tasty drinks with fresh fruit! Ordered the hushpups (Shrimp and Fish with Corn), Gumbo, and Garlic Bread Basket for appetizers. Every one of them had a special taste, great Cajun roux based Gumbo, perfect garlic bread, and the hushpups were definitely unique. I was going to order a new shrimp dish on the menu named after Lt Dan but I pretty much maxed out! I had to try the Key Lime Pie. Not as good as Paula Deen's or the Original but bery tasty nonetheless. The atmosphere was fun and the team effort serving strategy was excellent. I will return and update. This location was good. -
Review from Karen G.
Sussex, NJ
3/7/2010
We went to this particular Bubba Gump's because my son had been to the one in NYC. He said it was good and fun, so we gave it a shot!
Considering it was at Madeira Beach, the wait wasn't very long. It was a Saturday afternoon around 4pm. If you are a Forrest Gump fan you'll love at the very least, the atmosphere. The movie playing continuously on a TV, the little "Stop Forrest Stop" and "Run Forrest Run" license plates, memorabilia on the walls and the terrific kids that work there.
This isn't a fancy restaurant it's a chain and it has a gimmick. You're meant to have fun and we did. The food was good.
I had the Shrimp something or other that had like 4 different types of shrimp - coconut, fried, tempura, peel 'n eat. There were also 3 different dipping sauces, the best of which, in my opinion was the asian inspired sauce. One was just cocktail sauce, the other was some kind of marmalade thing. Didn't care for that, it was too sweet.
My husband had a new dish (not on menu yet) called Lt Dan's Drunken shrimp. He said it was great! It was a mound of mashed potatoes surrounded by grilled shrimp and sliced andouille sausage with some kind of sauce drizzled over it. I tasted it and it was quite good!
My son, ever the daredevil, had chicken. He liked it, but if it's chicken he'll like it!
We would recommend Bubba Gumps. We had a great time and the food was pretty good! Yes - we're fans! Oh and we liked the trivia! -
Review from Vanessa Z.
Palm Harbor, FL
1/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I enjoyed my experience here. It was my first time, however...the waitress we had was quite the pushy one. I felt like I was at a car dealership after about the first 20 minutes. I know management probably pushes their staff to sell sell sell & that's great, but not for the customer! When I am on the beach, I want to feel relaxed with my tropical drink, not feel pressure to buy more, more, more. I wasn't even half way done with my drink & she must have stopped by the table 3 times to ask why I wasn't gulping them down like my friend was...mind you drinks are $10 a pop. If I want more, I will ask for more. Try that crap on lonely men at the bar, not women who have control of all finances. She was highly annoying. It backfired when we left her a 10% tip.
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Review from Felix T.
Saint Petersburg, FL
9/29/2009
Have you ever been forced into doing something by a child? You know, the kid has a really dumb idea but you feel obligated so you just go ahead and do it anyway.
Now, imagine that cute little child being a little under 6 feet and sporting a five o'clock shadow. Oh, and don't forget to be paying him for making you do that dumb thing. Now you have the service experience at Bubba Gump's....
Halfway through your meal the server comes over and begins to interrogate you on your Forrest Gump knowledge.... seriously. I mean it's not all that bad in the end but can you at least ask if I want to participate before plopping yourself down in an open seat at my table? Anyway, that aside the service was really nothing special, and neither was the food. A shrimp Po Boy was no more than passable for what is claims to be. The Shrimp & Salsa cocktail appetizer was one thing my group and I enjoyed, think of ceviche with a bunch or vegetables and without the acidity. The Bourbon street Mahi Mahi was fairly flavorful, but could have benefited with the subtraction of the mashed potatoes and little less sauce. Since this is a restaurant that specializes in shrimp, steer away from other non-shrimp offerings.
The prices are a little high, but nothing too out-of-the-ordinary for beach dining. Oh, and the outdoor seating has a beautiful view of a construction project... -
Review from Mary G.
Hoboken, GA
8/5/2010
My family decided to come here after a recommendation from a friend, and it didn't disappoint.
We came for dinner, and had no wait. Our server was friendly and attentive. I had the bucket of boat trash meal, which consisted of shrimp, fish, and lobster claws. Cooked to perfection, and they don't skimp on the portions. And for what you get, the price is reasonable.
The atmosphere is what really makes the place. Forrest Gump memorabilia, oldies songs, and some funny signage around the place. Really made coming here worthwhile. -
Review from Brandon M.
Round Rock, TX
6/12/2011
Recommend the Shrimpers Heaven
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Review from P C.
St Petersburg, FL
6/4/2011
Love the fish sandwich and peel and eat shrimp so much that we have been back three times
Very personable bartender/ server at bar-he's a tall smiling friendly guy
Definitely worth a visit -
Review from RM S.
Tampa, FL
11/17/2010
Great food, service and atmosphere... The Fish & Chips was so good.. More food than I could finish.. I definitely recommend and would visit again!
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Review from Amy H.
Lansing, MI
7/1/2010
We have never been disappointed at this restaurant chain, and this location was no exception! With two kids looking for some fun and two adults looking for some yummy food, we walked away VERY satisfied. The service was outstanding and the view was breathtaking. We will surely visit this establishment again!
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Review from Sandy C.
Centreville, VA
4/18/2011
We brought our kids here for dinner thinking this would be a fun place to eat. The service was decent and the decor was fun, but the food was terrible! Everything from the wet, slimy peel n eat shrimp appetizer, to the cold fish sandwich with the cheese "gelled" on top, cold fries and cold (refrigerated) chicken on the grilled chicken salad. Definitely was our first and last time dining there!
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Review from Christopher B.
Bowling Green, KY
8/26/2010 2 Check-ins Here
If you've never been to a Bubba Gump's and you liked the movie, you really should consider it. It's more than a seafood meal, it's an experience. From all of the pictures and quotes from floor to ceiling, to the trivia from your server, it's a good time. The food is good and includes several kinds of shrimp (as you might guess), fresh fish dishes, and even some red meat in the form of steak or ribs. They have great service and even incorporate a unique system so you never have to wait long for more water, extra napkins or whatever comes up. We started off with 3/4 of a pound of peel and eat half cajun and half garlic-both were great. I was surprised to see fish and chips on the menu and even more surprised when I saw they use Mahi as the fish. It's was good and available in 4 piece or 7 piece portions depending on how hungry you are. The wife had the Bourbon St Mahi Mahi with a few shrimp on top which was also quite good. Not spicy but flavorful. Grammy got Shrimp Scampi Pasta which is hard to mess up and was just what she wanted on her Bday. The kids had fried shrimp and portions from each of our plates. The real highlight was trying to stump Ashley, our server. I'll have to say she knows her stuff. I thought I knew the movie until I met her. But in our defense, she did train on the subject for a week and does this every day. I wouldn't be a regular here, but it's a fun excursion from time to time.
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Review from Adrienne V.
Largo, FL
3/29/2010
I wasn't expecting much when I went here- I'm not a fan of touristy chain restaurants but I was pleasantly surprised. All the Forrest Gump memorabilia was fun and doing the trivia questions while we waited for our dessert was cute. We got mussels for an appetizer, which were just okay and I got the Bourbon Street Mahi Mahi, which my server recommeded and it was excellent. The team atmosphere really helped with the service- if you needed ketchup, whoever was running by would bring it if you flipped your Stop Forrest Stop sign. We also got Key Lime Pie for dessert and it was delicious!
