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Famous Johnny's Pizza - CLOSED
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
53 reviews for Famous Johnny's Pizza
Review Highlights
"Free wi fi plus free popcorn how can you lose."
(in 11 reviews)
"Thin Crust Italian Pizzas made to please any appetite."
(in 10 reviews)
"The thin and crispy New York style crust was delicious."
(in 3 reviews)
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53 reviews in English
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Review from Jessica T.
South San Francisco, CA
10/20/2011
It's currently closed for remodeling.. which bums me out.
I only come here on Tuesdays and I guess it's pretty obvious why.. $1 slice Tuesdays! YAY. And not to mention their free popcorn. Yumm. I love their popcorn ESPECIALLY after it just finished popping. Can you say FRESHNESS? Cause I sure did!
Now, their pizza is not the bomb. Nope. It's greasy and oily and makes me feel like I'm going to have a bajillion zits pop up on my face. It's so greasy that I don't even want to touch it. So.. I eat it with a knife and fork. Yeah..
This place itself is pretty big. There's a lot of seating available and two television screens that are usually showing something sports related. Their walls are full of pictures of famous Johnny's. (DUH). LOL. So all in all, I like this place. It's a good place! -
Review from Pat Y.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 12/14/2011
They have been closed for over two month. Doubt the will be reopening.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/20/2010
Ewww... I'm not sure if that was pizza I just ate. They had 2 slices for $5. You can get cheese or… Read more »
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Review from Anthony K.
Daly City, CA
11/29/2011
It's an ok place, but their piza wants me to throw up, its greasy and tastes like biting into a bunch of fattening oil. But they do have refills and free popcorn (help yourself), but most would come for the pizza. I guess its okay for your kids, but not really a place for the older - middle aged folks.
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Review from Derek S.
4/25/2011
Seemed to overall have good reviews, so thought I'd give it a shot!
It's also hard to find nice pizza places to sit down and eat other that round table.
Staff is real nice and friendly, tons of seating and tv's to watch the game.
A lot of people seemed to have bad experience in re: to birthday parties, but it's a nice place to hang out. I don't think I'd party here, but a lunch or dinner sounds good to me!
They also have free popcorn, might be even better to eat here and grab some popcorn and head to the movies, which is within walking distance.
Prices are reasonable and they have a lot of good specials.
Pizza was good, not near the best I've had, but real good for the price.
Not to greasy or to saucy and surprisingly no heartburn that night. -
Review from Lulu C.
San Francisco, CA
4/12/2011
So this place is super close to my work, and Tuesdays is dollar slice day, so you can't really go wrong.
The pizza itself is ok. not great, not bad. but worth it when you can get 2 slices of hawaiian pizza for $3.82 total. (only on Tuesdays!)
Cheese slice is $1 + .50 cents/pineapple + .25 for canadian bacon.
free popcorn inside the shop.
they even serve froyo. haven't tried it though so couldn't say if it is good or not. -
Review from Sujan J.
San Francisco, CA
6/14/2011
This review is for take out pizza only (I've never dined or even been in the store as my husband always picked up the pizza)
I'm not a huge pizza fan (unless I'm hungover and am in dire need for some grease!)
I love NY style pizza because it's low on carb (I believe pizza crust is there to deliver the goodness that are the toppings) and am always on a look out for that NY style pizza here in the west coast.
I liked the thickness of Famous Johnny's Pizza - it wasn't thick nor was it too thin.
I got half and half large pizza with Supreme on half and pepperoni on the other half and I felt the toppings were generous in portion (Supreme half for me - because I feel like having even the tiniest amount of veges is healthier than none) Pizza sauce was not too salty which I also liked.
It is a little pricier than Papa John's (which would be my go to fast food pizza option) but I would pay the difference once in a while for a better pizza. -
Review from Daniel D.
5/24/2011
I wanted something cheap but decent before I went to the movies and ended up here.
Brief Summary
-- A lot of different and cheap combos
-- Friendly, customer service
-- So-so pizza
-- $1 Tuesday Slices
So I gave this place a shot, reviews were decent and we didn't know where to go before the movies.
Awesome they have a $5 combo that includes a slice of cheese, pepperoni or the daily special, a salad and a soda. You can also get two slices for $5.
The cashier/server was really nice and friendly. That's why the place got 3 stars instead of 2.
The pizza was reheated, obviously made earlier in the day. I might have been expecting better pizza or it's because I have high standards for pizza or both. Either the way the pizza is thin and crispy and the sauce kind of blended with the cheese. It was ok for $5. Service was better than the mall but the pizza from the mall might have been better. Maybe if I had ordered a pizza to be made fresh, it might have been better. The photos look better then what I ate. The salad was decent.
I'm not going to go out of my way to come here. I really want to try Seniore's which is down the street. Maybe someday... -
Review from Bradley H.
San Jose, CA
4/21/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I got stuck in the San Bruno area and decided to grab a bit to eat here before heading to the Starbucks next door. I ordered one of the pizza sandwiches and to my surprise a little, it was very good. Fresh ingredients on freshly toasted french bread in a pretty large portion...yum!
With a name like Famous Johnny, it's hard to not think that it might be a place that thinks a little too highly of itself, but for being there only once, i'm willing to believe in it =). If the pizza is as good as the pizza sandwiches, i'll be back there very soon...it sounds like the $1 tuesdays is the place to be for my next Famous Johnny experience.
Happy Eating! -
Review from Judy K.
San Francisco, CA
3/14/2011
When my 10 year old asked me to take him to Famous Johnny's for a Pokemon tournament, my eyes literally rolled to the back of my head...all I could think was OMG, OMG, OMG...how do I get out of this?!?
Apparently, they host Pokemon events at this location every Sunday, from 3 to 6PM...and really, it is NOT as bad as I feared at all. There are about 20 kids, some regulars, who come and enjoy pizza over Pokemon cards and games every Sunday. Pretty cool and A-okay! Us parents can sit back, relax and watch TV...while the kids are off socializing with other Pokemon fanatics! Makes a pretty okay Sunday afternoon!
Pizza is fairly decent and they have slices for only $2.50. They have a good variety of starters and salads...all at very decent prices. The restaurant is very clean...A+ for being super kid friendly! -
Review from Alex F.
7/8/2010
It's an ok place. There's not a whole lot of originality in the pizza but they do give generous portions and the inside of the restaurant is nice (big HD tv's, large space, good view, etc..). I guess I'd strongly suggest a bolder attempt at varying up the pizza recipes. Perhaps using a different sauce or maybe offering toppings that are rare or hard to find. I just think the every restaurant should have its own stamp of originality, but then again what do I really know about the restaurant business besides making a few pancakes and waffles in my college days.
It's a safe to try this place out. Do yourself a favor and just cross it off the list! -
Review from Eli P.
South San Francisco, CA
5/11/2010
I have had lunch here a few times - and every time I've ordered the slice of the day special, I have been surprised. The flavors are awesome, I'm not sure about the mediocre reviews on here, because I have had SEVERAL slices of SEVERAL different types of pizza.
I was recently there, and noticed that the owner had some additional help. It looks like FJP is linked to a local school district and several older teens with developmental disabilities were helping prepare the restaurant by wiping down tables, folding menus, replacing condiments, etc. It was very cool to see. I saw that the owner was giving some direction to the students and the school staff, and I asked what program it was. He shared that he works with South San Francisco High School's students in a Life Skills class each week to give them an opportunity to do work based learning. VERY COOL!
So from what I see (and taste), this place has first class pizza and a first class heart. And the owner shared that they are not doing a "make your own pizza" party for kids/family. I know my five year old son would love to get his hands "saucy" and make his own pizza creation one day. What a cool idea. -
Review from Steve N.
Pacifica, CA
2/26/2009
I was in the area looking to grab some lunch and I saw that this new pizza place had opened up.
The place is nice and clean (everything is brand new) and they had two large screen televisions placed at either end of the room so you have a good view of them no matter where you're sitting.
I saw that they sell pizza by the slice so I ordered two slices of pepperoni. I'm more of a thick crust guy and theirs is thin but it was nice and crisp. Two slices and a coke came to less than $8.
I'll definitely try it again, everyone else in my family prefers the thin crust so now we have a new place for them to try.
Nice service too. -
Review from Olin S.
Northern, CA
9/1/2010 1 Check-in Here
Nice place.
Clean.
Good service.
Good atmosphere with a unique theme.
Pizza is more Traditional style, wasn't heavy on the sauce side. -
Review from Jose R.
South San Francisco, CA
10/3/2010
The 1st time I came here for a friends b-day this place completely FAILED by making us wait 2 hours for our food, then when we had finally got our food it was the wrong order... But we decided to just except it anyways because we were starving. It's been 2years later, we decide to go back for a slice of pizza . We had a WAY better exp. than last time.
-Good Service
-Hot cashier lady
-Coke/Salad/Pizza , for only $5 ( $5.49) with tax
-Only took a couple minutes to get food.
-Free Popcorn.
-unlim. Refills
This place was the right place to go on a low budget, So I know like this place:) not crazy over it but it was good.and one last thing. Their super hot wings. are the weakest spice I have ever had .... hahah laters :) -
Review from Raphael A.
South San Francisco, CA
6/28/2009
I went here on my good friends B-Day! his name was John [Shout out to John Maniquis] hehehe so I guess he thought it would be a good idea to come here plus I had to go because his text said "If you don't go you are dead to me". They got a pretty good theme with a bunch of Johns on the wall so it looked awesome. I came here around their grand opening also [march09].
BUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTT!
For some reason I had the worse experience ever coming here!
1. I had a super craving for some cheesy sticks, but they supposedly ran out
2. I ordered a large pizza for me and my buds and it took almost an hour for them to give it to me and when it finally came it was in some personal size pizza!!@#$!#@!$#@!$# WTF!!!
3. When I told them about how I got the wrong order I was given the rudest service
4. For some reason they didn't want to give my large order pizza but insisted on giving me another personal sized pizza.
5. When me "actual" order came out all my friends already left even the b-day boy was about ready to leave.
6. The pizza was malarkey it was nothing special not worth the 2 hour wait.
Well if I got my actual order promptly with better service AND MY CHEEZY STICKS I would actually give this place aaaaa uuuhm probably a 3/4 out of 5.
But ending with a good note their pizza wasn't really bad, It had a good thin crust, and they seemed like they weren't hesitant with the toppings it was really good actually. Just hope you don't have the luck I had going there. -
Review from Chuck N.
5/8/2009
This is what a pizza joint should be like: vibrant, eclectic decorations on the wall, good pie, and HUGE TVs hanging on the walls.
Friends and I needed a place like this after 2 weeks of difficult n' repetitive lab work.
Grub:
*We ordered The Famous Johnny Supreme, The Giovanni Supreme, The Red Hot Johnny, along with cheesy garlic bread
*It's thin sliced pizza straight from the oven - meat lovers would enjoy the Giovanni
*Cheesy garlic bread was ridiculously garli-icky - like seriously, even the garlic-philes in the group thought there was too much garlic
*There was a popcorn dispenser in which customers could get free popcorn - holla!
Service:
*Server was good at making repeated rounds to ensure everyone had water n' beer
*Friendly owner, cooks, and service
Final Call:
*A lil' overpriced because I've been spoiled by "The Cheeseboard" in Berkeley, plus unless the pizza has divine influence, it's never going to be as good...but...
*...Famous Johnny's a dope place to kick it with friends and relieve some steam -
Review from Marat V.
San Francisco, CA
4/4/2009
Great Customer Service, Spotless tables, Good Pizza & FREE Popcorn.
What else is there?
The Pizza, it was a big slice of a good VERY thin crust Pizza, i would only come back if they keep their specials (Slice, Salad & Drink for $7)
Otherwise i would prefer Seniore's or Blondie's Pizzerias over this place any day.
EDIT: This place is great for company meetings, other half of the restuarant is quiet, has nice tables and like i have mentioned already, it's clean.
No Wi Fi thought. -
Review from Yvonne K.
Belmont, CA
2/24/2010 2 photos
We tried Famous Johnny's Pizza for the first time tonight, and all I can say is "WOW!" I am absolutely blown away! This is the best pizza I have ever had!
The thin and crispy New York style crust was delicious! The perfect canvas for 'Johnny's to build their pizza master pieces. The ingredients were fresh and flavorful, and they added just the right amount of toppings.
We ordered The "Famous Johnny" Supreme. Lets just say it is so good I keep having to remind myself that I'm full and cannot eat anymore...*wait...maybe I have a little more room*... We also did a B.Y.O.P. (build your own pizza) with pesto sauce, chicken, artichoke hearts, and red onions. It was delicious, but next time I think it needs to have fresh garlic and basil added to the toppings for that extra kick. Perhaps a new menu item?
If you're looking for an amazing pizza experience, get your passport to "Flavor Town" stamped and ready, and give 'Johnny's a try!Listed in: Get your grub on!
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Review from DayDay D.
San Francisco, CA
6/28/2010
Visited this place from roommates' recommendations and I was pleasantly suprised.
We ordered the 16 inch pizza with 1/2 cheese & 1/2 gioavanni italian(capicola,pepperoni,sausage) and we finished the WHOLE thing between David & I. That's 4 slices each. Thin crust, tasty sauce, but could of used a little bit more it was sort of dry. The owner, I think it was him, was extremely friendly. Cannolis are homemade & super good! (1 pie + 1 cannoli = $27.00)
Pretty clever decor, with photos of famous John named actors, singers, etc. Cool!!! I will come back or they wait...they deliver!! -
Review from Danny H.
South San Francisco, CA
1/6/2010
Girl I can tell you want something to love
That's why you hold on to everything that pass you by
Can't resist girl I can't lie
Now tell if you are here for me...at FAMOUS JOHNNY'S PIZZA! - Colby o Donis (What you got)
We ordered for pickup here and in terms of just the pizza itself...it was a disappointment for the price and the high expectations yelp set for me. It was $30 for a family sized johnny's special and it was basically the same as the supreme pizza that you can get at costco. what the monkeys? paid $30+tax for a "new york thin crust pizza" which btw doesn't even taste like new york style pizza. Maybe it is a better experience if you eat it there with the tv's and the wifi and whatever else they have. They might have lunch specials too which is why the ratings on yelp here were higher. Nothing special here - costco pizza with a thinner crust.
Food: 3 stars --- Service: n/a --- Atmosphere: n/a --- Price(value): 1 star -
Review from Lito M.
Brooklyn, NY
2/28/2010
Pros: Pep slices, garlic bread w/cheese, free popcorn, awesome staff
Cons: sometimes the music is on during a game that I would rather listen.
Whenever I want a slice this is my spot. I recently moved and I still drive here if I want a fix! A definite 'must-try'! I am sure you will not be disappointed! -
Review from DIANE S.
3/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Defiantly go on a Tuesday! $1 pizza :) There is free popcorn which is amazing since its from a popcorn machine. They prep your pizza in the oven & serve it to you. The best part is that you don't have to tip or clean up after yourself. There is also wifi here since its right next to starbucks. It's near bart since the San Bruno/Tanforan station is right next to it. Will defiantly be back on a Tuesday! Plus theres tons of Johnny's on the wall including Johnny Depp & cartoons like Johnny Brovo
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Review from Adrian C.
Daly City, CA
7/13/2009
HOW CAN BE THIS PIZZA BE FAMOUS IF IT DOESN'T EVEN TASTE GOOD!
1. Pizza sucks, undercooked
2. Overpriced
3. Rude Staff
I never ate there again after I took a pizza to go after work.
I always pass by it now a days and I never see anyone eating in there!!!
I only gave it 1 star because you can't give it 0 stars.
For all the pizza spots around the san bruno, ssf area. This is not the place to get pizza. -
Review from Rocky C.
Burlingame, CA
9/13/2010
Ok, Here we go....I'm from New York, Grew up in Brooklyn....I'm a pizza fanatic.....I'm really picky about my Pizza...But I have to tell you this place is the BEST in the Bay Area....GREAT pizza, great staff, and the place is Clean not some filthy joint....!!! All their items are excellent quality. We order their pizzas for our classes. Now get this, How many pizza parlor owners actually go to ITALY to learn how to make pizza the right way? The owner did....and that's AMAZING....when I found this out I was blown away.....Your losing out if you guys don't visit this place...Bravo to the owner...
I don't put my name on anything unles they are the BEST and they are the BEST...!!!! Hands down...
Rocky Cologne's Comedy Traffic Schools
Rocky Cologne -
Review from Brian W.
Santa Clara, CA
9/16/2009
I was craving pizza after work and decided to stop by and pick something here.
We ordered a medium ham and pineapple and a starter. We were told a 25 to 30 minute wait and it was pretty much on the dot. When we started eating the food was cold and i felt it was extremely plain tasting. The pizza is thin crust and crispy which is a plus for those who like thin crust pizza.
Service was okay and the manager was pleasant. -
Review from AnneMarie N.
Lander, NV
Friendly staff & quick service. The place is very clean & comfortable. Side salad was pretty good. Cheesy bread was very good. The pizza was good.
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Review from mrvc r.
San Bruno, CA
7/17/2009 2 photos
Great service.
My 20 mins in there felt like i knew johnny my whole life.
Best service i ever had in a pizza joint.
Free wi fi plus free popcorn how can you lose?
Pizza is great. Anchovies ftw.
Comfortable seating plus a flat screen plus a framed picture of johnny drama.
Jesus h... Good times over here. -
Review from William h.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2010
$10 for a personal pizza? I was bummed. It does taste good though.
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Review from Ashley V.
San Bruno, CA
1/15/2011
I have only been here once and I will never go back.
Saw the sign that said dollar slices (i think on tuesdays) so I got 3 slices to go. Not even for a dollar was that pizza worth it. Flat, gross, rubbery, flavorless cardboard that I could only finish a slice of before giving up on it.
Maybe ordering dollar slices was my first mistake since this place doesnt have bad reviews, maybe they have better pizza for regular orders but what I had was nothing short of terrible. I dont think I could make pizza that flat unless I rolled a car over it.
What do you expect for a dollar? sad but i expected more than that. save your money and buy frozen. -
Review from R B.
Daly City, CA
1/12/2011
Johnny's has become one of my favorite pizza restaurants to go to. Everything from the service, the atmosphere, and especially the quality of the food. I threw a bday party for my little one and had the best experience. The owner is extremely nice and the employees are some of the nicest people you will meet at a restaurant. Great restaurant!!!
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Review from Andrew M.
Rio Rancho, NM
1/7/2011
Friendly and great service. I dine at the restaurant and get take out and the pizza is always fantastic. Fun to eat at the restaurant when there is a game on.
Everyone is always very nice and the pizza is great, fantastic wings also -
Review from Michael I.
San Bruno, CA
7/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
Stopped by here as I was waiting to pick up my new phone at AT&T across the way. Little did we know they have a happy hour from 4-7, I got a pizza sandwich, girlfriend got two slices and a pitcher of beer between us coming to $20. Food was good, not great but good...waitress was very nice although a little busy as she was the only one. This place is just around the corner from us and we'll definitely be back.
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Review from Cena V.
South San Francisco, CA
10/28/2010
Quick and friendly service. Reasonable prices. Beer on tap. Sports on the flat screens. Couldn't ask for much more during Game 1 of the World Series. They even had a raffle going for World Series merchandise. I love this place.. its close to home so I think we found our new beer and pizza spot.
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Review from Susy C.
San Francisco, CA
5/3/2009
i've only had the Famous Johnny, but it was good! The crust was not too thick (i'm a thin crust kind of girl) and they don't skimp on the toppings. Great customer service, the waitress checked up on us a few times. The place is fairly clean, and it's in a plaza so there's a good amount of parking.
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Review from Belina G.
San Francisco, CA
8/19/2010
I passed by this place soooo many times thinking it was just another random OK... Domino's wanna be (which isnt great). To my surprise, its was good. I could not figure out what it was, the sauce, bread, pepperoni? Not sure... Then I blamed on my hunger, thought that must be why it tasted good to me. Well, my curiosity got the best of me and I tried it again. Good pizza! AND they sell it by the slice.
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Review from Betsy H.
San Bruno, CA
11/16/2010
I studied abroad in Florence Italy, and this is the closest to the real thing as it gets. Besides that the staff is incredible. I left my wallet in the restaurant one time and one of them googled me so that they could return it. I am not embarrassed to say that I go to famous johnny's WAY too often.
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Review from Amy L.
Colma, CA
5/8/2009
my bf and i walked into this place cause we saw the espn recap of the laker game, and we didn't think of stopping in to order anything at all. Until we started asking the waitress if they played the laker game in here, and then we asked if they had free wi-fi here. all our questions were answered, and it was really clean. the lady was so nice. although, I'm only giving them a 4 star because we didn't order a whole pizza. I just ordered their cheese bread, which was MMMM good. Then my bf just ahd 1 slice of pizza and a salad. he really liked the salad and the slice of pepperoni. :) We also saw their iced green tea....and that just did it for us! lol...we will COME back again. and the best part is that thurs-saturdays they open til midnight. :) and once we do order a whole pizza, I will definitely update this post. :)
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Review from Ara G.
San Leandro, CA
5/10/2009
Looking for a new pizza joint on the Peninsula & came across Famous Johnny's. It's sort of hidden in the strip mall next door to Tanforan but got a yummy whiff of pizza baking and was drawn inside! It's about two months old and you can tell the place is still working on getting it's clientele but it has dynamite potential as a classic pizza joint/hang out spot. I like their "Famous Johnny" art concept/theme. Very original for the area! Totally a cut above those older, chain type pizza places. The pizza is the yummy, thin crust type- "street pizza" if you will. I had the special-a slice of cheese pizza and a salad. It was satisfying and not too greasy. Nice place to lounge in a comfy booth on a Saturday!
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Review from Joe C.
San Bruno, CA
12/9/2010
Excellent Pizza, great atmosphere for sporting events.
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Review from Dan Y.
Santa Rosa, CA
10/4/2009
I hereby bestow on Famous Johnny the not-so-coveted Master of the Average Pizza Award for 2009. If you're within one square mile of this place and you just gotta have pizza, it probably will not disappoint you. But if you're willing to drive five or ten minutes I'm sure you'll find a Round Table or something just as good. Johnny's makes the kind of pizza you eat while watching TV, in other words the kind of stuff you can find in any supermarket freezer. It's not bad, but for this kind of $$$ you can do alot better. That said, the dining area here is a nice, clean, pleasant place to relax and enjoy free re-fills of soda, and all the free popcorn you can scarf. Nice atmosphere for watching football, or having a meaningful night out with the guys. I might be back. But chances are I won't be.
