*UPDATE* so pretty much everything about this particular JR is now a waste. The renovation was meant to bring new life to your diner experience but it's basically just some fancy gift wrap over the gifted socks you would never pay for. This is the high school cafeteria express line with a hint of regret and depression. read more

The shakes might be great but we didn't try them unfortunately. The two stars is for the great attitude of the server. The fries barely tasted like potatoes surprisingly. The hamburger was a bit tasteless. Although we rarely go there, we think that McDonald's actually one ups this place on both fries and hamburgers. Please only try the shakes here read more

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This diner-style burger joint inside the mall is a great place to grab a quick bite before enjoying a movie at the theater next door. It really is reminiscent of the old greasy-spoon diners where your sandwich is prepared on a flat-top griddle with a generous amount of un-healthy but oh so tasty cooking oils. Of course they do have fresher and healthier options available, so something for everyone. My favorites are the Bacon Cheddar and Smoke House burgers. Both come with generous portions of real bacon, not that paper thin stuff that some fast-food places use. And my kids, who are not burger fans, enjoy the same sandwiches with grilled chicken breasts. The facility is generally clean and has a bright atmosphere. Service is usually good, but can take a hit when they are very busy. The location right next to the movie theater inside the mall makes it quite busy around prime showtimes. But you can get movie tickets at a discount with your meal, so well worth a visit. read more

I had never been to Johnny Rockets before, and I once lived in New York. Well I went yesterday. It was shockingly really good. I had my first milkshake in years and it was delicious. I love that their burgers and fries are normal size (so many places give you absurd portions). It was a pleasant lunch with really good service right before a movie nearby. I really loved the whole diner theme, too. Yup, I'd definitely come back. read more

Shout out to our server Nick for keeping us entertained while we had a late dinner before a movie. Great service, clean, fast, and friendly. Not much else you could ask for besides great tasting food which we also got read more

great customer service harry best waiter needs a raise

Decent place to grab some dinner before catching a movie next door. The burgers (we both tried the Route 66) and the loaded tots with bacon and cheddar were pretty good - crispy, but not over cooked. Their fries aren't the best imo. I like mine a little more crispy with at least some salt or seasoning. Cute diner atmosphere. read more

This location of Johnny Rockets is an absolute embarrassment! Came in with a small group one evening after some gaming at Dave and Busters. Burgers and shakes sounded really good as we approached the brightly lit, '50's themed diner in the mall. The greeting was less than ideal as the staff had one of those "Damn, people are here" reactions. We were seated and the waitress actually turned out to be fairly pleasant. Things really went downhill as we were preparing to order our meals. We could hear the young cook in the back first loudly ask the waitress what we were ordering and then when told that we had yet to order, responded by saying "I'm not trying to be here all night!". On that note, we put our menus down, paid for our sodas and left to find a more grateful restaurant to give our money to. WOW. I realize that work-release programs give people curfews but how is that my problem? In all seriousness, I went ahead and emailed Johnny Rockets because of the poor example the cook set for a couple of the kids in our group. Such horrible customer service and lack of class only gives children the impression that they can act that way as well. In addition, one of the kids was talking about their interest in culinary arts and this was a bad example of work habits and customer service skills to be exposed to. You can talk to kids till your blue in the face about what manners are, how to treat others, etc., but if you don't put them in the proper situations to see that in action then are you really doing them a service? On the bright side, the folks at Johnny Rockets responded with an apology. Hopefully the cook didn't lose his job but if he did, at least he won't have to worry about being at work all night! read more

I was really, really surprised at the combination of fail at this restaurant. The staff was not one of them, however -- our waitress was fine, and I noticed the busboy stepping up on multiple occasions to get things done that needed doing. I was with the two rug monkeys. They love sliders, so that was their pick. They were actually pretty happy with their burgers and fries. That's where the second star, above, comes in. I ordered the patty melt, which was three different kinds of horrible. The burger was overcooked, the rye was crunchy and soaked with oil, and the onions were not caramelized. I didn't bother sending it back or getting a replacement, because I kind of lost my appetite. Those that know me will be shocked. The fries here are also nothing to write home about, unless your parents like hearing about really boring fries. The facility itself is starting to look less like a '50s diner and more like a '60s truck stop. The floors are grungy, and the bathroom more so. The sinks are leaking; always a bad sign. So here's the thing, Johnny -- you now have Bobby's Burger Palace within strolling distance, BGR over in Columbia making excellent patties, and Five Guys everywhere you look. You need to step up your game, especially in a premier location like this. This could be a flagship store, but instead it's a dump. read more

My friends and I used to love hitting Johnny Rockets before we left our rare mall trip together. The food was great, the service even better. With this last experience, I wish I could give this place 0 stars. Not anymore. About last month, (I decided not to post this recently due to the fact that they already had /so/ many bad reviews, but whatever), my friends and I just finished up a movie. We were all famished, as we don't like to get too full on deliciously over-priced snacks. We walked to Johnny Rockets, there was a small like (like usual, if you know the place) and we waited. The hostess was frowning at her counter at the entrance. Ironically, below her read the sign: "Looking for friendly waiters!". After about fifteen minutes of waiting, we got to the front of the line, where we were promptly told that our names were not placed on the "list" and that we would have to wait another fifteen minutes for a spot. We decided to wait, as the place was our favorite all around and we didn't want to get some grub in the food court or wait in huge lines to Buffalo Wild Wings. Fifteen minutes pass, and 10 people show up. They immediately enter in front of us. We decided again to stay (against what our stomach was saying) and just hope that it was a mistake. We eventually ask the hostess when we were going to be seated, and she said "When I feel like it." When looking into the restaurant, we saw multiple tables open. At that point, we gave up, and Johnny Rockets will no longer be the place that receives our money. read more

Damn, where do I even begin. Should of listened to Jessica N. Should of heeded Andy T. This place... this place needs some TLC. If only the CEO of Johnny Rockets came here during the shooting of Undercover Boss... he'd be sorely disappointed. Ordered a grilled cheese with an upgrade of onion rings. I had a choice of different cheeses to choose from, but forgot I had this option and the waitress did too. I requested a fried egg to go along with the sandwich. Wifey ordered a burger with fries. Fast forward to 35 minutes later, we finally got our food. 35 freaking minutes for a burger with fries and a grilled cheese with egg and onion rings. Wow, really? This was ridiculous. Waiting for that long for something so simple gets worse when the food arrives and is lackluster at its best. Wife's burger was so sad. The beef patty was thin and dry and didn't meet the diameter of the bun. The slice of tomato was the same thickness as her patty... I crap you not. For a place that's known for burgers, this was laughable. If this was a joke, then it deserves to be on Comedy Central. The "Adult" grilled cheese sucked. There was nothing "adult" about it. It was just butter toasted white bread with cheese whiz, or maybe american. I don't know, it was gross. What was I thinking? This was my fault. read more

Trash. Upon being seated we waited an incalculable amount of time for help to arrive at our table. The hostess who sat us even seemed puzzled as to how we had not been helped, and felt as if it may have finally been time to offer drinks. Throughout the meal, we only witnessed our waitress in glimpses outside the delivery of food, as she never once checked on us. Of course I still tipped the foreigner. The food might had been good had it been prepared as described, and as usual. My burger lacked the one ingredient I ordered it for, BBQ sauce. And the fries treated entirely stale. From now on, avoiding that restaurant at this location. read more

I've been here twice, and I wish I could say anything besides negative things about it. The first time it was busy so of course it was going to take a while to be seated, we almost thought about going somewhere else because there were waiters and waitresses everywhere and if was as if we were invisible. Eventually when we did get seated my brother ordered a shake and never received it, even after telling the waiter about this mistake. After our meal we were still charged for the shake we never got! And then they asked if they could make one so we could take it home. My mom and her friend and I went today since her friend had not been there before, and it wasn't crowded like it was last time, but for some reason it still took forever just to get seated even though there were several waiters and waitresses around, not busy at all. When we were seated it seemed like it took at least twenty minutes for our waiter to get our drinks, and mine even longer because I ordered a shake. (I should've seen that coming from my experience last time.) It took even longer just for our food to come. Their food is great here, but the service not so much. read more

The food was awful and the service was awful. The waitress was nice but for the entire 75 minutes we were there we each only received 1 drink. Our glasses remained empty for the last 30 minutes of our meal & the waitress was no where to be seen until the check was dropped off. One refill would have been appreciated but by the time the check came we both wanted to just leave. We ordered the loaded tots. They were ok...nothing special. They could use more cheese and more tots for the price you pay. I ordered a well done burger...which came medium rare (disgusting). My burger came with relish which is gross. My bread was soggy and the burger was barely warm. Overall the burger had ZERO flavor. My fiancé ordered the chicken fingers which were over cooked and bland. The fries that came with our meals were just basic fries, no seasoning or salt. I have no idea why this place is so busy every time we pass it...the food is terrible and the service is barely existent. For a $40 bill for 2 people, I expect better food & service. Will never return & will never recommend anyone eat here. Go somewhere else. Bobbys burgers in the casino are expensive but much better tasting. read more

I've never visited a Johnny Rockets restaurant before and I don't think I will be returning anytime soon,at least to this location. The food took quite some time to be served and the quality of the food was quite disappointing. The burger was about the same width as a standard burger from McDonald's or Burger King but it cost considerably more and wasn't particularly flavorful or good. The fries were also bland. Overall it reminded me of cafeteria food almost. The waitress never refilled my drinks or asked if we needed anything and when it was time to pay she just slid the receipt onto our table without a word. Not impressed by this place at all. read more

This place had less than mediocre service and food. I came in after watching a movie across the hall. The place was empty so i figured i can just grab a burger and some fries to go. I was seated hastily by the host and given a menu that was sticky and old. I ordered a burger and some fries which took at least 30 minutes to cook. I sat patiently and watched the manager and the waiter talk up a cute girl on the other end of the bar. She looked uninterested and harassed, I wanted to say something about the poor service, but I just kept to myself and watch the flies go by in the restaurant instead. Eventually my food arrived and in a box and I walked out to meet back up with my friends in Dave and busters. The fries were soggy and unflavored, not to mention i was given no ketchup to choke them down with. The burger was small for $9, but for the most part pretty good. I had to leave my friends to go back a second time and get my own ketchup from the counter. These people can't do anything right. The ketchup was sticky and near empty. Do not go to this restaurant. You will be wasting your money. read more

Went there tonight with a party of five. The resturant was, at most, a third full. All of us ordered standard fare but the burgers came out one at a time. I spent the meal watching the others in my group enjoy their food, while waiting for mine to show up. Never got an explanation from the waitress and, after everyone was finished with their food, I cancelled my order and we paid and left. Now, I ordered an Original, so it should not have been that difficult to provide me my meal, especially when people seated after us received their food while I was still waiting. Do yourself a favor and eat somewhere else when you are at Arundel Mills. read more

I ate at one of these places in Bethesda once and it was a singing and dancing experience with decent food. Unfortunately, it's closed now. My wife and I cam in here after a movie for a bit to eat - 2pm on a Monday afternoon. The place was deserted. The waiter was friendly enough, the burger was so-so, the fires came out hot and the shake was decent. But I felt kinda bloated and full. I think the burger was a bit on the soggy side from the "special sauce" (1000 island dressing, evidently). It was OK. I probably won't be back. Too many other places to choose from. read more

Food is very slow, my cheesesteak sandwich was cold and dry. They really should have a microwave on the corner. The milk shakes however are amazing! :) read more

Never will I come here again. The service was poor, although I still decided to leave a tip. The server was very unenthused, and rarely checked on us. The one thing that she did do was offer to refill my drink. I just couldn't believe that she actually asked me to write her a review on Yelp because her boss checks them, and she gets a cash prize for receiving the most. It was not even busy, so I have no idea why she wasn't more attentive. I did notice her counting tips from her previous tables. The bill was also a little high for what we ordered. A chicken sandwich, a burger, and a handful of fried and onion rings for $30. The poetion was very small. I would have been better off eating somewhere else. read more

Food was quickly served. Generic meals - chicken fingers and hamburgers. Didn't get a milkshake as we were in a hurry, but overall, a great place for a quick meal. read more

Where to begin.....the first time we stopped by this establishment, we stood at the door, waiting for 10 minutes. No one so much as acknowledged us, so we turned and left. A couple months later, something possessed us to return. What a mistake. Granted this was on a weekend, but....we were seated after about 5 minutes. The shake machine was broken, which displeased everyone, but our orders were taken after about 15 minutes. Then, for the next hour, nothing happened. Drinks emptied, and remained that way. I watched the way the staff was working and couldn't tell who the actual manager was; there was such a complete lack of actual managing going on. Guests would either be seated quickly, or wait for 10-15 minutes without being greeted. If anything, they seemed to be understaffed, but no one was making any effort to explain that or even be polite to the waiting guests. The food was okay at best, but that may have been due to us all being literally starving by the time it arrived. I'm really not a fan of walking out, so if I hadn't been there, the rest of the group might easily have done so. All-in-all, it was a mistake. Gave them a second shot and definitely didn't benefit. read more

Me and the girlfriend got burgers and our bottom bun was soggy, both of ours. The waiter was as joyous as a patient with terminal cancer. The star is for the milk shake. The shakes are still good. read more

Johnny Rockets - Here isn't soggy burger - Burgers Near Me - Hanover, Maryland

The service was nice, waiter messed up on our order, but whatever. Too much work and too little time to wait for them to redo it. Chili cheese fries are terrible. I think that the fries there are simply terrible. It's hard and not crunchy and it feels like a refrigerated fry, like I know most fries are refrigerated but like it was so hard and stale, it was also tasteless. Maybe try tater tots next time. I really liked the Jalapeno Burger, gave a spicy kick. The top bun was cold though, which I wasn't really happy about. But if I came back, I'd probably just get a burger, nothing else. Oh yeah, milkshakes are good, I got the Oreo Milkshake. read more

Johnny Rockets - Also don't get the fries. - Burgers Near Me - Hanover, Maryland

I came right after hitting b-dubs because i was craving a milkshake and a burger. Six wings was all i had and i was hungry for more food. I was seated rather promptly by the host and i chose to sit at the bar. The bar tends to be the place where you can probably expect attentive service, right? This place defied that one rule that is so hard to mess up. There were at least 7 people standing in front of me, and not one took the liberty to bring out water or take my order. I had to make eye contact for this to happen. The same applied when i wanted my check. I think the manager is the one who handed me my check. Food - it was mediocre. The bread began crumbling (i'm not sure if it a sign of bread going stale). Fries are fries (they were fairly crunchy and soft on the inside, so nice work, fryer). That's all. read more

Fast friendly service. The food came out quick, which is nice when you're stuck at the mall. The fries and milkshakes are delicious. One of the best milkshakes around. The veggie burger is disappointing, they changed to a black bean burger, which isn't great. I would still go back though, because the options at the mall aren't great read more

To say that customer service was horrible is putting it mildly. When we got there, there was only party in front of us but we were asked to wait for 30 minutes. I looked around and saw there were 5 or 6 tables that were empty, few of them were dirty. Turns out the host was also the one clearing up the tables. When we were finally seated, it took about 10 minutes for our server to approach us. She came back 15 minutes later for our drinks and minutes again after that for our food to come. I spent those times observing and boy did I see a nightmare! People near our table were there before us and their food were not even served. I looked at their bar/cooking area and I saw orders after orders piling up waiting to be served. Servers were just chatting, moving slow, texting, and doing everything but their jobs. I looked at the entrance and there was a long line and I heard the host say to them loud and clear 'Sorry but we are full, we are not accepting customers right now, please come back in 30 minutes'. Seriously?? There were empty tables that just take some 30 seconds of cleaning! So, back to our order. We got so tired of waiting that I looked at our server (who was standing by the kitchen door) and I got to say this- I didn't feel bad at all that I glared at her. It was the other customers waiting for their orders that I give my sympathy to. The only compensation I got in all of this is my serious love for burgers, and it made me endure this disaster. Thankfully, it hit the spot. A word if advise to Johnny Rockets, be careful who you sell your franchise to, because they will give the company a really bad name. To the local owner, change the management and staff because they are lazy and unhappy with what they do. If you have not seen them in action, believe the reviews of customers. Or you should be in that Food Network show where they install hidden cameras in restaurants to catch any employee wrongdoings. read more

I have never seen such MISERABLE people in my life! There were empty booths. We stood waiting for a long time just to be acknowledged. I only had three dimes for the juke box so I went to the register to get some nickels. The guy only gave me two. TWO!! After sourly informing us they were out of sweet potato fries, our waitress spilled most of the fries on the tray when we got our food. My husband's drink never got refilled. And the waitress only smiled at us when we got the check. Seriously. The only saving grace, the only reason I eat here is the food. I have had the Tuna Melt and the Philly Cheese Steak and both times they have been so delicious!! Maybe it's because I'm so hungry by the time the food comes, who know..but each time I am not disappointed when I take that first bite. So, if you are willing to wait and can ignore the rude behavior just for the food, then go here. read more

Lastnight my lady and I had stopped in to kill some time while waiting to see the Suicide Squad movie. We spoke with the hostess who turned out to be our waitress, Coralie. We were greeted and taken to our table. She was quick with our drinks and our food. We had asked for an extra side of blue cheese and bbq sauce which was also quickly brought over. The speed of our service, her attentiveness and friendliness, and our happiness with our food (crispy chicken tenders and crispy fries) had us full and just in time for the movie. All in all it was a pleasant experience. Will definitely return again. Thanks Coralie! read more

The girl at the front was dry. She tried to talk us out of coming in stating "you might have to wait for your food. We only have a few servers." Meanwhile the place was empty. I shouldn't be able to see the cook and my fries & burger still be cold. Waitress was friendly. Food was cold and bland. read more

Just ate at Johnny Rockets. Ordered at 6:30pm a spicy burger, onion rings and shake. Received the shake promptly, it was excellent. Didn't see my burger and now fries (I ordered onion rings) until 7:10. The burger was cold - I'm betting the tomato which was actually larger than the burger was so cold, that it cooled the burger while sitting somewhere for 25 minutes or so. So new burger and onion rings were ordered - both arrive within minutes - in fact, this was a bit weird, nobody cooked a new burger, so they must have precooked patties just sitting around in a warmer. Now I was hungry, but 9 mins later I finished. I left behind 1/2 the burger and a few rings - obviously this food is nothing to write home about. I had high hopes, as Johnny Rockets is an attractive place, it appears clean and has good music, great shakes. But the crappy food and poor service are a killer. Now that I'm back from this experience, I see all the poor reviews - I wish I would have noticed before walking in. I was scouting for a new hangout - this place was just crossed off my list. read more

I love burgers and I was hoping this place inside the mall would give me a chance to enjoy a good burger. The place looks like a diner and inside, the seats are a little worn and the floors seem a little dirty kind of like an old diner. The service is pretty slow so if you are really hungry, you are gonna be upset like I was. I got the Houston burger which was the new spicy burger with jalepenos. It was spicy and tasted ok except the beef patty was really small. I would say the McDonald's double cheeseburger patty is meatier. The fries were dry and was not salted. Also, the hamburgers cost around $9 which is ridiculous for the quality. I would recommend you save a couple bucks and go get yourself a burger from Red Robin or Five Guys which are much better. read more

My family and I have waiting over thirty minutes after placing our order. We ordered three regular hamburgers with fries. Sitting at our book we have witness customers behind us receive there orders fulfilled while we continue to wait. This is outright humiliating. Thanks Johnny Rockets. Our waitress just informed us that our order was lot due to a computer glitch. I have never witness service like this. read more

The burger was okay The Philly tots I wont get again. I don't like how the green peppers weren't cooked. read more

Wish I would have read reviews before sitting down. 25 minutes to get food that was not even worth McDonald's and got to pay a top dollar for this! We use to love this place. Very sad. Slow service poor quality food. read more

I am a HUGE FAN since I was a kid and now I am a pre senior if you want to call that!---LOL, I been in the OH,NYC,NJ, Thought out the Bay area in CA and even on a family cruise! read more

This is kind of a JR in name but not always in practice. No cheery singing here. No fun at all for the employees, it seems. But a decent and convenient place to grab a quick bit before a movie. I am absolutely underwhelmed by the restaurant choices at Arundel Mills so I usually come to JR by default. As in, "Service at Du Claw : Atrocious; Food at Dave and Busters: Inedible; Mexican place (name?) Is great for chips and salsa and a beer but the fun stops there; We're in the mall already so let's eat at Johnny Rockets. That's precisely what happened recently when our original choice of birthday lunch restaurant (in Ellicott City) proved to be closed for lunch on Saturdays (despite their web page saying they were open on Saturdays. The "proof" was a locked door and lights off when we arrived.) We already had tickets for a movie at Arundel Mills and everyone was starved, so we just headed there, with that sigh of compromise: "I guess (sigh) we'll eat at Johnny Rockets." Having said that, once we were there I went all reckless and ordered a steak and cheese instead of a patty melt and it was sooooo good!. Probably the best I have ever had. Didn't care much for my chili cheese fries, in fact even just the plain fries were a disappointment. But, hey, more room for my sandwich. And I ate every bite (and I am a notorious food waster so my mom would be really proud.) Yes, I tasted the onions throughout the film. (I would probably say hold the onions next time.) But most certainly yes I will be back for round two (hold the fries as well) sometime in the near future read more

Haven't been in a Johnny Rockets in about 15 years and wanted a quick meal before a movie. Was pleasantly surprised at how much it had improved. The sweet potato fries were hot, crispy and fresh and the Philly Cheese Steak was on a fresh role, the steak had great flavor and it came out fast. It was also at a reasonable price. read more

Picked up a meal while at the mall. Got typical burger and shake meals. Fries were good. The burgers were a little dry but ok, i wouldn't call it a gourmet burger. Shakes were great. read more

Decided to hit this place up after a movie screening for some late night grub. I was far from disappointed. Even though my step son and I were one of the last few customers for the night, service was top notch. I hate going to places where you can tell your the last person to be served food. We watch out waitress make our food and it was quickly done. I have always enjoyed Johnny Rockets fries but the Grilled chicken sandwich I had was out standing. I decided to take home my leftovers only for my fiance whom i asked if he had wanted anything on my way home say no and still crush them. Next time I will order what I am having and bring it to him as to avoid having to shout "Step away from my grub Bub!" read more