Mr J's Sports Bar & Grill

How do you know a woman is a mother? ***Answer below***It's a "different" sort of place....it's filled with regulars.....*Answer to above joke still further down*....Not a problem; some cool people & understandable due to location.....but it seems Everyone in there wants to keep it to Regulars Only......like they have No Room at the Inn for anyone else......like they've got enough "friends" and Shall Not even entertain the idea of taking on any more.....I always just thought it was me (and that may be true or at least a reason for poor service, rude and unaccommodating staff, belligerent staff, patrons, owner, jealous staff, patrons, owner, non existent staff)...I compare my experience to others and it seems a lot felt just like I did. Keep in mind some of the reviews are from staff, former staff, ex-regulars, and regulars like...Mr. J's is a big reason as to why I quit drinking. I was fed up with the state of service jobs and their lack of service. In All Honesty, I am not allowed to spend my money at Mr. J's, per the owners edict.....Mr. J's is a Bar & Grill where the staff (usually 1-2 women/Moms) the staff not only slings booze but they do the cooking as well. If it's just 1 Mommy then they're serving drinks and cooking. You'd think it shouldn't be a problem to get food when you walk in and there are 3 people in the place and one of the 3 is passed out on the bar. Looks can be deceiving. The moms hate cooking and they do Not try to hide this Fact. So, why I'm not welcome at Mr. J's..., I was talking to a friend and I ordered two hamburgers and fries. My friend said he wasn't hungry and didn't want one. She refused to cook two burgers. I begged, pleaded, pleaded, begged, begged and pleaded, pointed out that I had earlier given her a $100 tip....I begged, I suggested this was part of her job, I tried everything other than Not begging her to cook me two hamburgers....she refused. Her and I exchange "F.U.'s" and I leave walking home....cops stop me; she called the police on me. I am a bachelor....Being a bachelor that doesn't cook and was on my way to a solid buzz, I had visions of waking up from a stupor and Crushing a Burger & Fries...the owner backed his employee and I'm banned.When I say "Everyone in there" has an expressed/subtle desire to keep the "In-crowd" to current members only, I really mean Everyone........the regulars, the staff, and the owner seem to buy into this "groupthink". ***Give her a second, if she's a mom; she'll tell you.*** It's my guess that the staff seem to perpetuate the idea that they don't want/need/or even think you should be in the place because the regulars do Not eat there just booze, anyone new they might have to cook for. But hey, the staff, they're moms so they deserve a life of leisure from here on out, right? I chatted with the owner (Gary, I think) anyway, we were talking and I told him, "I go to a bar for two things - Booze and Witty Conversation and I really don't need the witty conversation. At a bar booze shouldn't be a problem but his people bartend like they text 'can't appear too eager...gotta be a little aloof/standoff-ish...." He proceeds to tell me that he makes so much money from his other hobbies that he doesn't need to make money with Mr. J's. I said, "So, you sentence us to horrible service because of that?" He basically admitted they were inept but he said if I brought him someone better he would hire them. He makes a good point. Another interest thing is for how much the "moms" hate cooking the owner is good at it, takes pride in it, and is happy to accommodate (I am Not picky, how a menu item is listed is exactly how I wanted it...I'm not a fan of lettuce on a burger but its not a big deal), what I mean is you can go off menu if it's not too crowded or he will add good ideas to the menu or he will copy popular recipes. The bathroom situation is Completely Odd. I was in there one time and the women's restroom was out of service so they had to use the men's...we were sharing.....it was uncomfortable. What women are doing in a bar is lost on me....it's a shame that women are drunks like dudes. To have to knock on the door and ask if anyone is in there (like we're back in elementary school) was not the coolest thing I've done in a while. I'm not a shy guy but I can honestly say I understand the whole trans debate. You have an "in-y" you go to the left, "out-y" to the right. Some things should be sacred, some things should be private; some things should or shouldn't have to be unheard/unseen/unsaid....How the owner considers himself anything other than a Bully is beyond comprehension. He can't kick people out of the neighborhood so he's essentially the schoolyard bully saying who can/can't sit at his table. I'm guessing he was/is bullied by his friends/parents/peers/siblings/society and so he has learned that behavior. I can't think of a single reason to recommend Mr. J's....

The waitress was not friendly at all. When I asked for a burger she never asked how I wanted it cooked or what I wanted on it. The bun was completely soggy. I took 4 bites and that's it. And they call it a "grille" and they can only make burgers or friend food. Aka bar food. I understand why nobody was in the building.

Didn't get a chance to try the food but why would I when the service and ambiance was horrible? Had to walk to the other side of the bar to get the bartender's attention and as I'm returning to my seat some drunk guy was trying to harass myself and my date. When I asked him to leave us alone, he started going on about how if "I'm gonna go places just to feel uncomfortable by white people why go?" I asked the bartender and his friends to collect their guy but no one did a thing and acted as if nothing was going on.

What a dump.I was going to grab a beer here but first had to pick something up at the store across the street, so I parked my car at Mr. J's since I was coming back. No sooner did I take 2 steps away from my car and some weirdo started yelling at me that I can't park at the bar if I'm going across the street. I was trying to explain the situation but he wouldn't listen, so I moved my car to the side street.Then I *still* tried to go in for a beer and man, was it a bad choice. The place was filthy and smelled like a wet dog inside. I sat at the bar for a couple minutes while the bartender chatted with what I assume are regulars, and then I walked out since I couldn't take the smell any longer. Glad I did because I definitely don't trust them to clean their glasses or beer lines very well...

I gave them a bad review yesterday on Facebook. I felt my friend and I was singled out, being discriminated. The owner Fred came back with a response that we were looking for free drinks.... go look at my review on Facebook where the owner is lashing out at me. He could have handle this situation different but chose not to.Please review the comments made by this business before deciding if this an establishment you want to support.

It's been a while since anyone has reviewed this place, but I'm here to report that the 1 star reviewers who wish they could give J's Sports Bar & Grill a zero still hold true. You might like it if you prefer: a very unclean environment, inconsistent pricing, mediocre food, up-charges to your bill that can't be explained, staff who spend more time smoking out front than behind the bar, overtly racist commentary, acceptable misogynistic behavior by some of the regulars, served with a large dose of make ameriKKKa great again politics. Do yourself a HUGE favor and Go to Green Lantern Pizza or 24 Seconds instead.

TOTAL DUMP!!!!The staff is horrible but that matches every other aspect of this place. Our food was atrocious. Rude staff and bad food not a good combination.If you went out of business tomorrow you would be doing the community a favor.

Mr J's is the best ! Freddy is the man and I'll never forget during a great blackout , he had the coldest beers in town with those old school ice boxes . The burgers are at legit and delicious always hot crispy fries . Support a local business who supports the community hit up Mr J's

Lions playoff game night... taps finished with 1 beer each tap, no.kitchen, appetizers only and they ran out of ranch dressing

Mr. J's : Everything about the place, bathrooms, service, owner Fred, getting food, cleanliness, riddled with HaRdCoRe DRunKs...make this place a J-Minus.Additional details provided at Facebook Group Berkley, Reviews of the Area.