Jonny B’z Dogs And More

Johnny B’z used to be awesome. Used to be 5 stars, easy. It was my favorite place to get a bite to eat. It was the best burger in town, maybe even best in the state. I used to walk in, give my order to the cashier, go sit down, and wait patiently for my meal. 10 minutes tops, if they were busy. It was quiet during the day, and bustling at night. I knew the staff well enough, and could chat with them over the small divider. Obscure music played over the speakers at times. Sometimes it was my favorite band, sometimes it was something new. I could walk in and out of Johnny B’s in 7 minutes with a Tommy burger, fries, and a drink.
Now, when I go in, I wait 10 minutes to get served and I wait another 20 minutes to get my food. There’s a middle-​man (or woman) between me and my food. Now I’m forced to tip another employee to handle something that they don’t need to handle. I don’t want to be waited on, I just want to put my order in and relax. It shouldn’t be this difficult to get a meal.
The worst part? The burger is just average now. It’s nothing special. I don’t know what they did. Maybe the new staff just doesn’t know what it’s doing, maybe they chose to cook it well-​done now, maybe the ingredients changed. Something is clear, though. Johnny B’z isnt Johnny B’z anymore. It’s some hideous abomination of what it once was. The food is okay, the building is okay, and there’s a nice outdoor area to sit. Whoop dee doo. The management better get it together soon, I’m not sure I can stomach another sub-​par Tommy burger.

Food is different than previous location… big step back. Use to be our family’s go to restaurant for a quick meal out. We were in last Friday and the restaurant was almost empty. We still waited an extended period for our food. On our previous visit our fries weren’t cooked completely. Sorry to say we won’t be coming back. We really wanted our 2^nd visit to the new location to be a good experience. Not sure what change by moving 100 ft across the road. Really strange???

Food was pretty great. Service was the main disappointment here. Our waiter only came by at the beginning, never refilled drinks and took quite a while after we finished to bring the check.
Not really sure why they have servers anyway. The style invites an order at the counter type of service…

And now this place is great! Love the new spot LALALALALALA I’m being forced to make it longer lalala

Sometimes you shouldn’t mess with a good thing.
Gone are the free pinball machines, quick orders, friendly staff, and the indie rock music.
Now we have waits to be told to sit anywhere, craft beer, and the neutral grey trying to be hip atmosphere. Not sure it’s worth the cost of $ 27 for 6 dog 3 fries. (23 minute wait for to go order?)
Making an edit; got home with our togo order only to discover half our dogs charred.

Dude, no more pinball???
Used to be a fun place to go with my son to scarf some dogs and play some pinball.
Bring pinball back please!!!

So JB’z has moved across the street into a newly built out location. Now they have a full bar, a slightly larger menu featuring more bbq options, a much nicer kitchen, more staff, more seating, and now have become a full service restaurant (no more quick service, now they have a wait staff).
I will say that the new building is very nice. The roll up garage doors and patio in front are great touches. The new spot is a vast improvement for the streets curb appeal. The kitchen looked pretty sweet as well, as an old line cook I can appreciate a brand new kitchen.
The food is pretty much the same with the addition of more bbq, I heard they now have a 500 lb smoker, which is pretty cool.
The reasons I’m a picky bastard that took away two stars are:
First and foremost– the fries. Goddammit. The fries. Fries are one of the hallmarks of a good burger joint. There is absolutely no excuse for anything less than perfect fries at a good burger place. JB’z has never had perfect fries. They have always been inconsistent. Sometimes too soggy, most of the time under seasoned, once in a while cold, and in general it’s disappointing that they purchase an IQF French fry product instead of cutting their own. Last time I dined in the new location I sat at the bar and watched the kitchen kick out food. I noticed a large batch of fries come out of the fryer, get tossed in a bowl with and underwhelming amount of salt and placed in the hot window. 10 minutes later my burger came out and those 10 minute old rubbery ass fries were served with my fresh cheeseburger. WTF. The only occasion holding fries in the hot window is acceptable is if they are being replaced every 3 minutes or less. I wish instead of expanding the menu they would have focused more on improving the fundamentals.
Second, I’m not a fan of the full service concept. I really liked coming in and ordering at the window, paying, getting my food quickly, then leaving without having to do the song and dance with a server. Now for whatever reason ticket times have gone from around 6 minutes to 10 – 15 min even with take out (this is during not peak hours). It’s almost like they have taken the same menu and put it in different restaurant concept, maybe I’m just resistant to change. So now I come in I have a beer while I wait for my food, after tip I’m paying about what I would pay at Winchester, except Winni has a better burger, and way better fresh cut fries.
I will keep coming back to JBz I like their burger, and I can deal with full service model, even if it’s unnecessary, creating jobs is always good. But if anyone from JBZ is listening, for the love of deliciousness, PLEASE STEP UP YOUR FRENCH FRY GAME.

I used to love Jonny B’s.
Delicious food, pinball machine while I wait, quick service, usually run into a ton of friends, charming little hot dog joint.
This new concept, I am absolutely not in love with.
I really hate that I will no longer recommend this place when out of towners swing through.
It’s lost all of the kitschy feel it used to have and honestly, everything about it seems pretty detached and nonsensical.
I all of a sudden felt like I was in a gourmet steak and shake. Which is NOT something to strive for.
Visited the new location today, was greeted by a host and brought to a table. kinda unneccesary. Upon first glance of the menu it appears they added some new bbq products, which is a plus, but also noticed they got rid of the hot dog and burger combos, so everything has to be ordered seperatly now. Server came up asked what we wanted, I ordered two Chicago dogs and a side of onion rings to split per usual, waited for about 10 minutes and got our food, they had put the onion rings on the other persons basket, and brought me a basket containing one Chicago dog. I let the server know I did indeed want 2, and she fixed the order and apologized. I understand accidents happen, but by that time I get my other hot dog you know everyone’s done eating far before I get it, which is a really awkward situation.
I really don’t understand the purpose of having a host and a server for $ 3 hot dogs that take 5 minutes to eat… had it been the old style where I order at the counter, I would have already paid, and known exactly what my order was before it was brought out. Stop this tomfoolery.
The hot dogs are great, but this whole new restaurant concept is a straight up mess. I think it may be time to rethink it again before it sinks. It would be a shame to watch it crash down with such great dogs.

I thought I was obsessed with this place before, but their new spot is AMAZING. So classy. I like that the pinball machine took a hike as well ;)

This new attempt at a full restaurant and bar is a complete and utter failure. The reason anyone opts for hotdogs is for a quick bite to eat. I decided to try the new location just for this reason and it ended up taking 15 minutes to finally get my take-​out order. Yesterdog tastes better, costs less, and takes a fraction of the time to get your food. Anyone out there looking for a 3 course hotdog dinner and full drink menu for their next hot date? Not a chance! Don’t waste your time or money here and head down the street to a legitimate hotdog joint like Yesterdog.

No longer what it used to be. After being a regular here for four years it may be a while before I go back. No more ordering at the counter and getting your own drinks. You must be seated by a host similar to a restaurant with more expensive food. Your favorites are still on the menu, but the menu is huge, and one whole side is dedicated to drinks, were you can find shots of many liquors for up to $ 60! Food took 30 minutes, and was lackluster when it came out. Never before have I waited longer than 5 or 10 minutes, and it was always top notch hot dogs which I preferred over yesterdog. Building itself is nice, but the concept is terrible. Only three parking spots out front, and we almost got into an accident trying to back out as there is only 1 driveway Would have liked it much better if the kept it they way it was by adding more cooks, and still do the order at the counter style. This place has turned into a bougie hipster joint were drinks are the speciality, and no longer the small fun restaurant with free pinball that it used to be

**This review is of the new Jonny b’z located close by the old one, but that is replacing it.
I love the amount of thought that went into the transition by the staff and ownership. The new location appeals to so many different crowds, but without excluding the people who already love the establishment, prices and feel.
The décor and ambience is great. Even from the outside it, through all the glass it seems warm inside and you want to come in.
We came in for a soft opening and had a huge selection of appetizers and entrees. The big addition here is that they have Bbq now. For our first appetizer we had the wings — they had a warm smoky flavor and were cooked to perfection. They were however left in the dust by the pulled pork fries !! This is a must order. The cheese is light but perfect, and there is a mildly spicy jalapeño aioli on top.
For my entrée I had a hot dog topped with chili and coleslaw. The bun was almost like a crispy toast bun and it made for a great texture. The chili fries I got on the side were pretty good, the chili didn’t seem to have enough stickiness to it so it almost crumbled and fell of the fries– almost like flavored ground beef– wasn’t a big fan.
My wife the brisket and it was great taste wise. The flavors were great but the way it was cut made it look a little messy on the plate.
The prices here are crazy cheap, easily the least you will spend anywhere in town on slightly upscale comfort food. Hot dogs are just a couple bucks and the rest of the food is affordable as well.
Drinks and service were great as well, and overall this is an awesome upgrade to Jonny B’z and the local restaurant scene.

Johhny B’s used to be a nice place to come quick grab a hotdog or burger but now the new location is a full restaurant. The reason I used to go there was because of this. The vibe has completely changed and I’m sure the food is just as good as it used to be but I can’t stand the new vibe

Super good hot dogs with some pinball while you wait. The Chicago and Chili dogs are my personal favorites.
Simple and good.

I always seem to forget that Jonny B’z has corn dogs (even with the huge sign with a picture of a dachshund with a cob of corn for a body). Well, I finally tried one today and it was the best corn dog I’ve ever had. They make them fresh to order with a light coating of curry-​flavored, slightly spicy batter. The light coating is important — I don’t like it when a corn dog is drowning in what feels like a whole pan of cornbread. It came with a spicy dipping sauce that was great! I don’t know if I’ll ever eat anything else from Jonny B’z, this corn dog was that good.

The hype is real. These dogs are the best in Grand Rapids, easily topping Yesterdog… with 7 free toppings at that. The key factor here is their impressively high-​quality bread. These are no regular hot dog buns… think of the deliciousness you’d associate with buttery Texas-​style toast. That’s what you can expect supporting these loaded dogs, as you stuff your face.
I tried the Chili dog, Chicago dog, Corn dog, and Cajun dog, all of which were all fantastic. I would give the Cajun two thumbs up, if you’re especially hungry. I had reservations about bringing my girlfriend (who is vegetarian) to a hot dog place, but she loved the Veggie dog enough to go back for seconds. You won’t be disappointed: give it a try next time you’re around.

I was in Grand Rapids for business and visited Johnny B’s based on Unilocal recommendations. This hot dog shop is why I love Unilocal!This place rocks, and a must visit when in town.
President Ford would be impressed and most likely wishes he was alive just to try a hot dog here.
The staff is beyond friendly and the pinball games while I waited (briefly) for my order brought be me back to childhood memories. They even have transformers pinball!
I ordered the lunch combo. 2 dogs and a soda! All for under 8 bucks. I love Chicago dogs so I ordered one standard Chicago dog and one Cajun Chicago dog. Both rocked. The Cajun dog was slightly spicier and had more of a crunch. Both dogs come served on a toasted roll. Not a bun but a roll, think lobster roll type bread.
Finally — GO HERE! You won’t be disappointed!

Man!!! Best buns ever!!! Visiting my honeys family in Lansing we stopped in before hitting the airport!!! Yummy!!! Kraut Dog is delicious! The bun tho!!! Yipppppppeeee

Stop what you are doing, call in sick, skip class whatever it takes. If you have not been here you need to come here.
I started off with a Chicago Dog and a Kraut Dog. They were so good I just ordered s Hampton Meeks (mustard, chili, slaw). Buns are great and you have your choice 100% beef or turkey dogs. They also have a veggie dog for the non meat eaters (which should be a crime). They also offer burgers and sandwiches, and fries and chips.
I know your thinking Yesterdog is the hotdog capital of Grand Rapids. Not anymore these guys do it right. Not bashing Yesterdog because they have their own style and it works great for them.
These guys I think make a little classier hotdog.
So come here now you won’t be disappointed.

GO HERE, GO HERE NOW!!!
When Christ returns, he WILL return here first!!! This place is awesome, the food is FANTASTIC… Like, «I wanna quit my life and just live in this restaurant forever» kind of fantastic
I think it might be an insult to compare this place to Yesterdog, I mean Yesterdog has some nostalgia for me but the food is not in the same league. Trying to compare the two is like comparing cheese whiz to 7 year aged cheddar… It’s just not fair to the cheeze whiz and it’s an insult to the cheddar… Btw Johnny B’z is the Cheddar in this scenario for those of you who may be a bit slow to pick up what I’m laying down here
The Dogs are fantastic, if you can’t make up your mind just ask for the Johnny and the kitchen will decide for you, you won’t be disappointed with any of the dogs. The sandwiches are like a super sexy slice of «I just don’t think anything else in life matters like this», I mean like better than 1990’s Cindy Crawford in fishnets kind of sexy… This is just great food man. The Brisket was real, like real real brisket… And the pastrami made me wanna cry when it was over… I felt like I had just lost a friend
I am looking forward to returning and consuming the rest of the menu in a binge eating shamefest.
I don’t know if they will ever have Mac n Cheese but I bet it would be perfect with the sandwiches, Ah the possibilities… makes me dream of better days ahead with my new friend Johnny B
There is also free pinball, which is always fanfriggintastic
The prices were great, 2 of us ate like gods for $ 20… I mean way too much food… And I didn’t mind a bit… I am still uncomfortable and not ashamed a bit
The only downside to the place was the presence of hipsters, who apparently you are not allowed to hit in the face with a rock YET… but who knows what the future brings… Things change… one can always hope and keep a rock handy in their pocket for future opportunities
Go here, just go… it’s a spiritual experience… no seriously… just shut up and go… go now