5 Points Grill

I had lunch at No Way Jose to check it out. I had the vegetarian burrito. There was no vegetarian option on the lunch menu. The burrito was good but grossly overpriced, almost $10 with no side items. I would not pay that price again. On the other hand, the chips were very good.

My friends and I had always heard really good things about this place. I don't know if it's the new ownership or what, but our experience here was far from amazing, and actually bordered on nightmarish. A group of friends and I met up for a birthday dinner, many of us travelling from out of town. We wanted a really nice meal, and thought 5 Points Grill would be a safe bet. Having our table ready by the time we arrived was probably the only upside to the evening.
Our appetizers were brought out luke warm, with our cheese dip having to be returned because it wasn't even melted. Even though we evenutally got everything settled, the food itself wasn't even that good, with the chicken tasting unseasoned and the cheese dip tasting stale and bland.
Our entrees were even worse. Some of them were not even presented as described on the menu (what was described as a grilled fish came out fried in a greasy bredding), and the others were so subpar, that no one at our table could eat their meal. We should have taken it as a forewarning when we were asking the waitress about different entree selections, and she described one as being "the one she gets the LEAST complaints on."
Our waitress was MIA most of the time and didn't clear our table the entire night (with a 6-party table it became extremely crowded). We didn't want to, but we had to complain. When the manager finally wandered over, she did offer to comp our meals, which was actually very honorable.
To make matters worse, however, when I had to return to the restaurant the next day to discuss our experience with another manager, he finally appeared wearing a sweaty, dirty-food stained apron from the kitchen. I don't know what kind of "improvements" the new management is making, but if it's always been like this, I don't see what everyone else sees in this place.
My friend had to walk across the street in 27 degree weather and get a muffin from Starbucks for her birthday dinner. Thanks 5 Points Grill!

Comments (1)

Former employee - 01/26/09
To be honest, I am not suprised by this comment. I worked, in the kitchen, at 5 Points Grill on two different occassions (May '03-August '04 and Jan '07-Oct '08) and there was a definate difference in those two time periods. The first time I worked there we were known as a hot-spot for late nights on weekends with live bands playing every Friday and Saturday. To say the least, we were packed! However, with the crew that we had in the kitchen, we always got the food out quickly and as it should be (hot, presented well, and delicious. . . what EVERY meal should be, unless it's a salad). On our average night we would cook anywhere from 200-500+ meals for people and rarely received complaints. The only complaints we ever heard about were about the servers not doing their job properly, or from customers who honestly didn't know what they were talking about (like ordering your steak medium and expecting it to be well done. . . . there's a major difference in that and that kind of stuff just shows your stupidity. . . . look it up). We very rarely had any food come back with an issue of temperature, plating, taste, etc. As a kitchen crew we prided ourselves on our work (as cooks, chefs, or chefs-in-training. . . we had all types in that kitchen and it didn't matter what level of expertise you had, you took pride in your work because it speaks volumes about what kind of person/worker you are. . . anyway). To sum that time period up, we were a great kitchen crew and lots of people, including employees, loved coming to the Grill to eat, hang out, have fun, whatever. Now, as far as the current time period. . . I came back to the Grill in late '06 or early '07 because I was looking for a second job. The kitchen manager at that time was from the "oldschool" crew that I just told you about. Although some didn't like his attitude towards some of the staff, he made good food. . . good tasting food with a good presentation and didn't send out anything that was sub-par, unlike some cooks/chefs that I know. Shortly after I came back is when the new ownership came through. Now, this place has always been partly owned by a prominent doctor in the Birmingham area (I'll leave his name out because he's more of a silent partner, I only saw him a few times the entire time I worked there, and never met him) but it was the new part-owner that came in early '07, Jerry/Gerry (either a G or a J, I don't know/don't care). I'll admit, I like the way this guy runs his business. . . he seems to be a man of action who, for the most part, will do what he says (some things, like replacing kitchen equipment, are not only out of your control but also very very expensive). But I must say his decisions in hiring kitchen managers was definately sub-par: young guys that had either worked with him before, or who had had some type of management experience (even if it was just Pizza Hut or something else not related to a full-service kitchen). Now, I'm a young guy myself, but my experiences (not necessarily quantity, but quality) have put me through the 'school of hard-knocks' when it comes to cooking, so I have no qualms with the age of the kitchen manager, but rather his style/method of managing. These guys either had a chip on their shoulder because they thought that they were some kind of hot-shot or they didn't have enough motivation/know-how to get the job done as it should. I will say this though: it's not like the kitchen was like a chicken with it's head cut off. . . they knew how to schedule people (sort of) and ask people to do stuff (but who doesn't know how to do that?). The real problem seemed to be these guys' lack of ability to adapt to what the customers' needs were/are. Selling the same meals/apps, that haven't sold well for years is not necessarily a good way to bring in business. Sometimes you need to improvise or change-it-up. The jambalaya and shrimp and grits always sold well, both times I worked there. But when the shrimp and grits recipe was changed several times (because each kitchen manager wanted to show what kind of cook they were, or put their twist on it) it's stats dropped dramatically. I guess the only real way of explaining this is that, before, we were a quality-driven kitchen. Quality was our top priority. But now (I don't work there anymore, but it's pretty much the same kitchen which is why I say 'now') it seems like they just try to get through the shift without a complaint. There are only 1 or 2 cooks left in there that I know care about the quality, taste, and presentation of the food they are putting out. As for myself. . . the only reason I'd go in the Grill now is to get a drink, but that's really only because I still have some friends that work there. It's nothing like it used to be. . . .ahhhhhh, the good ol' days.

One of my favorite places to eat in Birmingham. The prices are SO reasonable and the food is excellent. Sitting outside on the patio gives you an excellent place to people watch :) The service is always great!