Lon's At The Hermosa - Paradise Valley

Meal type: Lunch Price per person: $30–50 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5

LON's at The Hermosa Inn is a true desert oasis. The ambiance, with its lush gardens and cozy fireplaces, is perfect for a romantic dinner. The farm-to-table cuisine is outstanding, and the service is impeccable. LON's offers a memorable dining experience in a serene setting, making it a must-visit in Paradise Valley. Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5

This was an unusual experience for me. Despite having previously dined at Lon 's, I decided to call ahead and make early dinner reservations since I had out-of-town guests. To my surprise, the person on the phone asked me to specify my gratuity before confirming the reservation. Not only was 15% no longer acceptable, but I was required to commit to paying either 18% or 20% before even arriving at the restaurant. While I don 't skimp on tips and am happy to reward excellent service, this approach felt unreal and somewhat off-putting. The person handling my reservation even suggested that I could opt to pay more if I wanted to. When I inquired about the necessity of this policy, stating that I had never encountered such a practice before, I was told that table assignments were based on the gratuity percentages for the waitstaff. When I questioned what would happen if I didn 't like my waiter, I was assured that all our wait staff is great. My response was, Shouldn 't I, as the patron, be making that judgment since I 'm the one receiving the service? The person seemed eager to end the call and essentially refused to make our reservation because we were not willing to commit to a gratuity percentage before dining. It was disappointing. I couldn 't help but think, has anyone else experienced this before? What is happening to our society and people? Why this emphasis on greed? In high-end restaurants in Paris or Europe in general, it 's not expected for patrons to pay a tip, although it 's appreciated if they choose to. Isn 't a tip supposed to be given voluntarily as a gesture of gratitude for excellent service? Aren 't restaurants already making enough money to adequately compensate their waitstaff? Why are they relying on patrons to supplement their salaries? I have decided not to revisit this establishment and would not recommend Lon 's at the Hermosa due to this disappointing customer service experience. Food: 1 Service: 1 Atmosphere: 1

This was an unusual experience for me. Despite having previously dined at Lon 's, I decided to call ahead and make early dinner reservations since I had out-of-town guests. To my surprise, the person on the phone asked me to specify my gratuity before confirming the reservation. Not only was 15% no longer acceptable but I was required to commit to paying either 18% or 20% before even arriving at the restaurant. While I don 't skimp on tips and am happy to reward excellent service, this approach felt unreal and somewhat off-putting. The person handling my reservation even suggested that I could opt to pay more if I wanted to. When I inquired about the necessity of this policy, stating that I had never encountered such a practice before, I was told that table assignments were based on the gratuity percentages for the waitstaff. When I questioned what would happen if I didn 't like my waiter, I was assured that all our wait staff is great. My response was, Shouldn 't I, as the patron, be making that judgment since I 'm the one receiving the service? The person seemed eager to end the call and essentially refused to make our reservation because we were not willing to commit to a gratuity percentage before dining. It was disappointing. I couldn 't help but think, has anyone else experienced this before? What is happening to our society and people? Why this emphasis on greed? In high-end restaurants in Paris or Europe in general, it 's not expected for patrons to pay a tip, although it 's appreciated if they choose to. Isn 't a tip supposed to be given voluntarily as a gesture of gratitude for excellent service? Aren 't restaurants already making enough money to adequately compensate their waitstaff? Why are they relying on patrons to supplement their salaries? I have decided not to revisit this establishment and would not recommend Lon 's at the Hermosa due to this disappointing customer service experience.

We love their benedicts, the salmon for my wife and Canadian bacon for myself. Service: Dine in Meal type: Brunch Price per person: $10–20 Recommended dishes: Churro Tree, Lon's Eggs Benedict