08/26/2026
A Message From the Owner of Joey’s Italian Restaurant
I want to personally address a recent review regarding Joey’s.
First and foremost, I want our customers to know that I am personally aware of the complaint, and our management team is investigating it. We do not tolerate rudeness or disrespect toward our customers. If the events described in the review did take place, they will be addressed, corrected, and there will be appropriate consequences. We take every customer complaint seriously.
I also want to take this opportunity to set the record straight about some things that have been said regarding changes at Joey’s.
I owned Joey’s for approximately two and a half years before we opened our new building. During that entire time, our recipes have not changed. Our portion sizes have not changed. Our products have not changed. We have worked very hard to maintain the consistency our customers have come to expect.
Our kitchen is staffed by an incredibly dedicated team, many of whom have been with us for 8, 10, 15, even 20 years or more. Approximately 90% of our kitchen crew remained with us through the move into our new building. We are extremely proud of them and the hard work they put in every single day.
The decision to build our new restaurant was not about simply making Joey’s bigger. In fact, it is not bigger - we combined two restaurants into one. The old building had limitations that we could no longer overcome. It was not adequately accessible for our disabled customers, our banquet room could not accommodate the growing demand for private events, and the building itself was becoming increasingly difficult for our kitchen and staff to operate efficiently.
We built the new Joey’s to provide a better, more accessible, more efficient and quality-controlled environment for both our customers and our employees.
We were also determined not to lose the history and heart of Joey’s. That is why we created a special room commemorating the original restaurant, including stained-glass windows and other memorabilia from the old Joey’s. We have also continued to invest in improvements, including our noise-control systems, to make the dining experience as comfortable as possible.
We now have more than 70 employees, and we are incredibly proud of the people who come to work every day and give their best to our customers. With that many people, occasionally someone may have a bad day—but that is never an excuse for treating a customer poorly. If this incident occurred as described, we will address it.
We were certainly disappointed and surprised to see this review, particularly in the midst of so many wonderful five-star reviews from our customers. We also want our customers to understand that we investigate every single complaint, regardless of where it comes from. We have heard concerns that some of the negativity surrounding Joey’s may have originated with former employees who left the restaurant unhappy, but we will always focus on the facts and investigate each situation fairly.
Most importantly, I want to personally apologize to anyone who may have had a negative experience at Joey’s. We are investigating this matter, and we will do what is right.
And to our many loyal customers who continue to support us—thank you. Your support means more than you know.
One final thought: when a small business receives a particularly harsh review, it doesn’t just affect the owner. It affects more than 70 people who work extremely hard every day to serve our community. We will always welcome honest criticism because it helps us improve, but we also hope our customers will remember the people behind the name Joey’s.
We are proud of our restaurant. We are proud of our team. And we remain committed to serving our customers with the food, hospitality and consistency that Joey’s has been known for for nearly 40 years.
— Bill Cleary
Owner, Joey’s Italian Restaurant
