Outback Steakhouse — Restaurant in Billings

Before a person can make a review in the service and food industry I truly believe they need to have worked there. I think the ability to empathize with a busy evening and understanding circumstances is key to having a relationship with your server. When I say that the service I received was bad it goes without saying it's possibly the worst service I've seen in the Yellowstone county area. Busy and swamped is totally understandable however when you simply don't want to be there and it shows in your performance that's unexcusable. For one after waiting 35 minutes which is completely understandable on a Saturday night the six of us were jammed inside of Booth. Empathizing with the situation we didn't really think too much of it. Till between 20 and 25 minutes went by without even a drink order. Upon arrival of our server we could not tell if she was waiting on us or the table / booth next to us. Understandably, under the current conditions food service are wearing masks. However the server insisted on staying so far away from the table we couldn't even hear her. We explained that we were ready to order I politely said please get the woman at the end first it's her birthday, that's why we were there. I can only assume the server was new and amateur at the job because she insisted on starting with myself and moving in a clockwise manner around the table. This too not really that big a deal. From there the service got progressively worse. What drinks we had were watered down including what was supposed to be a blackberry martini which was blackberry syrup and water and watered down Coke. Our food took a standard amount of time and understandably so with the busyness of Saturday night crowd. The first time our server attempted to deliver food it would end up being the wrong order. This was for the table next to us. Also not an issue these types of things happen however, what we noticed is that the server was going to continue to insist on staying so far away from the table that she began to pass us plates so that we could hand them out. With one or two people minimum touching the wrong orders food we then explained she had the wrong order. She then sat with her hand out waiting us to hand it back to her while she clogged up an entire aisle the people trying to get back and forth. At this point just outside the kitchen three or four people have touched these plates. You proceed to watch or do the same thing to the table who's food belong to. Luckily a different server served as our meal this individual was polite and even though he did not take our order was able to get it correct and serve each person. We rarely saw our waitress again once for the check and wants to bring back the card aside from that ordering any after dinner drinks or dessert was obviously not in her makeup. Thus instead of taking my mother-in-law out for a nice dinner meal we wrote it off as an experience that we will never return to again and we'll make sure that we make it up to her and take her someplace else. I understand that there are certain factors that people have to put into place under the present conditions. However, if you're so terrified that you can't do your job, if you are so unpersonable don't be in the service business. I can handle a meal being off sometimes you just win the lottery of having a Miss cooked meal but service is a choice. If you don't know how to do it learn if you don't have the personality to do it then don't. I can honestly say it was the worst service I have had in this...

We don't usually eat at Outback often but this rating is definitely deserved after tonight's experience. First I would like to mention their remodel they did quite some time ago is beautiful and cozy. My husband and I went to dinner tonight with our 10 week old son. The owners wife (I unfortunately did not get her name) greeted us and had a table cleared for us which took down wait time, even though there hardly was a wait in general. She complimented us on our son multiple times which always makes a first time mother feel good. Our booth was next to a few women with 4 children all of seemingly under the age of 5. We were talking with the owners wife about how sleepy our baby was in casual conversation. A little later the other tables children were screaming, and I mean screaming shrill screams of defiance. The woman who seemed to be the mother began yelling at the screaming children and this went on and off from sitting down through our appetizer. Our little man stayed a trooper and didn't fuss with such loud noises and him already being tired. The owners wife returned to our table and offered us to move to another part of the restaurant where would be quieter for our son. We thanked her for such consideration and thoughtfulness but agreed it would be okay to remain at our current table. Throughout the remainder of our dinner the screaming on and off continues. Two of the little kids left the table and ran around the tables (going out of view) and around the inside of the restaurant and the women did not collect them. They did return to the table on their own but then one began choking the other as the women talked amongst themselves. Then we hear one of them exclaim that one of the kids was choking the other, which then was corrected by one of the women at the table. They proceed to get their check, and ask for more Dr. Pepper for the kids to go. The table was a mess, there was silverware on the floor and food on the floor. On our own way out I thanked the owners wife again for her offering for us to relocate our family so our little one could have some quiet. I let her know we saw the aftermath and that we do feel bad that such a mess was left by the other party. I learned this is an almost regular basis and my heart truly breaks. The service restaurants provide and what their staff and owners go through is at times is left unappreciated and yet throughout the chaos they deal with, they still had the thought to make our visit there more welcome and peaceful for our family and for my husband and I to have a dinner together. So thank you Outback staff and owners for going above and beyond, when I know I would be at my the end of my rope on a...

As we were seated, our waitress was rude and rolled her eyes at me when I ordered my drink, then proceeds to roll her eyes at my sister when she asked for sweet tea saying we don’t have sweet tea and then my sister said regular tea is fine. We both We’re with our boyfriends, they proceeded to order a drink too, and Waitress proceeded with a nasty attitude as well. As we get our drinks handed to us, she slams them down on the table and walks away and proceeds to take other tables orders, and or drink orders. She comes back to our table and takes our food order. Our appetizer comes out. We got a blooming onion 30 minutes later than we get our side salad and then about an hour we get our food. Nowhere in between that we were ever asked if our food was good and or if we needed a refill on our drinks.. for our salads we asked for ranch three times and never once were we given ranch for our food. I asked another waitress and she right away, went and grabbed ranch, but only brought one besides the point cause that’s not her job. It’s our waitresses job and we never got any… my sister and my boyfriend only got one refill on their drinks and they were not asked if they wanted one, our waitress came up grabbed the drinks rudely and went and refilled them and then as she placed my boyfriend’s drink down she spilled soda all over his phone and him.. then goes oh sorry, my bad and walks away. Going back to when we were seated we were never given table bread either. After all this, it’s time to go we asked for a go boxes and the only time she came back was to get the check… overall, just a horrible atmosphere and rude waitress would expect more when you’re spending at least $100 A couple. We were sitting by the takeout door and I even overheard her being rude to the guy waiting for take out. Saying we’re really shortstaffed. Sorry it’s gonna be about 15 minutes and the man that was waiting for his food. He sat there for an hour and a half. Yes, I get that restaurants can be busy, but it wasn’t busy enough for...