El Rodeo South Main — Restaurant in Blacksburg

I'm not typically one to write negative reviews, but the experience I had at El Rodeo was so abysmal that I feel compelled to share my experience.

The restaurant was more than half empty when we arrived, yet the service was incredibly slow. The appetizers took an eternity to arrive, and when they did, there were no plates, napkins, or silverware on the table. We waited for over an hour for our entrees, which, considering the number of empty tables and available staff, was completely unacceptable.

What made the situation even more frustrating was the blatant lack of customer service. When we asked the waitstaff for the missing tableware, it took them an additional 15 minutes to bring it. This left us sitting awkwardly, unable to start on the appetizers that had finally arrived.

In an attempt to address these issues, we asked for the manager. The host claimed there was no manager present - a dubious statement at best. Then, he refused to provide his number, stating he didn't own a phone.

However, the most disappointing part of the entire ordeal was when we finally did locate the manager - at the bar, no less. Upon relaying our grievances, he did absolutely nothing to rectify the situation or even acknowledge our dissatisfaction.

This is, without a doubt, the worst service I have ever experienced. I've been in some less-than-stellar establishments before, but none of them treated their customers with such blatant disregard. The staff at El Rodeo seems to have no interest in providing even the most basic level of customer service.

I would strongly advise anyone considering dining here to rethink their plans. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area that value their customers and understand the importance of good service. El Rodeo is, unfortunately, not...

So, El Rodeo had been our go-to "Mexican" restaurant in Blacksburg for years, but service there has been steadily declining for some time now, finally reaching an inexcusable level on my last visit.

We ordered pick-up, fajitas for two and a burrito. I drove to the restaurant, waited for the food and then drove home. Opening the food, we discovered that the restaurant had neglected to provide the tortillas.

Now they're not the central element of the dish, but tortillas are pretty central to the whole fajita concept. So I called El Rodeo and told the cashier, very politely, that there was something wrong with our order -- no tortillas.

Instead of apologizing or trying to rectify the error, she replied that "well, it's not my fault, it's the kitchen!" I told her I wasn't accusing her, but that I considered tortillas essential and that I was disappointed. Instead of making things right, or even apologizing, she told me that if I drove back to El Rodeo (a 30 minute round trip while the rest of the food got cold), then she would be sure to have the tortillas ready for me.

She didn't apologize, she didn't make the slightest effort to correct a mistake that seriously reduced our enjoyment of a $50 dinner (with the tip that I had foolishly left at pickup despite it being a pickup order because I am trying to support local establishments through this pandemic). Just unconscionable.

Gave them another chance last night because I had a craving for Mexican, so I convinced myself that the last experience had been an anomaly and I should give El Rodeo another chance.

It was a mistake. Food was cold and not flavorful. I guess they've just given up during the pandemic.

Hopefully, someone will open a quality Mexican restaurant in...

CHECK YOUR CREDIT CARD RECEIPTS!! I went to lunch with a friend and checked my bank account several days later. Turns out, they helped themselves to an extra tip. No big deal, right? Everyone makes a mistake... I wait tables, I know. So I called the restaurant to have it corrected. I was told a manager was unavailable, that the young lady who answered the phone would not give out her name, and could she just have someone else call me back. I told her no, I would just file a fraud alert. She wanted to know why and I told her, she then asked if I had my receipt (always keep them), was I calling over that amount, (like it was shocking that I would bother), and said someone would call me back. (Her attitude was unbelievably rude and condescending.) Haven't received a call. My friend checked her receipt and they over charged her as well. She called and the same young lady was even more rude to her! If I could leave zero stars, I would and I can't see a situation where I would...