Texas Roadhouse — Restaurant in Bloomington

I have always enjoyed visiting Texas Roadhouse. The rolls, the cinnamon butter, the steaks — everything has consistently been delicious, and it has long been a go‑to spot for family dinners. Unfortunately, tonight’s experience has me questioning whether I’ll be back.

My family was dining with my relative’s service dog, who monitors their diabetes. We’ve taken this fully trained dog to many restaurants without issue. The dog stays in a certified service‑dog carrier, remains quiet, and is always under the handler’s control. Our server seated us without hesitation; no questions were asked, and we began enjoying our meal.

The problem arose only after we had already received drinks, salads, and entrées. A manager approached, explaining that a guest had complained that having a dog in the dining room was “unsanitary” and that only service dogs are allowed. We calmly confirmed that the dog is indeed a service animal and offered documentation. The manager declined to see paperwork but stated the dog had to be “on a leash and on the floor, not in a bag at the table,” and that we could not give the dog water or treats.

As a disability advocate familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I know those statements are inaccurate. The ADA clearly says service animals do not have to be leashed if a leash interferes with their work, but they must remain under the handler’s control. Quietly resting in a carrier beside the handler qualifies. The ADA also places no blanket ban on a service animal drinking water or receiving treats so long as the animal is not disruptive.

Our service dog never barked, begged, or disturbed other diners; he occasionally lifted his head but otherwise lay calmly in his carrier. Nonetheless, the manager’s misunderstanding made us so uncomfortable that my family member chose to leave early with the dog, and the rest of us felt rushed to finish.

I am sharing this in hope that Texas Roadhouse will:

Provide staff with updated ADA training so service‑dog teams are welcomed without unnecessary confrontation.

Clarify policy to prevent similarly stressful experiences for other patrons with disabilities.

Texas Roadhouse has been one of my favorite restaurants, but unless this issue is addressed, we may not return and will consider filing a formal ADA complaint. I appreciate your attention to this matter and hope to see meaningful improvements so that every guest — with or without a service animal — can enjoy the great food and friendly atmosphere Texas Roadhouse...

As many places as I've traveled to in many restaurants as I have frequented, I don't usually even give a bad review if it's warranted. That being said aside from our astounding server who was top notch, seriously she was great this was probably the worst dining experience I have had. There is so much that I could comment about but I will just give you the basics. My table which consisted of myself my buddy my daughter and my ex-wife, we all got water with lemon my ex-wife got a Pepsi. Once the drinks arrived we all took a drink and we all kind of just sat there and looked at each other and wondered if all of our drinks tasted the same. They did like egg water even the pop. We sat there for a little bit my server came back asked us if we were ready to order brought us our appetizers, I kindly mentioned that our drinks had a 20 taste to him and without hesitation she said yeah that's Bloomington normal water. Now whether or not that is the case which I assume it is nothing was said or mentioned prior to and the only options we had were alcohol or a bottled water. As far as the meals went I got the bacon cheeseburger well done french fries and my meal was actually pretty decent, my daughter and my buddy got steaks medium rare and they were very much less than par. That's just the nicest way I can put it The appetizer was the bloomin Onion It was decent it was standard is it usually is as well as the bread and butter. The condition of this restaurant I have to say was pretty shoddy even for a place that used to allow you to throw peanuts on the floor. At one point I got up to excuse myself and used the restroom and as soon as I walked into the bathroom the entire floor was just full of different food pieces and just the floor was covered in trash. I used the bathroom and as I was getting ready to exit when an employee came out of the stall and he was a guy so that tells you probably what he was utilizing the stuff for and did not even watch his hands walked right out. I'll leave the review at that I wish that I had a better one to give but boy with that was one of the worst restaurants that I have been in in a long time. Hopefully it was just an isolated incident and they get their act together but people were still in there and I didn't see too many complaints so it was a collective thought so it wasn't just isolated by me but cheers and I hope that everybody has a better dining experience at some point there I'm sure it was better at one point but things go...

I have been a regular customer since they first opened and it has steadily gone downhill. Today I felt inclined to write a review. I ordered Prime Rib medium rare, with a Cesar Salad (without croutons), Chili and an Ice Tea. The Cesar Salad showed up with croutons and the lettuce was willted. The Chili never showed up at all. My ice tea was never refilled in the almost 60 minutes I was sitting there. Then the prime rib arrived - well done, not medium rare. When I commented that the prime rib was not medium rare the waitress who brought the food (not our waitress) agreed and returned it to the kitchen. Our waitress then brought it back to the table with a smaill piece cut out of it (I guess to confirm that it was overcooked) and said that was the best they could do and if I wanted it. After respectfully declining she said she would send the manager over. Not sure why she bothered. The manager had no answers, no solution only blamed it on a lack of communication in the kitchen. The problem is, this is not the first time this has happened, the last several times they have thrown a slab of meat on the plate - no matter how well done - and brought it to me. I shut up and ate it the first time and it was dry and overcooked and I paid for I meal that I didn't order and didn't enjoy. When the manager came by that first time she asked how my meal was and I told her, she basically shrugged and walked away. The next time it happened, I didn't accept what they served because it wasn't what I ordered. I then talked to a different manager about the issue and yet another manager again today. They seem perturbed that I didn't want to order something else and wait for it to arrive after the people I was hoping to have a nice dinner with had already finished their meals. This time, like the last time their only response was - "I'll take it off your bill". Like they are doing me a favor to not have to pay for a meal I didn't get to eat. The waitress in what appeared to be an effort to save her tip, came over to make sure I knew it wasn't her fault. When I mentioned I never got my Chili and my ice tea glass had sat empty, she was quick to say that she had too many tables to take care of. On the positive side, the rolls were good. After being a regular customer for over two years, I will...