Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery — Restaurant in Centennial

I have been reluctant to write a review for this Rock Bottom establishment, mainly because I have had so many good and bad experiences, including that of the waitstaff as well as the food itself. However, the experience I had today inspired me to have at it.

After having dined here for 3 years now, I have had many good and bad experiences. However what happened to me tonight locks in the overall observation I have had. First of all it needs to be known I come in with co-workers, on average, twice a week for Happy Hour, and as such I understand that we can be considered 'usual' customers. With that said, we have always been very nice and considerate of our waiters and waitresses, especially since most of us have worked in the restaurant business previously in similar roles.

Anywho, to the point: over the past several outings we have been treated more and more poorly. It has gotten to the point that we go out of our way to make the waitresses comfortable. I am not sure if it is because we are usuals, but we have been increasingly ignored and left with attitude. So many times we'll be in the middle of placing our order and our waitress will just walk away right in the middle and leave half of us hanging. After trying to give the benefit of a doubt so many times, we have finally accepted that for whatever reason, we have become a hassle to be helped. Don't get me wrong, there are very pleasant waitstaff who have served time and time again. However it is the result of a couple specific waitresses who seem to have it in for us. On their "better" days, I have personally tipped them well over 100% of the full amount of the bill with hopes to keep the positive vibe going. Unfortunately this seemed to do no good. Tonight, after having the worst experience in 3 years (being ignored, being cut-off in mid-order, eye-rolling, 20-30 minutes going by with empty glasses, etc), I left a zero tip for one of the first times in my life. This is after having left $20-30 tips in the past (believe me when I say I'm not a cheap person, I really do love rewarding good service). So here's what happened. After having dined here so many times, and after leaving very generous tips so many times, when I walked out of the store tonight, the waitress opens the door behind me and yells at me "learn to leave a tip, ah*!"

Now I get it that people come in and can be absolutely ungrateful to waiters and waitresses all the time. But given that I have always been extremely nice and forgiving for so many years, this was entirely shocking and out of nowhere. Nobody has ever called me that before in my entire life. Indeed, it was unacceptable, especially when I consider the time I was first 'stiffed' back when I waited tables -- I remember taking a moment to think long and hard as to why it happened, deciding to own up to it, and from there looked forward to making necessary adjustments both as a person and as a waiter. For what it's worth, it goes to show that there are people working here that think they can give such complacent service, and then expect to be rewarded nonetheless, with no reason to consider perhaps they did something wrong. This, sadly, is what this Rock Bottom location has become victim of all too many times. If only they knew that even slightly above-par service would have warranted very good tips, indeed, especially from those of us who are 'usuals.' Seriously, if you would have tried, we really would have helped to do all the things to make serving us worth your while. I honestly don't know why, but they treated some very good people very, very poorly. Don't you consider that the rest of us also may have had bad days and are just looking to relax and enjoy what's left of the day? Just be nice! We're nice to you, why not just reciprocate and then everybody wins? Was really routing for this restaurant, especially since it has so...

I now know what disappointment tastes like and, if you want to hit rock bottom (for flavor), this is the place to go.

Of the places I have eaten, this stands out as one of the worst dining experiences, for me.

(February 2022).Two of us ordered 3 appetizers/starters and a beer (see photo), to fill a hankering for a snack. We arrived on a Saturday night around 9:45 pm. They close at 11:00, so it wasn't late-night and it wasn't like we were pushing the clock for the kitchen to be cooking food. Most other places closed at 10:00, so options for food were dwindling. I should have heeded the 3.9.stars but we were tired of driving around and just wanted a beer and a bite to eat.

The "Sidekick" dish of "Garlic Green Beans" was the least disappointing of the three plates but the small serving size was hardly worth $4.00. I don't know why or how they made them look so shriveled up and sickly - but this appears to be a theme for their cuisine.

The $13.00 "Bison Chili Loaded Waffle Fries" tasted like a cheap version of Hormel canned chili and some reheated, bland-o-brand, non-crispy, frozen waffle fries that were reheated in the microwave, plus extra salt.

The $9.00 "Brewer's Beets" starter was the most depressing and disappointing dish of all.

It was made from canned, lifeless (or maybe thawed out, frozen, lifeless) beets which were NOT roasted - not in the slightest. They weren't warmed up and they weren't chilled. They were "off the shelf, pantry-stored, canned-goods" temp. The 0.01 ounces of "sour beer queso fresco" dusting was just comical/puzzling and, yeah, it was just "queso fresco" with a stupid name on the menu to try making it sound a lot tastier/intriguing than it really is. However, there was so little of it that it's hard to know, for sure, if it was even queso fresco. The freakishly-frugal application of jalapenos did not do anything to help matters of the mouth. To really drive things home and race to the bottom, they left out "tea-lime vinaigrette" and "crispy spent grains"... the two items in the menu description which I was most curious to taste, since I've never had "crispy spent grains" and it was hard to imagine what "tea lime vinaigrette" was meant to be like, on beets or otherwise. Sadly, and as you can see in the picture, only water and a sheer layer of disappointment accompanied the ELEVEN, 1/4", half-round or quarter-round, slices of tasteless "beets" which amounted to 1 or 1.5 whole beets. Supply chain issues and wage increases cannot justify this outrageous price and this poor preparation/presentation.

The beer was far from magical and not much better than a can of Bud.

The waiter apparently didn't seem to mind that the food he served up was nothing as described, or he had no clue... or both. He was friendly enough but hardly had our best interests at heart, for food or beer selections.

The atmosphere was "generic franchise" and they listed beer selections on the menu that weren't even available (not because they ran out but because they weren't available, at all).

In hindsight, I think I'd rather go hungry or eat week-old leftovers, from my fridge, than eat a "fresh" serving of anything, from any Rock...

So first impressions can usually make or break an experience for me, and this was my boyfriend's and my first time coming here. We walked in, and stood at the hostess booth for close to ten minutes. Usually five is a deal-breaker and we'd normally go somewhere else, but we figured that maybe since the bar area was so busy, the hostess might have been helping out with serving or something. Anyways, she comes jogging up and leads us to a table. We takes our seats and are handed these ginormous menus. There is literally too many choices!

The next thing I noticed: If you are seated down the middle of the restaurant, you could accurately guess the weight of whoever walks down that aisle. The floor is very rickety, and it shakes the tables, the drinks, and the patrons. It's noticeable and makes for a very unpleasant atmosphere in addition to the "double lamps: over our table. There was a small lamp on our table that was quite nice, but there are also these horrid "Tiffany-imitation" lamps sitting on the dividing wall between seating sections. And it's at just that height so the bare bulbs glares over you the entire time. It was annoying and definitely affects the atmosphere and mood.

We had to send our waitress away for a few more minutes of reading, made our choices, and then waited another ten minutes before she showed back up. Our orders were a little strange thanks to a low-carb diet: no bun on the burger, and swap out crispy fried onions for grilled onions and mushrooms on a steak. But our waitress didn't even blink. She got our orders down and we waited about twenty minutes for our food.

Once the food arrived, I learned a valuable lesson: don't order a medium-rare steak. It will come to your table rare. I sent it back and was rewarded with what I had ordered! Nicely cooked outside, and cool pink in the center! Perfect! I had the 12 oz New York strip (classically seasoned), and it was phenomenal! I asked for grilled onions and mushrooms on top! Even the tiny portion of vegetables was excellent (except the portion was so tiny). And the fruit bowl as a side was great!

My boyfriend ordered the turkey burger (no bun) and received a bland patty with very little flavor and topped with two small pieces of fried jalapeno. There was almost nothing to his plate, and the only side he had was the fruit bowl. I ended up giving him half of my meager veggies, and a big chunk of my steak so he wouldn't be hungry. But it was disappointing.

The waitress never came by to ask how our food was. She'd slow down in her stroll past, glance at us, and continue on.

Honestly, I'm being nice giving this place a three-star. It was closer to 2.5.

Steak (upon correct preparation): 5 Turkey Burger: 1 Service:...