Beef 'O' Brady's — Restaurant in Champaign

My wife and I recently visited this new restaurant to see what they had on offer. We had already checked out their menu online and were excited to try the food. Unfortunately, our experience transformed our excitement into disappointment, leaving us with no desire to return.

We ordered the combo appetizer (chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, mini corn dogs), and the daily meal deal for Saturday (cheeseburger, 3 wings, fries). The first blunder was when the entree arrived almost immediately and before the appetizer. It was brought out by someone from the kitchen staff, not our server. Despite being brought out so quickly, everything on the plate was somehow already lukewarm. The curly fries were overcooked and bland. The chicken wings looked anemic and lacked flavor. We asked for them with the Nashville hot dry rub, but they were sitting in what looked like a pool of oil, with only a tiny amount of the dry rub at the bottom, instead of on the actual wings. The cheeseburger was as basic as it gets, being about the quality of a buffet or school cafeteria burger, having that unmistakable "sitting around already put together" feel to it.

After we informed our server that our entree came out first, she said she was going to find out what happened, as if she was going to correct the issue. Instead, she just came back with the appetizer also, saying "I don't know why they didn't bring this too, it was just sitting up there." No offer was made to correct the mistake, so instead, our entree and appetizer were just sitting there at the same time, most of it already lukewarm when they brought it, and getting colder by the minute.

The only item on the combo appetizer plate that was actually hot was the chicken tenders. They were cooked nicely, but were bland, and the mozzarella sticks had cooled too much to have any cheese pull. The onion rings and mini corndogs were the best items of the meal, but even they were just OK. Their ranch dressing is not good either; it's thin, overly-acidic, and very one-note (don't expect Wingstop/Chili's ranch here).

It was apparent that we were not satisfied with our food. Our server even asked specifically if we liked the wings, and we told her they were bland. Instead of offering to replace them with something we might enjoy more, she just recommended that we try one of the wing sauces next time instead of the dry rub if we came in again. When asked if we wanted to-go boxes, we declined, as frankly, none of the food we were served was worth the calories. Despite it being obvious that we were not satisfied with any part of our meal, no effort was made to correct any of the problems encountered during our visit.

The end of the meal was also uncomfortable, as when it was time to pay, the server handed us a portable device while standing there awkwardly, as we selected a tip amount and answered several survey questions.

We will not be returning. There are simply too many other choices of where to spend our money, instead of giving it to a restaurant that clearly does not care. How they could get so much wrong so soon after just opening is baffling, and based on the other reviews, it's clear that we are not alone in having these...

Update: I originally had a 2 star, then took it up to 5. Let me be clear, if this was the first experience I probably would give it a 3 star However, they really do try and that means a lot. The management saw my original review and I called in response to this and he spoke with me and asked me back for a second try. He made sure to check in with me when we came... and it wasn't the best experience again. So the steak we got this time (t bone this time instead of sirloin) was not burnt but still way overcooked and we said medium rare instead of medium just in case. The side salad came out on a completely different (smaller) bowl. The potato skins (delicious) reduced by quantity than what we had last time and the fried fish was a different size/cut than what I had before of the same thing. It took forever to get the drink, but the bartender was slammed because it was busy. The appetizer came out literally like a minute before our entrees and others that came in after us got theirs before us (appetizer). They gave me sour cream instead of ranch for dipping like I ordered. BUT the food all tasted pretty amazing (except just avoid steaks if you don't like overcooked steak) and the server was absolutely phenomenal again. I think this place could be amazing. But there are certainly kinks to be worked out. Consistency on the dishes and sizes, timing of items and not overcooking every steak mainly. The management and staff are extremely nice and they checked in and took our concerns seriously. I do plan to return, but honestly I'm going to give it a few months. The effort and the genuine concern for what we thought, the amazing staff and overall most of the food being pretty phenomenal is why I'm giving 5 stars. Their issues are more logistical I feel.

Original review (which has also been edited to be a bit tamer) Steak that was supposed to be medium, was well WELL WELL done and burnt to an almost crisp (like, it was black and tasted like char). They have many things on the menu that aren't offered "at this location" including the majority of freestyle drink options. An Irish place that doesn't have ANYTHING irish on the menu??? They were also out of several things we wanted to order. I'm wondering if I just went on a bad day.Not even Irish nachos though? and they don't have baked potatoes. The potato skins were pretty good, most of the food was alright (except the awful steak). The fish and chips were pretty amazing actually. Prices are a little high for what you get. However, the service was phenomenal. The waiter we had was amazing and the staff are super friendly and attentive. Its been a while since I've experienced such great service and that was...

So me and my kiddo go in about 5pm. The hostess was ok, not over chatty. The waitress is smiley and bubbly. Her name was lovley.There is only about 7 tables in there. So not to busy. We ordered 2 apps an adult meal and a kids meal. About 8 minutes later our apps come out and the manager sets them in front of us. We get 2 bites in and our meals come out. I mean it's not that is a terrible thing but something that I paid for is now going to have to get cold. The waitress asks if we would like more time before she sets down the plates. I responded no we will take them. So before she leaves I open the menu up to look at the picture of what my dish was supposed to be. She notices that I have a look on my face. She says ohh no what's wrong. I pointed out that my Dubliner was supposed to have gravy. And she says ohh you are right. And goes back to get me gravy. They send her back out with the smallest cup of gravy possible. I asked her if I could please have more. With out hesitation she went back and got me more. My pretzel was supposed to have spicy mustard along with the cheese sauce I ordered. The mustard was honey mustard dressing. Not even any extra Cajun seasoning to it. Just straight out the jar. But I dont complain about it cause it's complementary mustard and I wanted the cheese sauce instead. She comes back and checks on us and asks how everything was? I said that everything is actually pretty good even though there were a few hiccups. I never see the manager again the whole time we were there. Never checking on staff or customers just gone! Now here is the kicker. The whole time we were there they had 3 tvs on the news channel about what is happening with current events. I do NOT believe that should ever be on in a restaurant during rush hours. And for another waitress to argue with a customer on what she ordered when she wasn't even the order taker is not professional at all. I really wished that their training staff didn't leave them so quick and teach them the fundamentals of a restaurant and the expectations. I truly hope this place succeeds and I will go back again after they get their stuff together. I have ran many of restaurants and know what the expectations should be and what role management needs to play. Again my server was as sweet as can be thats why she got 5 stars. And my food was pretty ok that's why it got 4 stars instead of 3. If I would have gotten my gravy like the menu says it would have been 5 starts. And the atmosphere...