STK Steakhouse — Restaurant in Charlotte

My husband and I took my mom to STK for her birthday on Monday and while the food was delicious, the service definitely needs some work and was disappointing - especially since we recently had such a wonderful experience at the STK in Las Vegas.

Firstly, there was a bit of a wait despite having a reservation which I understand because they are new. We were provided a buzzer and waited for a bit. When it was ready, we were told to follow a hostess (I presume) who took us upstairs and then realized we were not supposed to be with her so we went back downstairs to the hostess stand and they then had someone else seat us "our table" which had 2 place settings instead of 3.

In addition, we booked a reservation for standard seating with a birthday note in the reservation but were seated at a table next to the bar so just beware that I do not believe they honor the reservation requests and may just seat you wherever. It did seem like only larger parties were being seated in the main seating area.

Anyway, they then added a 3rd setting after we were sat which was fine. A waiter assistant came by and took our water order and then said our waiter would come by. About 15+ minutes later, our waiter finally came, no acknowledgement for the wait although I am not sure if he was even aware of how long we had waited.

Once he arrived we didn't know when he would return so we went and ordered entrees and a bottle of rose.

We received the bottle of rose, and it was poured by our waiter but then placed back on the table. It was not chilled in an ice bucket despite the table behind us having their bottle chilled in an ice bucket.

We received the complimentary bread which was very good of course - we ate it all! About 10 minutes later our entrees came and the food runner quickly placed the food down and was about to leave until I asked him nicely if he could please take our bread plates and the board away which we had neatly stacked up at the end of the table and had not been collected.

I was hoping to take an aerial photo of the spread and his response was "Your waiter will take the plates". He didn't say it in a rude way, but in a matter of fact way. I remember thinking I don't think I've ever had to ask a restaurant - and certainly not a fine dining restaurant to collect my appetizer/bread plates before.

Someone came by and refilled our waters but, still did not collect the plates. Multiple waiters/attendants walked by and not one person collected the plates after walking by them. I had to kind of laugh at that point. It just seems like everyone there seems to only have a singular job rather than working together as a team.

I also was a little surprised since they are new (and a fine dining restaurant) that not one Manager stopped by to ask how our experience was. I just don't know if their focus is on large groups to the point that they are not concerned with smaller parties/couples.

Eventually our waiter, did indeed eventually come back and he did take the plates. After we finished, he did bring a cheesecake dessert with a birthday candle for my moms birthday which was light and enjoyable and then packed up our leftovers. He remarked that he was glad they were "not that busy" which baffled me since initially had waited so long for service but in any case he himself, was a good waiter it just seems the restaurant itself needs general service training.

Our food was delicious, but the whole experience was just so disappointing - especially when you are paying hundreds of dollars for dinner and in comparison to Steak 48 where the waiters do chill your bottles of wine, clean your table promptly (they will literally clean bread crumbs off your table after each meal), and not only do they have Managers check on you - they also call you the next day for feedback on service. It's just shocking what a difference the service level is for the same price point.

Based on the service experience, I will not be running back anytime soon and will likely keep all future birthday/anniversary celebrations at my tried and...

Edit 9/5/25:

I recently came back to this steakhouse to give it a second chance. I do fully believe in second chances and the manager reached out to me to help make it right. This second experience was VASTLY better than the first. The food was amazing. They had some seasonal specialty dishes that tasted fantastic like Wagyu Potstickers. The steaks came out pipping hot and perfectly cooked. Our waiter Sam was a super nice and cool guy with a great mustache. All in all this place was great and it was a Friday night so it wasn’t slow by any means. I think for the future they just need to limit the amount of reservations they accept for Mother’s Day so that it can be more enjoyable for the customers who are going. Because on a normal day this place was great, it’s just the holidays that seem to be a bit of a challenge. Thank you Larry for inviting me back to make things right and I appreciate being given a second chance to see what the restaurant really is!

Original: I really wanted to recommend this place. After all the whole reason I went here was because of the 4.7 rating it has on Google.

I’m sad to say I have no clue how it has such a high rating. Let’s start with the bad:

Me and my mother had a reservation booked weeks in advance for 2pm. We show up at 1:50 and we don’t get seated until 2:50pm. What is the point of having a reservation if you’re going to allow walk ins to fill the restaurant and force the people with reservations to wait.

we ordered one of the most expensive steaks (porter house for 2) and it came out on a basic plate and was literally cold and flavorless. It tasted as if it had been sitting off the grill for 10-15 minutes. (It was however cooked how we asked)

the place was blasting loud rap and pop music. We were led to believe this was a classy steakhouse restaurant. If you’re into that music fine but this literally gave us a headache.

when we sat down we asked for 2 waters and a Diet Coke. They came out quickly however, the water tasted like it came from bathtub faucet. Gross. So we ordered a second Diet Coke and a refill of the first. By the time these came out we had literally finished our entire meal. How does it take 25 minutes for 2 diet cokes?? The waiter blamed it on the bar but that seems silly. I’ve been a waiter and if the bar was ever taking its time I would go get sodas for my tables. Unacceptable.

Writing this I’m sure it sounds snobby but honestly when you’re paying $200 for a lunch meal for two people… it shouldn’t be like this.

The good: our waiter was very nice (minus the soda wait) and seemed to be doing his best despite the restaurant being very busy.

Summary: If the food was amazing and drinks came on time then I would be able to slightly forgive the HOUR LONG DELAY even with reservations. But honestly this place is not worth it at all. Every category was a fail. And it made for an upsetting...

I had a mixed experience at this restaurant that were both positive and negative. Here’s a breakdown based on my detailed account: (pics only of my food).

Positives:

• Service: Collin and Grace were attentive, kind, and helpful in meeting the table’s needs. • Management: One manager was proactive in handling the issues, offering a credit on the bill, which shows some responsibility for the errors. The second manager was snippy and appeared not interested in assisting. His viewable roll of the eyes and posture was uncomfortable. • Broccolini & Mushrooms: Both were well-prepared and enjoyable. • Ambience: I appreciated the atmosphere, but felt the focus was more on the decor than on the actual dining experience.

Negatives:

• Food Quality: It seems like the kitchen struggled with consistency, particularly with temperature and preparation. Four out of five plates had to be corrected, which is a significant issue for a restaurant at this price point. The salmon, in particular, was overcooked initially and then undercooked the second time around for both parties that ordered! • Drinks: Weak drinks at a high price point can be disappointing, especially when paired with the other issues. Every custom cocktail is 22$. • Check Splitting: Discovering at the end of the meal that the restaurant doesn’t offer individual checks can be inconvenient, especially for new groups dining together. • Lighting: Poor lighting near the DJ and bar area made it difficult to see, adding to the discomfort.

Final Thoughts:

Given the level of mistakes, especially with food preparation, this experience didn’t quite live up to our expectations, especially considering the price point. As for whether the bill should have been covered in full due to the issues we encountered, it depends on the level of dissatisfaction gauged by the second manager who also had to correct the check, remove un ordered items off, and split the check!

Offering a credit was a step in the right direction, but given the multiple mistakes (temperature issues, drinks, etc.), there could be an argument for a larger gesture from management, especially if this was positioned as a “fine dining” experience.

Would you consider giving the place a try? For me and this group of ladies, this a “once and done” kind of...