Last night, my husband and I were excited to finally try Cheddar's, as we had heard good things. Our evening started out pleasant enough. We arrived just before 9:30pm, one and a half hours before they closed; and while we were far from the only diners, they were not super busy. Seated relatively quickly, server was nice, and upon hearing it was our first visit, proceeded to tell us her recommendations. She took our drink order and then brought us a free croissant with melted honey butter. Warm and flakey, but nothing spectacular. We took a few minutes to look over the menu and ordered the spinach dip as an appetizer. My husband still had not received his beverage at this point. This is where things began to go downhill.
The dip and salsa were great, perfect amount for the two of us. But our server took quite a long time to come back for our dinner order. We were finished with our appetizer before she put our order in, so we just sat waiting. And waiting. We did not receive our main dishes until just after 10:30. It was brought out by someone else, who said our server would check on us. I ordered the New Orleans Pasta and my husband ordered the full rack of ribs with fries and the broccoli "casserole". It was at least a couple more minutes before she came to the table, and I asked her for my garlic bread that did not arrive with my meal. My husband also had to ask for a separate plate for his rib bones and extra napkins. She came back with the plate and a plain croissant in place of the garlic bread because they were out and said she hoped that was okay. I really feel she should have asked before she brought me something random, but at that point I just told her it was fine, because we had just started eating, it was close to closing by then, and she seemed distracted with other things to do.
My husband's ribs were amazing. The flavor and temperature was great and they literally fell off the bone they were so tender. The fries were okay, pretty basic steak-cut fries. The broccoli casserole looked cold and very much like the broccoli and cheese you would see dipped out in a cafeteria. The cheese sauce looked almost congealed. The assortment of meat in my pasta dish was delicious, especially the shrimp. But the flavors really didn't blend well with the rest of the dish. The pasta itself was almost cold, and the alfredo was much thinner than anticipated. I took a few bites and really couldn't eat much more due to the temperature. I told my husband that at least I thought it would reheat well.
Our server was quick to bring the bill without asking if we wanted dessert or needing anything else. She said there was no rush, but we certainly didn't feel like they wanted us to stay and finish the meal we had waited nearly an hour to receive. We just asked for to-go containers, and it still took her a few minutes to bring them out.
Our server was mostly good, she did check on us periodically; but it was more in passing. I would not say she was particularly attentive, and she seemed busy and distracted the entire time. She maintained her friendliness and did help me to pay the bill at the table.
After we paid, I stopped to use the restroom while my husband went to the car. I was just thinking "at least everything is clean" when I look down and see a live cockroach next to the toilet. I was hesitant to mention this here, because I know even the cleanest restaurants can have bugs. It's just the nature of the business. But along with the other issues, I couldn't overlook it. Upon exiting the stall, I did look over the rest of the bathroom and there was a dead cockroach in the corner outside of another stall.
The food was was a mix of okay and good, drinks were strong, and everything was reasonably priced. I really wanted to like this restaurant, but it just was not a great experience overall. The wait time and distracted staff more than anything. I see all of the good reviews and feel bad, I just don't know if I...
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