Chuy's — Restaurant in College Station

What a massively disappointing experience, all down to extremely poor management and customer service. Our group of 6 called to check on the wait time and were told it would be a 40 minute wait, but we could put our name down. We left immediately and got there with about 20 minutes on our clock. When we got there, the staff around the reception stand scurried around letting each other know our party of 6 had arrived, but didn't actually say anything to us except the manager would have to come talk to us. We were told that a) they don't actually do phone reservations, and b) they called our name and we weren't there so they bumped us to the bottom of the list. Those are two very different things...which is it, we weren't there or you don't take phone reservations? If we weren't there, how do we get bumped to the bottom of the list and not the next available opportunity? You don't take phone reservations, fine, totally get it; meet us at the door, apologize and tell us a mistake was made, and offer to make amends. None of that happened. The manager said we were out of luck and was fine with us walking out the door after he and his staff made a mistake somewhere along the line. We were out in the parking lot when he came out and offered us a seat on the patio. It's about 55 degrees out right now and some of us didn't have jackets. If this was truly an option, to eat on the patio, and not something done to just say you made an effort, why wasn't it the first solution offered to our group knowing we were on our way?

I've been to Chuy's. The food is great and traveling with colleagues I had hoped they could try it. This was the second night we tried to come; the first night we had just landed and couldn't make the wait work with our hungry group. Totally fair, so we made it a point to come back when we could wait longer. It's disappointing management's inability to handle this situation appropriately resulted in the loss of our business for their wait staff, the potential loss of word of mouth business (Chuy's won't hurt for our money, I know, but that's less people returning to their home states and taking about this great Tex Mex place they went to in Texas), and an extremely negative experience. I felt compelled enough to leave a comment here about (and if you look at my history, I don't really leave reviews unless I truly care about the quality of food or service of the establishment, good and bad.). Do better Chuy's...

Love at first sight with Lauren inviting you to come inside as you enter, setting your eyes upon art galore and so many bright stars that are seating and greeting, meeting and heating.

Sam is the hostess with the mostess, Hannah is holding the best seat and K.C. is like down on the duck, SOFT and SMOOTH. Tyler is miles of smiles, Bridget gets the didgets, Kelsie's like no elsie and Claire's so debonair. Someone is always awaiting the chance to feed those hungry senses, escorting your taste buds onward into the land of hot and spicy.

The wait time is generally short with Austin finding the hole and Lynn getting you in.

Try the nacho car in the cocktail lounge Mon thru Frid 4pm - 7pm. It's all you can eat, chips, queso, refried beans, ground beef and salsa. I sit at the bar for more bending and tending. Lauryn's chips are hotter, and she can name that body part. Cody knows all the positions, Gabby has mo hawk in her walk and mo-heato on top. Mike's been around but he's doing it behind the bar most weekdays. Shelby floats boats right up to the hickory DAQUIRI dock while Andrea (Dre) walks on Firewater.

Batman is saving the world a handful of CHIPS at a time, April is O so SAUCY, Max brings the BEEF, Colby is NACHO ordinary CHEESE, he's a jack of all grates. Will floats like a butterfly, stings like a BEAN. Catriana is a real DISH and Jordan's a BASKET of fun. They're all moving and shaking, filling that wonderful nacho car keeping everybody happy, and satisfied in addition to serving drinks and good cheer.

Be sure to get something to remember the occasion on the way out there are oodles and oodles of catchy hats and t-shirts, some of which were submitted for print by the staff. A shirt gets you a spin on the big wheel of prizes for a chance to WIN, WIN, WIN. Every one loves a winner.

Great...

I appreciate how Chuy’s has their recipes and service down to a science such that every experience is just a duplicate of your previous experience. That consistency builds trust. That — and their infamous green sauce — is why I enjoy Chuy’s around 2-3 times a year. They always have enough indoor and outdoor space to seat any party, but calling ahead and giving them a heads up is helpful.

This time we went to this Chuy’s in College Station. We were seated as soon as we arrived and serviced by Molly. She was quick with water, menus, chips, salsa, and she brought the green sauce when we asked. The chips were hot, salty, and crispy. I love how they’re not overly salted. If you’re not familiar with their green sauce the best flavor it can be likened to is almost like ranch, but seasoned with jalapeños and tomatillos so it’s a delicious dip for tortilla chips. We ordered large lime margaritas on the rocks and when we told her we had the day off work she said, “Yes! Turn up!”

We ordered the fajitas for two for lunch because we hadn’t eaten breakfast and we needed leftovers for later as we were staying at remote cabin for a few days. I asked Molly for the fajitas to be cooked medium rare and I was shocked when they came out medium rare! You get a huge serving of Mexican fried rice, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, and lettuce. For people with smaller appetites like me it’s enough for four meals. You can also do half and half on your tortillas so you can get both corn and flour. Molly even offered to pack some extras for us to-go. She was really great!

The restaurant is ADA accessible, has clean bathrooms, and is consistently good. It’s good to see how big Chuy’s has expanded across Texas because they...