Chili's Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

If I was asked to write a review at the beginning of my dinner experience here, it would have been 1 star, but our server Tori, the manager, and the cook definitely made our experience so much better that I truly appreciate their work ethic and manners.

I tried to send a compliment on their site directly, but for some reason it wouldn't load.

Anyways, more specifically on why Tori, the manager, and the cook were so awesome. When we first arrived to Chili's, the hostess asked us how many was in our party and we stated "only 2". She then took our menus, ran to our table, threw our menus on the table and then ran off. Didn't even tell us who our server would be or say "have a great meal!". We sat down and my menu had some sort of sauce on it, but I didn't get worked up over this. It happens. With a minute or 2, our first server Lauren, took our drink order and that was the last we spoke to her. She went out of her way to not take our order, to not go near our table unless she had to, and when I made eye contact with her to have her take our order, she would run off to the next errand. After 20 minutes of this, I got fed up. I went up to the hostess stand and had to wait a few minutes there. She then goes up to me and asks how many was in my party. I stated "we have a table and we haven't had our order taken, I wanted to speak with a manager". She then asked where we were sitting and I showed her to which she went to get the manager.

Tori, came to our table and asked if we needed anything. I advised we have yet to order and we were waiting for the manager. She stated "oh yes he will be here very soon". She walked away but walked back within maybe 30 seconds and took our order. She was incredibly helpful with taking our orders, knew the menu like the back of her hand, and was apologetic of the previous server's bad service. The manager then, and I apologize I didn't get his name, came up to us and apologized for "them dropping the ball". It wasn't them, it was Lauren, but I really appreciated the gesture and how quick he was. They were very caring and knew we just wanted food.

We ordered the 2 dine for $25 meal and our first order was chips and salsa. The cook came out, and I apologize but I also didn't get his name, and apologized again for the service. He made sure we knew he was going to bring the food out promptly and tasty. He was so nice.

After a wee bit, not too long, our entrees came out. I got the half rack of ribs with black beans and cole slaw. My husband got the 10 oz sirloin. Everything tasted great, Tori kept our drinks full, and was very sweet the whole time. By the time it came for dessert, I was too full and she very nicely put our cheesecake in a to-go container.

I appreciate all the work Tori, the manager, and the cook put into turning our experience around. It truly stuck with me with how nice and apologetic they were, even though they had nothing to apologize for!

As for Lauren, if she didn't want the table and tip, don't take our drink order! I would have rather just waited for Tori in the first place.

I truly appreciate how much this crew, minus Lauren and the hostess, went our of their way to turn my night around. I got to enjoy a wonderful dinner with my husband because of these lovely people.

Thank...

A few weeks ago, I ordered the sirloin surf and turf with an additional six shrimp from Chili's, expecting 18 shrimp in total. Upon arriving home, I discovered the shrimp were missing. I returned to the restaurant, and after notifying them of the oversight, they brought out either the additional six shrimp or only the included dozen, necessitating a correction on my part. This entire process took over an hour, from the initial pickup to resolving the shrimp issue, with the shrimp being the only warm part of my meal by the end.

Subsequently, I experienced a nearly identical issue. I reordered the same meal online, but upon pickup, the shrimp were again missing. I informed a blonde hostess of the missing 18 shrimp. She appeared confused about the possibility of adding extra shrimp to the order. After some verification, she returned, stating I hadn't been charged for the extra six shrimp, which I then paid for. She delivered only six shrimp initially, requiring further intervention to receive the remaining dozen that should have accompanied my steak.

Despite these efforts, after returning home I counted the shrimp and found only 10, instead of the 12 expected. During this visit, I noted that the restaurant was not busy, with no dine-in customers and only two other to-go orders in the 25 minutes I was there, ruling out busyness as a cause for the error. After these repeated issues, I reviewed the receipt, which had "surf sirloin" printed faintly. Given Chili's high staff turnover, low compensation, and the workers' lack of incentive to memorize the menu, this likely contributed to the error.

The recurring issue with the shrimp suggests a systemic problem, possibly exacerbated by inadequate training and quality control measures. This lack of attention to detail reflects poorly on both the management and the corporate policies, which rely heavily on tips for employee wages, increasing their vulnerability to workplace issues such as harassment.

In conclusion, these problems indicate failures at multiple levels within the restaurant, from the corporate policies and management's training protocols to the kitchen staff's execution. This situation highlights the need for better quality control, training, and perhaps a review of employment practices at Chili's to prevent such issues from recurring and to improve overall customer...

Hello, I am writing to let you know of an incident that happened in your restaurant the other evening. I want to be clear that I do not need anything for free, or any compensation. I just wanted to let you know, so you can address it with this individual, and maybe in training. I came in for dinner, and as I walked to the host stand, there was a couple waiting on a bench on the left side of the lobby, and another couple sitting waiting on the bench on the right side of the lobby. As I got to the host stand, the host asked me to wait so he could seat one of the couples. No problem. When he came back, he took my name and said 25-30 minutes of a wait. Again, no problem, I was fine waiting as it was a long day, and it would be a chance to rest for a second until my party arrived. I went to sit down in the spot where the one couple was sitting before they were seated. The host immediately told me in a very harsh way that I needed to go outside and wait because of Covid. It was a cold evening, and I completely understand Covid regulations, and whether or not I agree with them, I completely understand that you have to follow all rules....all good there. However, the thing I have the issue with is that other people were clearly being allowed to sit inside, and I took a place of someone who was just seated, so it's not like I was adding to numbers in the lobby, but only doing what I assumed was okay. The tone and attitude of the host was uncalled for, and humiliating, and after being talked to the way he talked to me, I left, and as a result, texted my party to meet me at Mimi's down the street for dinner instead. I bring a work group here twice a month, and this was also a work dinner. However, I will not be returning to Chili's as a result of that host's actions that evening. I know people are human and make mistakes, but the whole situation left a very sour taste and impression on my experience towards Chili's.  Again, I don't need anything for this, but more just wanted to let you know so you can address this with your host staff, and discuss additional training strategies. Thank you. *I tried to send an email privately, but your website limited...