Texas Roadhouse — Restaurant in Columbia

We love Texas Roadhouse but are sad to report that our experience at this location this time was truly unsatisfactory. We called ahead because we had a party of nine, and a birthday. We were told they don't take reservations, which is understandable. They said they likely couldn't accommodate us all at one table but that they could seat us near each other. When we got there at 4:30 on a Sunday, we used Yelp to claim our place in line. Waiting 75 minutes, watching no less than 25-30 parties be accommodated, we assumed our wait was so that we could be seated together. Halfway through that wait I had to enter the restaurant to change our son and in making my way to the bathroom I noticed more than half a dozen booths side by side that were available.

When we were finally seated, only after requesting an update, we were advised we could not sit in the same section. At best, half of our party would sit in the bar and they could peer over their wall and see us across the hall. We were told we could combine the checks despite being in different sections, by the manager.

We ordered three porterhouses, amongst other cuts. Then had to change our order after being told they had none left. Our waiter didn't know if the restaurant does daiquiris. After we checked with the bar, they do daiquiris but their ice crusher was down... And no offer to make a daiquiri on the rocks.

We had a baby with us, which I mentioned at the beginning of this review. The ONLY tall highchair that would stand tall enough to reach our booth was not safely equipped with safety restraints. Almost every high (step-up) booth was being used in this restaurant and they only have one tall highchair. I took pictures of the broken restraints as well as the completely empty lower table section in which the lower high chairs would work. That section would have also accommodated our party of nine nicely.

Food took quite a while to come out, but wasn't too bad. When we requested the check all on one, the manager left it up to the wait staff to figure it out. The young lady who was the waitress for our alternate table had the added worry of wondering if, in our distaste for our experience, were we going to stiff her on the check. Of course we didn't.

This restaurant is being very poorly managed. After being told we would be able to at least be in the same section, we were completely separated. Not only that, there was an empty booth right next to us (and was not used during our meal, and not for COVID reasons). We were told that they could not seat both booths at the same time. Having been wait staff myself in the past I am familiar with how sections and seating works. There was ABSOLUTELY no reason for the power trip the manager at this location felt the need to display. Nor did she make any apologies for it, nor did we see her at any point during our meal.

We will not likely be visiting a Texas Roadhouse for a while and certainly never that location again. And it's a darn shame because my husband and I are both 20+ year military veterans and have always thoroughly respected and enjoyed what Texas Roadhouse does for military members.

We didn't leave the restaurant until almost 7:30....

Well, let me tell ya — if you’re huntin’ for a meal that’ll make your belt cry “mercy,” Texas Roadhouse is the place to be.

Walkin’ through those wooden doors, you’re greeted by the heavenly smell of grilled steak, the sound of country music hummin’ in the background, and that familiar crunch of peanut shells under your boots. It’s the kind of place where you half expect somebody’s Uncle Buck to start two-steppin’ by the bar.

Now, let’s talk about the bread — sweet mercy, that bread. If carbs are wrong, I don’t wanna be right. Those warm rolls come out glistening like little pillows of joy, and that cinnamon butter could make a grown man reconsider his life choices. You’ll tell yourself, “Just one roll,” and before you know it, you’ve eaten six and started calculating how many you can smuggle home in a napkin.

The steaks are what Texas Roadhouse hangs its hat on, and for good reason. You get to pick your cut from the case like you’re choosin’ your prom date — marbled, juicy, and ready to make you feel like a king (or queen) of the grill. I ordered the ribeye, medium rare, and I swear that thing came out mooing just the way I like it. Tender enough you could cut it with a plastic fork if you were feelin’ fancy.

Now, the sides don’t mess around either. The loaded baked potato’s got enough bacon and cheese to make a cardiologist faint, and those green beans? Cooked with enough seasoning and bacon grease to remind you why Grandma’s kitchen was the best place on earth.

The servers are friendly in that Southern “Hey, honey” kinda way — the good kind, not the “bless your heart” kind. They move quick, keep your tea glass full, and somehow remember who ordered what even with a whole mess of folks crowdin’ the place.

And let’s not forget the atmosphere — loud, lively, and unapologetically country. If you came here for peace and quiet, you might as well eat in the truck. But if you came for good food, cold beer, and the occasional line dance from the staff, well partner, you’ve struck gold.

Sure, it ain’t fine dining — no one’s bringin’ you truffle foam or callin’ you “sir” in a tuxedo. But you’ll leave full, happy, and maybe a little dusty from the peanut shells.

In short, Texas Roadhouse ain’t just dinner — it’s an experience. One part honky-tonk, one part steakhouse, and all parts delicious.

If you’re lookin’ for a night out that feels like a backyard cookout with a bit more horsepower, saddle up and head on over. Just wear your stretchy jeans — you’ll...

2nd follow up: We’ve been back twice since our initial review thanks to Robbie. We had NANCY as our waitress both times and she is AWESOME!!! Her attention to detail is incredible! Food was excellent. I still would not recommend this restaurant for large parties (over 5-6).

OFollow up to initial review: The manager personally called me and seemed genuinely concerned about our experience. He said that he would address these concerns with his team. I still think this is not the best place for larger parties though due to their limited seating availability for parties of 6 or more however Robbie (the manager) was super nice and respectful.

Parties over 6 should think twice about coming here. This restaurant is usually my family's first choice for steak however this weekend we were very disappointment in their customer service. We had a party of 8, that turned into a party of 7 at the last minute. We were told it was about a 30 minute wait at 4:45 p.m. After patiently waiting almost an hour we inquired and were told that there were only two tables to accommodate large parties and that one of them was finishing up and should be done soon. We asked about squeezing into one of the large booths and they said no. Meanwhile, countless smaller parties were being sat one after the other. After waiting 1 hour and 20 minutes, I looked in the restaurant and saw several empty tables (waiting to be cleaned). I saw an empty table next to an empty booth and inquired about pulling the table next to the booth for our party (moving the table literally a foot over) and they said no that they couldn't do that. We were so hungry by that point we didn't even need the tables to touch, just sitting next to each other where we could talk would've been fine. But these hostesses were unable to comprehend or consider any other solution. My party was all very unhappy and ready to go somewhere else, even though my husband wanted a steak dinner for his birthday. I told them that if they couldn't give us the booth and the table next to it we would leave to go somewhere else. The hostesses said that they JUST sat someone else there. The other people in my party said that as I turned to leave the hostesses were rolling their eyes at me. Absolutely terrible customer service. I guess they didn't want our business. We won't go back anytime soon. Especially for them to ruin another special occasion. Went to another restaurant down the road and were seated...