Chili's Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Florence

Me and my girls dined in at chilis this past Thursday for my sisters birthday. The best part of our visit was our service! Our server Miranda was very attentive and actually engaged into conversation with all of us. Not most servers do. We could she was had many other tables and YET she still manage to make us feel comfortable. Mind you, there were ten of us! So here’s where it all goes down from there. This tall skinny guy (who is obviously not a server. He was dressed extremely nice so I’m assuming he’s a manager or store owner) had brought us TWO pastas. Mind you there were 10 of us (two of us only ordered drinks) so all in all we were short some plates...including my 10 ounce steak. So my server stopped to check on us and that’s when we explained that only two of us received our food. She had disappointment written all over her face but she assured us that she would get everything straight for us. At this point, I’m upset because we’ve already been waiting a long time but I wasn’t upset with her because I knew it wasn’t her fault. 5 minutes passed and she walked back up and I felt her entire mood shifted. She looked as though she was about to cry or has been crying and she said ....and I quote “ It has been the upmost pleasure serving you ladies. Unfortunately, I will not be serving you from this point on due to miscommunication and misunderstanding between me and management.” I asked her if she was being fired and for why, but all she said was that it seemed that way. My heart broke for this poor girl, because all we saw for the long hour of being there was that this girl was BUSTING HER BEHIND for these people and she genuinely loved to work. Furthermore, as she stood there talking to us , the tall man (I never received his name) walked up demanding her to leave and go home. I instantly became upset. My mother was getting upset. We all were trying to tell him that she has been a JOY to our table. One thing I remember him tell her “ If you you were a better employee, you would have never lost your card” She said nothing else. She stormed out of the building. The tall man went on about how she was a “lazy worker”, “Disrespectful ”, “She can’t do things right”. I couldn’t help but to think “Is all of the managers like this?” I really truly felt so bad for that young girl. I’ve been coming to chilis for a long time, and I never had her as a server but I did see her a few times. That young lady has a beautiful spirit on her! And Baby, if you happen to see this review, I want you to know you are going BIG PLACES! It doesn’t stop here. God is going to bless you beyond measures. Don’t be discouraged, continue to be you. All in all, food was okay. But let me just say, I will not return nor recommend this place again. And to the tall man, you should be ashamed of yourself!

UPDATE: The manager on...

First off let me say there is NO SOCIAL DISTANCING in this restaurant at all! No plexiglass between tops of booths, high top tables are practically on top of each other. People crowding inside the door where food pickup is and where you have to walk through to get to the restrooms and also where the waiters walk through. This was my first trip to this Chili’s and normally we enjoy Chili’s when we don’t feel like waiting some other place on a Friday evening. But it’s been awhile since I’ve been to any Chili’s. So let me start off with how everything else was on this fine early Friday evening. We arrived about 5:10 (early for a Friday dinner) First of all the chips and queso dip..we got half a skillet! The chips were good. The salsa was so salty you couldn’t even dip a chip into it. It was like they spilled salt in it and said it’s ok we will cover it up with spicy. Which it was spicy but I like spicy just not salty. Got side salads and I know it’s a common practice for them to water down their ranch dressing but this was so runny it doesn’t even cover the lettuce! After we went through the chips, queso, salads and soups we then waited...and waited...it was well over an hour after we arrived we finally had gotten our luke warm food and it was at least 5 minutes previously our waitress said your food is in the window it’s coming. We just waited. Meanwhile i food was obviously cooling down. My steak was cooked to my liking and my ordering, my sons mango Chile chicken was a pathetic looking tiny piece of chicken breast. And the chicken “crispers” have changed so much over the years they are nothing like they used to be. They USED to be good. Now they are nearly like gas station chicken tenders. Just not yet. I imagine if they keep changing things the way they have with the queso dip over the years it will get there. I forgot to mention the chicken enchilada soup! It was good (from what I was told) but still they’ve changed it too. The manager brought over the forgotten broccoli and she looked like she was dressed “too pretty” to be working in a food service industry. Wasn’t impressive to me. Looked to busy being pretty than managing the store. Just my opinion. Oh well, I don’t imagine I’ll be going into this Chili’s for a very long time. Maybe curbside but doubtful. I like to sometimes torture myself and spend money on food at places I know will disappoint me just to give them a...

Well, well, well, where do I begin with our magical night at your Florence, South Carolina establishment? It was supposed to be a dazzling evening celebrating my father’s 60 glorious years on this planet, but instead, it became a comedic episode worthy of a sitcom. Who knew a dinner could come wrapped with a side of surprise drama?

Let's talk about our fabulous server, Daniel. Bless his heart, I think he mistook us for invisible customers given his remarkable ability to not notice our table of 13. We even considered forming a marching band just to catch his attention. Sadly, attentive service wasn’t on the menu, but at least we got plenty of time to admire the unchanging view while waiting endlessly for our meals.

Ah, the food. One usually expects a feast fit for a celebration, but what we got was more like a mystery box. It was so far below your usual esteemed standards, I was compelled to wonder if my taste buds had suddenly gone on strike. Spoiler alert: they hadn't.

Now let's delve into the pièce de résistance of the evening: the gratuity extravaganza. Daniel, with a poker face that could win championships, confidently informed us that the mandatory gratuity would be applied at a delightful 9% for each of our two checks. Surprise! Both checks carried an 18% gratuity. Who knew math could be so...inventive?

As for Uncle Sam's take on such creative billing flair, according to the IRS ruling back in 2012, a forced gratuity strolls into the ‘wages’ category, cleverly giving customers a bit of wiggle room. So, while Daniel might be playing fast and loose with numbers, it seems the IRS might have a slightly different script in mind.

Thank you, dear restaurant, for turning an anticipated celebration into a memorable episode titled "What Not to Expect When Dining Out." Rest assured, my family and I have a newfound appreciation for surprises—just not the culinary...