Texas Roadhouse — Restaurant in Garland

Edit for a second trip on 11/9/22.

2 friends of mine and I went to Texas Roadhouse this evening for a little girl time. Our server was about average. Not great, not terrible. My friends and I always make it a point to bless our server --- it's just something we do. Sy received about $25 in tips from the 3 of us. Not bad for one table.

We stayed to chat a bit, and felt given our generous tips, staying for a spell wouldn't be a big deal. I mean, normally it might take two tables to get what we gave. Once he received payment, the only time he came back was to clear our plates. My friend waved him down to ask for more water. He begrudgingly gave it to her. She asked if I wanted some, so I said sure. He seemed annoyed, but poured some for me. I thanked him, he just looked at me, then walked away.

I waited tables for a few years in college. I get that it can be hard work (if you do it well). But the way he acted --- entitled, disturbed, annoyed --- was not called for. If waiting tables annoys him that much, he might want to consider another job.

We were all amazed at the way he treated us, especially given how generous we felt we were for an average quality of service. We were very put off and decided next time we might wait to give a tip until we are actually leaving.

This is a big problem I have with the credit card machine at the table. It makes the customer do the work and the server --- except the very good ones --- thinks their job is done. Very frustrating.

As for food quality, I did not finish my steak, and did not bring the leftovers home. Usually I enjoy my steak at TR, but tonight it was tough and chewy. Not worth bringing home.

I'm not sure we'll go to this location again (Garland). It was not the next TR experience I've ever had.

I will likely email the manager with our server's name, but did not want to publish it here.

Texas Roadhouse is always a favorite of ours, so naturally hubs wanted a juicy steak for Father's Day. We called in for call ahead seating at 5:50 and were told we could arrive and check in at 7:10. We did just that, then weren't seated until 8:30. I get that restaurants are understaffed and it's Father's Day, but wish we would have been given a more accurate wait time so we could either make other plans, or at least not have to sit in the parking lot for 1 hr and 20 minutes after already waiting at home for an hour.

That said, the food was delicious, the service was good, and the food came out fast. The fried pickles might be the best I've ever had.

Overall it was a great visit, but we felt the call ahead seating could have been handled better. We had tried to decide between this location and Rockwall, as their wait times were approximately the same. I can't help but wonder if we'd have had as hard of a time at the other location. Our wait was 5:50-8:30, which even for Father's Day...

I arrived at this restaurant about 5:30 PM this afternoon, I am A legally blind female by the name of Karen, and I am African-American, it’s unfortunately that I have to tell the story but I have to give my facts. I was dropped off at the front door by my Uber driver and I walked in with my assistant Kane in attempt to find the host booth, I was greeted by no one to assist me. Because of my site impairments, I walked further than the host booth and no one stopped me. A Caucasian guy came behind me and went directly to the host booth, and asked to be seated with a table of two, so it was from there that I was able to hear where the host booth was. So the lady saw me standing there before the Caucasian guy came up, but didn’t offer any assistance. So I’ll let it go because I feel like maybe she was unaware of what a blind and visually impaired individual looks like. So I told her I needed a table for four because I had some more blinded, visually impaired people that was meeting me there, and we will need to be seated. She asked me what my name was, I told her my name was Karen, so she said, did you say Carrie?, I told her no I said Karen, and then she said, did you say Kiara?, I told her no my name is Karen and I spelled it out for her. So I felt like she was trying to be racist by stating because I am African-American. My name cannot be Karen.. so she proceeded to ask me for my phone number so that she can be able to let me know when our table was ready, I gave her the phone number she told me it was going to be 25 minute weights, so I decided to find my way to the side out of the way, and another lady assisted me with finding a seat that was also waiting to be seated at a table, thank God for that lady. My friend and I waited over 40 minutes to be seated at this time, so my friend walked back up to the host booth and ask her when is our table going to be ready because it’s been well over 25 minutes, and then the lady said oh yeah are you with Karen? OK come on let’s go. Your table is ready, I never got a text message stating that my table was ready. . But after all that chaos, I was a very excited to have a very nice waiter who assisted me and my disabled friends very well, The food was awesome and very delicious and fresh. But the welcoming host booth was trash, and maybe that lady should be in the back washing dishes instead of greeting people. And as for that my experience there was downgraded...

The steak is similar to Saltgrass and might be better at times. It really depends on many variables: the cut you get, the cook, the day of week, etc.

Double check that both your steak and your potatoes are cooked thoroughly.

What knocks a whole star off the the food category for me is their bacon-grease-soaked potatoes (baked AND sweet). You have to call in advance (at least an hour), assuming you know that to be one of your sides, and request they start cooking one for you that's not been soaked in bacon grease.

For those who observe any religious preferences, or might pick either potato as a vegetarian option, it's likely to be a surprise. At minimum, it's a huge amount of trust; especially when it's not disclosed anywhere (none that I recall). You learn about it if you're lucky enough to have a waiter that knows and shares this type of knowledge.

This brings me to "Service" ... Here, too, it depends on who you get. Some are much better than others. I've not been wowed by anyone at this location yet; but again, I'm not as frequent as others might be.

Under "atmosphere," I lump seats, lighting, tables, etc. It's a mistake to fit more than 3 people on each side of a booth. First, their booths are tight for a big guy like myself. VERY tight. I highly recommend a table. However, they don't have many of those.

Some times, they'll suggest putting a person on the edge (in the lane, so to speak). If you are good with that for your party, be sure the biggest person sits there; otherwise, they'll be miserable in their non-adjustable booths (nothing moves).

Seating is a pain in the rear; especially during peak times. Yes, that's the norm. Here, however, you can expect to wait near 2 hours. I highly recommend you get on the waiting list online an hour in advance.

I don't recommend this place for large crowds (more than 6). They have the accommodations, but it's only one or two slots, if I'm not mistaken. Unless, of course, you're coming much later (after 830p).

All that said, if things line up and you get a good steak, a good waiter, and a good table this place is amazing. They line up more often than not. However, when they don't line up, it makes you wonder why you...