Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen — Restaurant in Harker Heights

UPDATE: We were having a family birthday dinner with 5 adults and 2 toddlers on a Sunday night. Since they don't take reservations, one member of our family got there early to get us on the list, because we had follow-on reservations at another venue for a family event. We were all seated just before 6 pm, the time we thought we needed in order to make our other event at 7:50, giving us an hour and a half to get our food and eat (we needed to leave the restaurant by 7:30). We got our drinks and ordered right away, but unfortunately, our food did not come out until after 7:10 pm. We rushed to eat, but my wife's pork chops were too salty for her to eat. Even our daughter's steak was overly salty. We did not have time to send the food back, although they did credit us for the pork chop meal. The server told us there was a large party on the other side of the restaurant that was slowing down the kitchen.

The food was well below average for our meal. I got the Monte Cristo sandwich to try something different, and it was a big mistake. Overall, we were disappointed with our meal and were surprised how much of a different experience we had from past meals here. The server was fine, but the food services as well as the food taste were disappointing. There was not enough time to even talk with a manager, because we were already late leaving for our follow-on event.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: My wife and I were out shopping and stopped at Cheddar’s in Harker Heights on a Tuesday for lunch at 12:30 pm. We have been at this location several times over the last couple of years and the food has always been good, as it was for this meal. Compared to similar restaurants of this type, the prices are also reasonable.

We started with the Homemade Onion Rings, which are served with ranch and Cajun dipping sauces. This was a large tower of onion rings that could be shared by a party of 4. The onion rings were cooked right with a crispy coating and were not overly greasy. We both enjoyed the onion rings, and I really liked the Cajun dipping sauce. The server brought us two Honey Butter Croissants to try. Wow! They were light and fluffy, and we loved the honey butter drizzled over them. My wife got the Philly Cheesesteak with fries. It is a large sandwich, and it was good, but there could have been more seasoning or maybe some mayonnaise to give it more flavor. I got the Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs with a loaded baked potato and cole slaw. The rib meat fell off the bones and the flavor was good, except that some of it was a little dry. The ribs were meaty, and it was an extra-large portion. If you are going to get ribs outside of a BBQ place, this is an okay option.

Overall, the food was good, and we enjoyed the meal. Our server, Liz, was very friendly and attentive. It was not crowded during lunch and because of the reasonable prices, it is a good place to stop and...

I do not understand what has happened, but the service has really went down hill. Last month we had issues and notified manager, but he seemed to not really care that tables were not cleared or cleaned yet. Thought I would not be back but friend wanted their fish again. Tonight we were set at a filthy table. Normally when hostess sets you, they set you at a clean table, give you silverware and menu and then let waiter staff know they set someone in their area. Then waiter comes over to get drink order and app order. Then they return with drinks and see if you are ready to order meal. Unfortunately, we were set at dirty table (only needed wiped down) surrounded by other dirty table with dishes, we were only given a menu, no silverware and apparently no one was notified they set us in their section. We set for over 12 minutes before a waitress asked if anyone had helped. She then said that the staff assigned to table must be on break, but she would get our drink order. When they take breaks, the hostess should know that and not set someone in their section! When she took our drink order, I told her our table needed cleaned. The two tables beside us were dirty with dishes still on them. A busboy brought a tray over and put two bar glasses on it but nothing else, then set it on table and walked off. Waitress must have asked him to come clean our table because he returned and wiped down our table and then went back over to the other table and set there. Waitress returned with drinks and we gave her out meal and app order. Several other waiters walked by the table this busboy was at and yet he still was going about the speed of a snail. Either your staff needs retrained on job duties, or you need to find some that actually want to work. There are plenty of good workers looking for jobs. We were there over an hour and when the waitress was bringing us our check, he finally cleared one of the two tables next to us. We put our dishes in a pile so maybe it will not be hard for him to lift them. I do not know if he was pissed cause he had to work, or if he did not want to clear table because he was mad at the staff assigned to that table so he didn't want to help them, or if it is the waiter/waitress responsibility to clear table, but either way, someone other than a customer should have said something to this guy. Even though food was good, this...

Here we go again folks, I will state on here that I understand that the price of food has increased, thereby forcing businesses to up their costs, but does that mean you have to make your menu smaller? Does that mean that the food is served to you cold and tasteless?

Does that also mean that the wait staff has to be rude and grouchy and uncaring?

I was brought up in a time that the wait staff knew that in order to receive a great tip, that they could at least smile and be friendly and somewhat "earn" their tip. Nowadays at the bottom of your receipt it is mandatory pretty much and states the different percentages of tips that you are required to leave.

If we go to dine out, we prefer to have a positive experience with good food, and a nice atmosphere.

At this location, on our last three separate visits, we have had either a server who cannot smile, or a server who has a rude tone to their voice, or a server who wants to discuss their personal finances with us every time they come to the table.

One server explained that we needed to "hurry" and "get done" with our meal, as we were her last table that she had to "complete" before she was able to go home and relieve her sitter who she was having to pay extra money to because the manager had made her stay later then planned. She then volunteered to us that we should leave her a "great tip" to cover her incurred expenses because we had chosen to go to dinner.

My Philosophy has always been in ANY job give 100%, and if you don't want that job, don't choose it as your profession.

So, in a nutshell...The food here has been cold the last three times we have gone; the wait staff has been horrible, we waited over an hour for our food ...not once, not twice, but three consecutive times. Don't worry about ordering an appetizer, because it will be served to you at the same exact time your entrees arrive! The portion sizes have decreased, the options on the menu has decreased, the prices have INCREASED, & seemingly there is no work ethic with ANYONE that "works" here....

Sadly, another favorite place of ours to frequent is no more. We will not be returning to...