Texas Roadhouse — Restaurant in Hickory

I posted a review 2 years ago with a 5 star. But fast-forward to 11/4/2023, I am so upset about this visit, I could bite nails. The food was good. As usual. But this was my Mother's 77th birthday. And unfortunately, she was told it would be her last birthday just a month ago. I wanted this to be a great experience for her and for me as well. As I checked in to get on waiting list, I informed the host it was my Mother's 77th birthday. We were finally seated after 30 min and after I was told only 20 minand also I had to go to them to ask because I thought maybe I missed my text. Stil, not a problem. We get seated with our rolls. My mom wanted coffee to drink and we asked for plain butter for her rolls. We had to ask out waiter, who was a tall guy of color . Not sure what his name was but we Sat directly behind the hostess stand. Myothers coffee arrived and we asked for her butter a 2nd time. His response was "I got you" and my mother spoke up and asked if she could get some fresh coffee because the cup she had just gotten was cold. His response was "I got you" . He arrives back at the table to take our order and still no butter, no hot coffee. He then gets our order. I had requested extra cup of dressing for my salad. And right before he walked off I reminded him again about the butter and my mother reminded him about the coffee he stated the coffee was being made and again on the butter issue his response was "I got you". As he walked off he stopped and started chit-chatting with three other servers so I got up and politely told him this was my mother's 77th birthday and would be her last birthday and I'm just trying to make her experience a good one his response was "I got you". Finally the coffee came the butter came and our food came. I realized I didn't get an extra dressing like I requested but I did not want to hear his response of "I got you" one more time. So I may due with what I had. We ate our dinner which was great no complaints on the food. The little crowd that comes out and greets you for your birthday came did their chant and gave my mother her free dessert which was also great tasting. Our waiter never once came back to fill up my tea or top my mother's coffee off or even after me telling him this would be my mother's last birthday never spoke a word to my mother wishing her happy birthday. Texas Roadhouse does not need employees who act like it's a chore to interact with customers especially when they work for tips. He is fortunate that my mother was a waitress as she raised four of us kids, so I still tipped my waiter. However I was not pleased at all with the service nor was I pleased with the unfriendly attitude that he took with us as we tried to get our butter and hot coffee. His responses was nothing to be said as being a waiter in the service industry. This time compared to 2 years ago was a total 100 percent turnaround to the bad. The demeanor of the servers were just bland like they all hated their job. something to pep your employees back up. Again the food was excellent the...

I have patronized this location multiple times over the past year or so, therefore this review is not for a particular visit, but an overall assessment of visits.

I'll start by saying that I like this place. Apparently most everyone else does too, as I have seen wait times on their app approaching 2 hours. That's not a typo. 2 hours! So be sure to check before heading out. I think that's a testament to how good this place really is.

Using the app for call ahead seating is a very handy thing to have. Although I will say that the employees managing "the herd" at the front door can, at times, be a little testy. About seating....the small tables for 2 are useless. No way to get all of the food for two people on that tiny table, especially if you get an appetizer. We always request a larger table if taken to one of those, and we are always accommodated in a friendly way.

The store is always clean and well maintained. The atmosphere is lively and positive. The bar area is awesome, with a huge selection of drinks. The large screen TV's make the bar experience even better. 5 stars on that one.

I've never really had a "bad" server. All the servers I've had have always been pleasant and efficient with only one exception. Given the huge crowds I am somewhat pleasantly surprised. Those folks are super busy. 5 stars on the service, despite the "herders" at the front door.

The food selection here is nothing short of amazing. There are so many good selections, it's always a challenge to decide what to order. Can't say enough about the quality of the food. Everything is great. Rattlesnake bites, chicken fingers, chili, salads, steaks, yeast rolls and other sides are almost always amazing.. Surprisingly, the sirloin selections always seem more tender and flavorful than the ribeye.

Out of about a dozen or so visits I've only had one problem. Our server was nice, but clueless. Our food came out piecemeal, one item at a time, as if someone was unfamiliar with what came with a meal. Requested a manager, who came to table and was rude, and non caring. Did not offer to comp the meal or make any amends. As others have had a similar experience, I suspect this is the same person. Hard to understand how this individual made it into management.

Overall I'd give the Texas Roadhouse in Hickory, NC 4.5 stars...but since that's not an option I'm going with 5 stars. Anyone can have an off day, no one is perfect. I think you will enjoy your visit here for some good times and great food.

As usual, I'll make my disclaimer. I did not receive any compensation for this review, nor do I know anyone who works at Texas Roadhouse.

Give these folks a shot. You'll be...

Update 5/10/24 Sat at bar and I didn't know my wife has ordered chili, but I did hear a person sitting next to us had. When the chili arrived I pointed the server towards the person next to us. So, my wife never got her chili with her meal. She asked for it after we had paid the bill and the food expeditor chewed out the bartender asking for a chili to go. The expeditor is stressed out and needs to review his choice of careers. Honestly, do you think the bartender job isn't stressful? They're busy filling glasses with ice so they can minimize the amount of liquor and filler you actually dispense. Don't say that they're not instructed to do that. They've told us. Update 12/16/23 Called in for two dinners. Ordered 2 large prime rib dinners. After telling the person prime rib, they asked if I wanted half a rack or a whole rack. Then she went though 4 weights of the meat. Their menu has only two choices. One order was with a sweet potato. It came with a baked potato. They said it would be 30 minutes. At 40 minutes of sitting in their designated take out parking spaces, I hadn't had any contact with TRH personnel and called them again. Take out woman came out after another 5 minutes with the bag of food which evidently had been sitting and waiting. She gave me a bad attitude. Spoke with the suv next to me, because I knew they were there when I arrived. They said that they had their order but it was missing items and had been waiting 45 minutes for their replacement food. This TRH needs help. Their personnel seem to overwhelmingly dislike their jobs and the patrons. Update: dined on 4/21/23 Took 15 minutes and a request to our server to get our salads. Place was not full. Sat down at 3:45. It's 4:35 and haven't seen our main course. Update: takeout order 2/10/23 Been waiting an hour for my takeout. Person said they were waiting on rolls. Place is not busy Ate lunch/dinner at around 2pm. Sat at a booth near the bar. I ordered a house salad. The lettuce was rusty brown, indicating it was spoiling. Showed it to the bartender/waitress and she brought a replacement, with the same rusty lettuce. I asked the 3 persons at the greeting desk to speak with the manager and showed them where I was sitting. The manager never came to the table. The 16oz. Prime Rib was delicious and tender. So was the sweet potato. Overall a...