Saltgrass Steak House — Restaurant in Houston

I recently visited Saltgrass Steak House for a long-awaited dinner out, and while I’ve always enjoyed their food in the past, this experience was unfortunately overshadowed by a series of service missteps. Our waitress, Veronica, seemed incredibly distracted and inattentive, which really detracted from what could have been an enjoyable evening. We arrived at the restaurant and were quickly seated, but that’s where the smooth start ended. It took about 10 minutes for anyone to approach our table. When Veronica finally arrived, she seemed rushed and didn’t seem to focus much on making us feel welcome or answering any questions we had about the menu. We weren’t in any hurry, but it was clear she had a lot on her mind and wasn’t paying much attention to her tables. After we made our drink orders, the wait began. It wasn’t a huge deal at first, but as time went on, it became clear that we were being overlooked. The drinks took almost 20 minutes to arrive, and when they did, one of the cocktails was made incorrectly. It’s not the end of the world, but what was frustrating was that we had to wait several more minutes for Veronica to come back around and fix it. While we waited, our drinks sat empty, and we couldn’t even catch her eye to ask for a refill. When we eventually placed our food order, we were hoping things would turn around, but they didn’t. We waited another 25 minutes before we had to flag her down to remind her we had ordered bread. By this point, we were getting hungry, and small delays like this added up to a feeling of being neglected. At one point, she passed by our table several times without even acknowledging us, even though it was clear we were waiting for something. I’m not expecting to be doted on every second, but there’s a basic expectation that a server will be aware of when their guests need something. The real kicker came when we needed a water refill. After about 30 minutes of waiting, we finally flagged down another server who noticed we were thirsty and came to our rescue. That server took care of us much quicker and more attentively, which was a bit frustrating because it really highlighted the contrast between the level of service we were receiving from Veronica and the rest of the staff. It was clear that Veronica wasn’t giving us the level of attention we needed, and it left us feeling somewhat ignored. When the food finally arrived, I was honestly relieved. The steak was cooked to perfection, and the sides were just as delicious as I remembered. Saltgrass truly does know how to deliver a great meal. But, as is often the case, the experience was about more than just the food. The service was such a letdown that it overshadowed the positives. We weren’t able to fully enjoy the meal because we were so preoccupied with trying to get someone’s attention for basic things. What stood out most about the service was how visibly distracted Veronica was. She spent a lot of time talking to other staff members and appeared to be scrolling through her phone at various points during the evening. It made us feel like we weren’t a priority, which is a frustrating feeling when you’re dining out. We could tell that she wasn’t actively managing her section or giving her guests the attention they deserved. Now, I understand that restaurants can get busy, and servers may have off nights or difficult shifts, but it’s important for staff to maintain a level of professionalism and attention, especially when it comes to something as crucial as service. Dining out isn’t just about the food—it’s about the overall experience, and the service plays a huge part in that. Unfortunately, this time around, the service was lacking, and it impacted the overall experience. Despite the food being excellent, the inattentiveness and distracted nature of our server left us feeling...

That feeling when you pay just to get out of the experience...

Just left Saltgrass. We wanted to do something just to enjoy our Sunday afternoon... And it started out well. Our server Alec was great. Took the order and after bringing our drinks shared how he wasn't a fan of the new policy that patrons have to ask for straws to get them instead of the servers offering them.

My order was a medium well steak with shrimp order with the steak smothered. We ordered a salad and soup with our order. The soup and salad came out and shortly after (maybe two minutes) our main course was done. Alec has to apologize it was out too soon. Shortly thereafter we could see why. They had forgotten the smothered part of my order (sauted onion and mushrooms). Alec also apologized as they forgot my side as well.

After correcting this issue, halfway through eating of my steak it was more and more evident that my medium well was more closely to medium raw...

I pointed this out to Alec and he immediately looked and agreed that it was indeed not cooked as requested. He offered to then have the manager out to address the concern. After my explanation of the issue she looked me in my eye and said, "that is medium...". So I repeated that I asked for medium well. She begrudgingly said she would have it remedied. My expectation was that she would have another cooked correctly and brought out. My mistake. Her idea of correcting the mistake was to take the remains of the food I had already cut and covered in steak sauce and eaten from, and have the cook put it back on the grill and finish cooking it.

Is this how this issue is fixed for others as well? How many meals have been taken off of others plates and put back on the grill and re-served to them.

I get the logistics of the heat of the grill purifying things cooked. But cannot get past the idea in my mind that others food has been taking off their plates and put back on the grill next to freshly prepared meals as well.

At this point I was anxious to just go. And prepared to leave my corrected meal on the table. Anxious to pay what I owed and be done with the experience.

I asked Alec for the check. Once we received it, there appeared to be a $25 credit on the check. I was pleasantly surprised at this. Their effort to make it right. So I gave my credit card and also had a $25 gift card to apply as well.

After Alec took the gift card and credit card and returned to have them signed it turns out the $25 credit was not what it seemed. They brought us the wrong check.

The manager showed back up to explain, but at this point it was like listening to Charlie Brown's parents.

I simply signed the check and left. Their corrected meal is still on the table.

Thankfully we have no more Saltgrass gift cards, therefore no...

Went to celebrate my mom’s birthday last night from 7:30 to around 8:50pm Party of 5. The restaurant had about 10empty tables in our section alone. So it was kind of steady but not slammed. Our server was amazing fun to talk to and checked on us often. For the life of me I can’t remember her name because I got to the restaurant after she had introduced herself. But she had blonde hair had dark makeup on and tattoos on both of her hands. My issues are with John Wallace the manager working the shift, and the kitchen.

Everyone but my mom got their food in a timely manner my mom ordered a 6oz steak with broccoli and some fried asparagus. So let’s say the server forgot to add in the order. We are all human so it happens. It should have taken maybe 15 to 20mins for my mom’s food to come out. 45min after the rest of my table received there food my mom finally got hers. The manager delivers the food no apology that I heard. And was taken aback when my mom asked for a to go box because it’s now almost 8:45 by the time she got her main meal. He says I’ll be right back with that a disappears! Again the waitress was amazing checking in on us my mom again had to ask for a to go box that are 5steps from our table. She was apologizing the entire time. My mom made a call to the store this morning and I’m guessing John either answered the phone or over heard the conversation because he said that “we didn’t look that bothered by the wait”

To Mr, John specifically, I want to reiterate that last night 08/25/25 was my mother’s birthday. My siblings and I wanted to treat her to a nice meal and enjoy our time together. Why in the world should we have to fuss and complain and cause a bigger issues for you to take our issue seriously. Why should we have to ruin our night for basic services. My brother spent over 200$ and tipped. So we weren’t looking to get the whole dinner comped. But a little empathy goes a long way. You only came to our table once to deliver the meal and walked away like this wasn’t your problem to deal with. I for one found your entire demeanor to be rude and dismissive. I really hope that you receive better training on how to treat your...