Chili's Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Normally, me and some of my friends like to go out to Chili's after we've had a fun day. It's sort of a tradition. We usually experience really good service at Chili's, but last night we were shown otherwise. When my sister and I first got there to check in for our table of 10, the hostess spoke to the server about her taking our table and we overheard the hostess saying "she could find someone else to take the table", which already told me our server did not want us. I'm a server, and I know big parties suck but you can't just deny them because you don't want to serve them. But we gave it the benefit of the doubt and we sat down and everybody came in and we got comfortable at our table. When we ordered our drinks you could tell the disinterest in our server when she figured out that we were all high schoolers. Unfortunately there is a stigma around high schoolers since most of us don't have jobs, but that doesn't mean that all of us don't have jobs. After she got our drinks, she came back to take order but one of our guests still hadn't arrived and so she just walked away instead of seeing if any of us maybe wanted to put in for appetizers, because we did. After our last guest arrived, she came back and took our orders and when my friend next to me asked for a refill she rolled her eyes and said "sure". Then a couple of our friends had to leave early because they don't have their after nines so they can't legally drive after 9. And instead of waiting for the server they went up to the hostess to pay for their meal and the server got an attitude about it and went and took their checks from them. After this point we were already frustrated. Every other time we've been in the chilis we've never had an issue just because we were in high school. But last night was no exception it was just completely and totally disrespectful. I left her 20%, but I can't say the same for my other friends, because when she walked away with a $9 tip she got angry, but the thing was is that I don't understand how she thinks that she could treat a table like they don't matter and then expect a large tip? Incredibly disappointed in Chili's wait staff. I guess it would have been a different experience if we were older? Who's to say still doesn't make it okay. Will likely return but would not like that server! And just for the record we normally leave 30-40 dollar tips based on the size...

My husband and I stopped in for a late lunch/early dinner around 4:00pm. We usually enjoy Chili’s, but this visit left us disappointed.

When we walked in, no one greeted us. That’s not the end of the world, but it did set the tone. A family was being seated, so we stepped aside to wait. Another family came in while the hostess was away. When she came back, they explained they had received a text, which I completely understand gives priority seating. What was frustrating is that during this whole time, while two servers and the hostess clearly saw us waiting, no one acknowledged us—not even a simple “we’ll be right with you.”

Eventually, the hostess returned and asked how many in our party. She grabbed menus and went to find a table. As she walked away for the third time, two young men walked in, one wearing a slightly inappropriate shirt. One of the onlooking servers (with purple highlights) greeted them warmly, even hugging and kissing the young man with the inappropriate shirt. When the hostess returned, the same server told her something along the lines of “I’m ready for them to be seated,” and the hostess proceeded to seat those two men instead of my husband and me. The other server who had been watching seemed surprised by this as well. At that point, feeling overlooked and frustrated, we decided to leave.

I don’t expect every day in the restaurant industry to be easy—staff can be overwhelmed, and I sensed the hostess was stressed. But it felt like we were being ignored until the timing worked out in the staff’s favor. The app may allow guests to move ahead in line, but that shouldn’t mean other guests are left standing indefinitely without any communication. A quick acknowledgment, even a “we’ll be right with you,” would have made all the difference.

I share this not to criticize harshly, but in hopes that it helps the team see how small gestures of hospitality can really shape a...

I visited Chilis today (7/30/2017), yet I'm a regular. First off upon receiving the entrees, we could see watermarks on the plates (looked very dirty). We made the waitress aware and the manager. And we were told that they use rags to wipe wrong the entrees on the plates. I still don't understand exactly what that means or if that's the case, why would we still be able to see the watermarks as if the plates were simply left to air dry... Now onto My Cajun Shrimp Pasta ordeal.. Well sometimes it seems as if either the cook or meal prep coordinator is overwhelmed or they just simply throw the food together. I love the Cajun Shrimp Pasta. I mean LOVE it. I order it everytime I am there. But today I went with my sister. And upon being served. I started to eat my pasta. And the problems began from first bite. I found corn, a huge chunk of onion and finally some foreign black particle that has YET to be identified. Needless to say none of those thing come in the dish. So I flag the waitress down and inform her of the issue. She very snappingly says "Well would you like me to have it remade??". I was reluctant to oblige the offer at first in fear of them tampering with my food. At this point my appetite is ruined. My sister just simply stopped eating as well. Dinner Ruined to some it all up. So the waitress returns a few moments later with a to go box in a bag with a slice of garlic bread wrapped in aluminum foil on top of the bag. So we just paid and left. Upon opening the tray later I see that the Cajun seasoning that they use in the pasta was completely absent. I didn't even bother calling. Because I was made to feel as if it was an Eat it or You don't type deal in the Restraunt, so I can only imagine the outcome from a phone complaint. I give it 2 stars because of the few times I've been there and the food and customer service has been excellent. But that is in reality 2 out of 5 times... No...