Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen — Restaurant in Knoxville

I came here last night on 4/13 around 9 pm with my son & my best friend. We were sat in a booth, area had not been fully cleaned as there were about 3 or 4 napkins under the table. It took about 20-25 minutes for someone to take our drink order, & they only took it because I brought it to her attention (I believe she was a supervisor or manager, not the actual server). She was also the one who came back to take our food order. After a while I noticed something on my son's cup & thought it had something stuck on the outside but nope. There was dirt on the INSIDE of the cup. I asked the server for a new one & explained why & I told her & she didn't even apologize. The food came out & it was great. My steak was cooked correctly, everything was right. My only complaint food wise is that my best friend & I both ordered salads as a side & instead of coming out before our main dish as salads usually do, they didn't come out until after we got the main dish. While eating, the host was cleaning a table, & the manager on duty (Phil) came up to him to ask him (rudely might I add) why he sat a certain group where he sat them instead of wherever was next (im assuming) & the host politely told him he had tried to sit them there, but they didn't want to sit there & requested elsewhere. Phil rudely responded & said "that doesn't matter. We sit them where WE want them not where THEY want." That doesn't sit well with me, whatsoever. Since when is it wrong for a customer to request to sit elsewhere? This was also not the first time I heard Phil speak rudely to his employees when I went. I had also heard him speaking rudely near the kitchen to other employees. I felt so bad for the host I ended up apologizing to him for Phil's behavior. Ended up hearing that he is like that most of the time. Such a shame that's the manager. Added a picture of my son's sprite cup so you can see what I'm talking about. I gave 2 stars for the kindness of the supervisor/manager who took our drink & food order, for the employee who brought our food out who also apologized for our server saying it got busy out of no where & that's why she was all over the place, the server was nice as well from what we...

2024 review is three stars:

My recent visit to Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen with my mom was a mixture of improvement and overzealous service. While the food quality seemed much better than past visits, the experience was overshadowed by a server who overstepped the fine line between attentive and intrusive.

From the start, our server checked on us excessively—so much so that we began to suspect his shift was ending. Eventually, we inquired, and he confirmed he was off the clock, prompting us to settle the bill earlier than we might have otherwise. We understood his position, but this urgency seemed to extend to other tables as well, leading to a series of awkward interactions.

First, our appetizer was whisked away before we had finished enjoying it—a disappointing start. Then, as we were mid-bite into our entrées, he hovered to ask if we needed boxes, creating an unnecessary sense of haste. The most jarring moment came when my mother handed him a $100 bill to cover our check. Without counting or confirming, he asked if we needed change, which would have left him with an unwarranted $50 tip.

While we appreciated the improved food, the service dynamic detracted significantly from the experience. Cheddar’s might benefit from coaching its staff to balance attentiveness with respect for the diners’ pace, ensuring the meal feels more like a relaxing experience and less like a rushed transaction.

2021 review was one star:

What happened to Cheddars? We went on Saturday, and we had no trouble getting a table. However, once we sat down, the table was very sticky. We told our server to get someone to please wipe it down. This took her about 30 minutes to do. Also, she never followed up, so we had to hunt someone down to clean it for us. The man that attempted to clean the table sprayed the cleaning spray in my water and again replacing my water took the waiter another half hour. My drink was okay. I couldn't taste the alcohol; no alcohol is worth sitting at a dirty table and horrible...

I called this location to ask what kind of shrimp species they cook at the location. My friend has an allergy to certain kinds of shrimp and I was going to order food from the location for the both of us, she wanted to know. So I called the location, I don't know who I was speaking to, it was a lady. I asked her, she said she herself didn't know(which was fine, I assumed she wouldnt) she then said she would ask someone in the kitchen to find the answer. I waited for her after she put me on hold. I waited for approx. 7 minutes before someone else picked up the phone and answered. I told this lady the same thing, then said someone was looking into it for me. She said okay, then put me back on hold. After a moment, I was hung up on. I then called back, was immediately answered with "Do you mean like grilled shrimp or fried shrimp or" and I responded with "No. I need to know what kind of shrimp is cooked, like freshwater, etc." She then said okay and to wait a while longer for them to find the answer. I waited once again(I would like to say they never should've hung up on me in the first place, my friend wanted me to speak to a manager at this point because she was angry.) I waited for about 10 more minutes, for them to take me off of hold for LITERALLY a split second and then put me back on hold. Which begs to question if at this point they were just waiting for me to give up and hang up. Which after 12 minutes, I DID do that. I am very disappointed in the customer service, and whoever the two ladies I spoke to were. It's a bit concerning that they weren't willing to find an answer to my question, especially considering it is an allergy. This is the most important reason as to why I am writing this review, at the total disregard and neglect they showed in their care and customer service. I have screenshots of the two calls and the longevity of the final call. If...