Texas Roadhouse — Restaurant in Knoxville

When I walked into Texas Roadhouse that evening, I expected the usual—a good steak, warm rolls with cinnamon butter, and maybe a friendly “Howdy” at the door. What I didn’t expect was to meet a server who would genuinely change my outlook on life.

From the moment they introduced themselves, it was clear my server wasn’t just there to take orders. They were present—really present. They made eye contact, smiled like I was an old friend, and greeted me with a warmth that immediately put me at ease. It wasn’t that generic “I’m-being-friendly-because-I-have-to” kind of thing—it was authentic. The kind of authenticity that’s rare in customer service and even rarer in life.

They knew the menu inside and out, describing each item with a level of detail and enthusiasm that made me want to order everything. When I mentioned I’d had a long, stressful week, they didn’t just nod politely; they asked genuine follow-up questions, listened intently, and shared a short, uplifting story from their own life that left me smiling before my appetizer even arrived.

The food was perfect—my steak cooked exactly to order, rolls warm and endless—but what stood out was the way my server made the experience feel like more than just dinner. They checked in at just the right times—not hovering, but never letting my glass go empty or my plate sit unnoticed. Every interaction felt intentional, personal, and somehow restorative.

At one point, as I was quietly reflecting over my meal, they dropped by to say, “You know, sometimes the smallest moments can turn a whole week around.” Simple words, but they hit me hard. I’d been feeling disconnected and worn down lately, but in that instant, I realized that kindness—real kindness—can be a turning point.

By the time dessert rolled around, I wasn’t just full from the meal—I was full in a way I hadn’t felt in months. My server had taken an ordinary dining experience and turned it into a reminder of human connection, of slowing down and appreciating the little interactions that make life rich.

When I left, I shook their hand and sincerely thanked them—not just for their impeccable service, but for reminding me that goodness exists in the most unexpected places. I don’t know if they realized it, but their energy, kindness, and sincerity had a ripple effect that would extend far beyond that night.

Texas Roadhouse has always been one of my go-to spots for great food, but thanks to this incredible server, it has become something more: a place where I was reminded that even brief encounters can leave lasting impressions.

If every restaurant had a server like this, the world would be a warmer, kinder, and much more...

1 Star – Shockingly Disappointing Experience

I’ve been a loyal Texas Roadhouse customer for 24 years, and this was hands down the worst experience I’ve ever had at one of their locations. Just this morning, a friend and I were talking about how consistently great the service and food are at Texas Roadhouse, which made us excited to go for dinner. Unfortunately, that consistency didn’t hold up at all tonight.

We arrived around 6:15pm with a party of 7 (5 adults and 2 children). The restaurant wasn’t overly busy, and we were seated right away, which was great. That’s where the positives ended.

Our server, Kristy, and a trainee came to take our drink orders and immediately seemed irritated that we were still deciding what we wanted. It took about 30 minutes for our bar drinks to arrive. When Kristy returned for our food orders, her demeanor was just as cold and impatient.

We waited nearly an hour before we received our salads and appetizer. One Caesar salad was missing entirely, and mine didn’t even have the Parmesan cheese. I asked for it, and thankfully the trainee brought both the missing salad and cheese fairly quickly.

At an hour and a half, our food finally started coming out—except one meal was missing. Kristy admitted she forgot to put in the order and said they’d rush it. My medium rare steak looked and tasted like it had been boiled—completely lacking the sear I’ve come to expect. One of the Andy’s steaks was cooked correctly but had so much gristle it was hardly edible. The burgers were the only part of the meal that everyone actually enjoyed.

When the missing filet finally arrived, it was overcooked with no pink at all. It was sent back, and the manager brought out a new one. She cut into it to confirm it was medium rare, but the steak didn’t look like a filet at all—it looked like another Andy’s steak. It was full of gristle and fat, very thin, and nothing like the filets we’ve received at other locations. The manager agreed to take it off the bill, but never returned to check on us.

After all of that, it still took another 30 minutes to get our final check. We were in the restaurant for almost 2.5 hours, which is unacceptable given the issues we experienced.

The trainee was kind and attentive with refilling sodas and waters, and the hostess and food runners were friendly—but that doesn’t make up for the overwhelming service and kitchen failures. I’ve always chosen Texas Roadhouse over pricier steakhouses because of their reliability, but this visit was abysmal. I won’t be returning to this...

I usually go to this Texas Roadhouse often and never had issues until recently. Last time me and my family went we waited over an hour for our food. I didn’t mind because it was a busy football night and the server was new. However, when the food did arrive the server who brought it said my side would be out in just a moment. It was loaded French fries. I patiently waited 30 minutes and still had no sign of my side or our server, so I went to the host stand and asked about my food. The host went into the kitchen and then brought me the fries and said “it had just been sitting in the expo the whole time” and then went to find our server. The fries were cold at that point but we were ready to go since we had been there for over 2 hours. So I just took the food, we tipped, and I assumed it was a busy night and gave the benefit of the doubt. I came back for lunch yesterday with my boyfriend for a date. We were seated around 3pm. The restaurant was slow since it was early in the day and there were no games that night. Once again I had a similar experience. The server wouldn’t come back for 30 minutes at a time and our food took over an hour to get to us. When it did it was cold and the chicken tenders were tough. We had been there over an hour and a half and just wanted to get going so we asked for the food to be taken back and if we could just pay for the drinks and appetizer. The server said it wasn’t a problem and would get us the check. Upon receiving the check they had only removed one meal and our total was $50. We waited another 30 minutes before I was able to spot someone to ask for the manager so I could ask why only one meal was taken off when neither of us ate the food. The Manager came and told me she had to charge us for the sides (that we also didn’t eat) so she wasn’t able to remove the other meal. I was confused and asked her why she would charge us for the sides. She continued repeating that we had to pay for the meal and sides, even though we didn’t eat. We just decided to pay and leave. I know a review like this may make me sound like a Karen, but in 100% honesty, I work customer service and I felt that the place was very unprofessional with how they handled the situation. I remained calm about it and I tried to understand but it still...