Chili's Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Lawrence

Birthday Dinner Disaster and Billing Blunder at Chili's (Lawrence, KS - 4/5/25) - AVOID!

Our recent attempt to celebrate a dear friend's birthday at the Chili's in Lawrence, Kansas on Saturday, April 5th, 2025, devolved into an exercise in frustration and a stark demonstration of abysmal customer service. While the initial welcome and cleanliness of the establishment were adequate, the subsequent experience with our order and billing was nothing short of a complete and utter failure. Having frequented this location in the past, and with it being a favorite of our birthday girl, we anticipated a pleasant lunch. We opted for the 3 for 3 special (different entrees ranging from $10.99 - $15.99), with the intention of adding desserts ($3.99 add-on). Our friend presented a birthday coupon for either a complimentary dessert or free salsa and chips, and our waiter informed us she could redeem both – a seemingly positive start that quickly deteriorated. The food itself was satisfactory, but the arrival of the bill unveiled a cascade of errors. We were incorrectly charged for both the "free" salsa and chips, the "free" birthday cheesecake, and both lava cakes were listed at full price ($9.59 each). What followed was an exasperating back-and-forth with our waiter, requiring multiple attempts to rectify the charges. Despite showing him the menu and explaining the coupon, the corrections were piecemeal and inaccurate, with one lava cake inexplicably deemed "regular" despite no such order being placed. Finally, after three rounds of adjustments and speaking to the manager (who brought the final corrections by swiftly walking up near the table, dropping the receipt with a thud of his finger then, swiftly walked away saying "that should take care of it", without stopping or waiting to so i could review the revisions... WOW, UNBELIEVABLE!) the total appeared correct. However, the ordeal was far from over. We requested to split the bill, asking for $21.99 to be charged to one friend's card and the remaining balance to mine. The waiter returned, stated he could not input the specified amount on my friend's card, insisting on charging a slightly higher sum (a little over $2), while my card had been added $20 on top of the remaining amount. This inexplicable overcharge was baffling and further compounded our frustration. At this point, my patience had worn thin. In sheer exasperation, I instructed him to reverse all charges and charge the entire corrected total to my card, with the intention of my friend simply paying me back. Even this straightforward request was mishandled, resulting in two separate charges to my card for the final, supposedly correct, amount. Once more, I demanded to speak with a manager. To our disbelief, a completely different manager appeared, claiming utter ignorance of the preceding events and offering no discernible assistance. This final encounter cemented what can only be described as the worst customer service experience I have ever encountered in a restaurant. This disastrous birthday lunch was not about seeking a free meal; it was about expecting basic competence and accurate service. The repeated billing errors, the inability to process a simple split payment, overcharging by the waiter and the subsequent indifference of the second manager were utterly unacceptable. This experience has left a profoundly negative impression on both my friends and myself (not to mention those who had to witness), and it is highly unlikely that we will be returning to this particular Chili's location anytime in the near future, if ever. Consider this a strong advisory: scrutinize your receipts meticulously if you choose to dine at this Chili's in Lawrence, Kansas. Our experience highlights a severe lack of attention to detail and a shocking disregard for customer satisfaction. We left feeling not celebrated, but utterly inconvenienced and deeply disappointed. Chili's, you have unequivocally lost...

Update. Haven't been back for 2 years. Gave it another try tonight. Ordered 2 of the 3 for $10 a crown and 7 plus a Miller light. Bill was $46. How? The person I was with just wanted to pay and leave so i did. They got me for 15 bucks but oh well. Never again. If the manager sees this, look up the ticket that rang out for cash at 10pm on Sept 10th. Also. Tried to order more drinks at 955 but was told the bar was closed. Server said bar closes at 10 by the clock on the wall which was 15 minutes fast. Chili's lost out on another 40 dollars just from our table

Chicken crispers were old and mushy. Enchilada soup was AWESOME but not worth the overcharge we incurred

Food was okay but the server was either incompetent or perhaps they don't give you the sales price unless you ask for it. Ordered two of the $10 specials. Bill should have been $20 plus tax but the server left a bill for just under $40. When I told him the bill was wrong, he corrected it but it took an extra 15 minutes. Could have been out the door and on my way back to work. I've had the same problem at Chili's several times. I'm beginning to think they just tried to see if they can get over on people.

I predict a Chili's in Lawrence won't be around in 6 to 8 months. They seem like they are on a downward slide and have been for some time now. I've seen a difference in food quality and definitely a difference in service over the last couple of years now.

The old saying, take care of your customers or someone else will definitely applies right...

2019- The food was wonderful and the staff was very friendly. We ordered and split two big mixed appetizer sets, and it was more than enough food for our table without needing to order actual meals. (FIRST 3 PICTURES FROM 2019)

Update 2024- I ordered two sampler platters to-go and two single sides, for a group of teens and children to enjoy, but unfortunately they were very disappointed with the food we received. The first sampler platters was to be burger bites (which came wrapped beautifully in foil to keep away from sauces of other items), Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers, and Buffalo boneless wings. We order crispers all the time and the chicken strips we received had almost no breading on them, they were also free floating with the wings. Which caused neither to taste correctly, most the kids refused to eat them because they didn't like the mixed sauces. The second sampler platters was burgers (wrapped beautifully), Nashville strips, and southwest egg rolls. The egg rolls weren't wrapped like the burgers, so were covered in Nashville spicy sauce and soggy inedible. The Nashville strips also weren't breaded well, mirroring the crispers. App doesn't have a way to contact help about the order. Overall just a terrible experience and it's terrible that a $40+ meal ended up mostly thrown away, uneaten....