Ruby Tuesday — Restaurant in Lenoir

We've been 2 separate times recently and the service was good both times, the salad bar was excellent both times, and the food can be hit-or-miss, unfortunately.

On our first visit, they had specials on cheeseburgers, so we both got one and added the salad bar. Everything was great and we couldn't wait to return!

On our second visit, the salad bar and free dessert (Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Sundae, highly recommended by the way!) for my birthday were the best things about the meal.

I ordered the Chicken Carbonara with added broccoli. The dish arrived luke warm with no broccoli or peas and the pasta had absolutely no flavor or seasoning.

I asked about the broccoli and peas, and for some extra Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on it. The server offered to bring me another cup of the sauce as well because it looked a little dry. She finally did bring me the broccoli (after I reminded her about it) but I'm still waiting on the peas, Parmesan cheese, and extra sauce that she offered to bring. I didn't ask for the other missing items because I had lost interest at that point and my dish was ice cold by then, it wasn't very warm to begin with.

The other person in my party ordered the New York Strip with Grilled Shrimp and added a piece of Hickory Bourbon Chicken. The shrimp and chicken had great flavor, although they were luke warm when they arrived as well.

The steak was ordered well done as neither of us enjoy undercooked meat. The first couple of bites had a little pink to it, but it was tolerable. After a few more bites, the steak was more rare and over half of the steak was inedible. The server even commented when she came to retrieve our plates that "It was more rare than you wanted, huh?" but never offered to take anything off the bill or to get the manager.

The server was friendly, and seemed to be trying her best, but she appeared overwhelmed and was very forgetful. She only had 4 tables for most of the time we were there, and the restaurant was not busy, so there was no excuse for the subpar service and food we received on our second visit.

We haven't written them off completely yet, mostly due to needing to use up the balance on a gift card, and the salad bar was excellent both times. If the third visit is anything like our second, it will be the last...

Just don't! I keep trying this place hoping for a better outcome, but it just keeps disappointing. I love the concept and idea of their salad bar. However, it's nasty. The taste is good but the cleanliness is terrible. When you're spending over 13 dollars for endless soup and salad you expect something decent. The salad bar was a disaster. Literally every single item on the bar was mixed with it's sister item. Also there were food droppings from each bin scattered everywhere around the bar. Oh and thats if you're lucky enough to even have anything in the individual bowls. Most everything was empty. What I could get onto a plate tasted decent. It was just terrible employee performance. Nobody tended to the bar the entire time we were there, so I can understand why it's so messy and empty. The Broccoli and cheese soup that I got alongside my salad tasted like it came from a can. This isn't my first experience with this salad bar, but I keep giving it a try because there is such a good variety of items on the bar, well there's supposed to be anyways. Sadly after this last trip though, I've given up all hopes that the salad bar will be what it was designed to be. It's supposed to be something you can go back for seconds for, but it was barely enough for a first trip. So after spending 60$ plus with my family to eat there, and being disappointed repetitively, we...

It has been a long time since I enjoyed a Ruby Tuesday , but this summer I ate at one in another state that made me think that they are making a comeback worth putting them back on my "Dine Here" list.

Our server, Grayson, did a nice job. He was either able to answer my questions about how my food was being prepared or was able to get the answers for me.

I dined with a guest. We had a Hickory Bourbon grilled chicken breast, a side salad and green beans on one order. The other was a Cajun Ribeye, a loaded baked potato, and a side salad. Dressings were ranch and balsamic vinaigrette. I drank water and my guest drank unsweetened tea.

The side salads had a small amount of bad lettuce in them, which we pulled out and set aside. The dressings were good. The green beans were not good. They appeared to be blistered and didn't taste freshly prepared so after my second bite I finally gave up and left them uneaten on my plate. My guest said that the potato was overcooked. The steak was tasty. The chicken breast was tender and well prepared. Our check total was just over $40.00 before the tip.

Vegetables are wonderful when they're well prepared, but because both of us were disappointed in how ours tasted it is unlikely that we'll return to...