Outback Steakhouse — Restaurant in Memphis

Proved to be quite a pleasant experience as far as non-local based establishments go; I was cheerfully greeted by the manager and host as I entered the door and seated as well by the manager who was very courteous. Enjoyed their version of a "Philly Steak Sandwich", one never knows what treasures they'll find when they go off the path! It was DELIGHTFUL: the secret is not the cheese, grilled onions, and mounds of meat, but their special spicy cheese sauce. It comes with fries, but being the nontraditionalist, I had one of their baked sweet potatoes with honey butter, cinnamon and sugar...topped it off with an extra side of the cheese sauce to pour or dip my sandwich in! As a special treat, I had their " Chocolate Thunder" brownie as a dessert and it was a sweet treasure within itself...check out the pictures...stop by and say hello as you grab a bite or a drink at the bar!

Another great meal with good service while having lunch with family.

Who says there is no such thing as a "professional" service industry person...not me. So, I met and enjoyed the service provided here by Seth (no, not the one you're thinking of, although the name is one that brings him to mind). Seth is the wonderful server that spent time working my table and several others all while maintaining a balance between ensuring area cleanliness, connecting with his customers and managing orders from the cook staff. All of this wasn't his to do alone since it takes a team performing a well orchestrated dance to keep the flow of everything moving smoothly from the kitchen to the table and then ensure the area is ready for the next customer(s). Seth has a history within the industry having worked at other food service providers which allowed him to hone his skills. He was polite, he reviewed the days specials and ensured he pointed out the grill to order preparation of my food item. All in a day's work you say, well, not so much since I have come to find and from my own experience (did I say that I've had my own experience in the industry in the past - OYID - we all start somewhere and you learn a lot about people) that it takes a certain amount of finesse, patience, and drive to tick to roles that put you in a situation of engaging with the public. He exuded all of this and some. The food - well let's just say it was OSD!!! I prefer well cooked meat but not too dry. This is something that's had to accomplish for some but if some right you get that tender, moist and grilled flavor all in one if the cook knows what he/she is doing - this one clearly did. The texture and flavor was one that reminds you of cooking over an over flame with just the right amount of searing. Then green beans were crisp and tasty with a light braise. The mashed potatoes were just this side of creamed which adds to the different textures you endure when eating between the different food items. It all washes done nicely with a glass of tea or your choice of a wine or cocktail. The staff as I observed around me busily cleared tables and assisted other patrons to ensure that their experience was as delightful as mine. Check out this dinner choice while listening to a nice mix of music across the ages...

UPDATE: The owner reached out personally, and listened to every one of my concerns. He was more than sorry about the experience we had and immediately worked on resolving the issue. We were very happy with the resolution. Seemed to just be one bad apple at the location, but we’re much more comfortable with going back now that we know how competent the other management, ownership, and staff are. Thanks again!

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This was our first and last experience here. Let me preface by saying, we called about two hours before we arrived asking about wait time. We were told it was 20 minutes at the time, and when we arrived there was no wait time and plenty of tables available. My husband got a great steak. I ordered an 11oz center cut—they could’ve brought out a pair of burnt pan-fried lungs and I wouldn’t have known the difference. The taste was actually worse than the awful presentation though. New tire would be too polite to describe the taste; burnt rubber is more fitting. This was the single most disgusting waste of food I’ve ever had. The seasonings were so burnt I had no idea that it was seasoned at all. I asked for medium well. This would not even acceptable for a person who would’ve actually wanted well done. My husband tasted it and immediately spat it out. So, I asked for it to be sent back, and decided I wanted another steak altogether so they won’t just bring out another awful steak. By this time my family had their meals and were nearly done by the time this extremely rude manager, Alicia, came to our table to inform me with a smug look on her face, “You were looking for a discount? Oh no, sweetie, that’s not how this works. Things not coming out right is expected on a busy holiday like this. These steaks are too expensive to be giving out discounts. You can either have the steak that we send out next or don’t. I can offer you a free appetizer for the next time you come in.” When I say, baby I held it together fr…I’ve never been spoken to like that by a manager of any establishment period. Not to mention the constant hair flipping at every table she went to, her braids were no less 30 inches long and down swiping across everyone’s table. We were respectful to everyone who came to our table, so her attitude was uncalled for upon the first words that came out of her mouth. The other manager, male (I don’t remember his name), came to handle the situation and did so professionally and with courtesy recognizing our dissatisfaction with the food and service. He offered the appetizer right away, and politely explained everything. If Alicia had even half of the respect as this man did, there would’ve been much less of an issue. We will not be back. I’d happily drive across town and avoid the Cordova location if I wanted to go to Outback. What a mistake...

Had a terrible night at this Outback on 7/2/2018. The power had been out for some time before we arrived, we were told by the hostess that it had only been back on about 40 minutes. Because we had a party of 9 adults and 1 toddler they had to move tables around to accommodate us, which was appreciated. However once we were seated things went downhill. Our server tried her best but it was obvious that the kitchen was in chaos. Once we looked at the menus and were about to order we were alerted of the items that were not available because of the power being out; telling us before we spent time selecting several of those items would have been appreciated, not as we were about to order. This was a dinner for my husband's birthday and everything he had decided on having they didn't have. We would have left if we hadn't already ordered and started appetizers. After we ordered, the food for our entire party came out in a rather haphazard fashion. Some sides were missing, salads were made incorrectly, sauces missing but the worst part was that my husbands food never came out. Finally a "manager" named Jackie came out to rather rudely ask what was missing, no apology for the issue. My husband told her to make his to go since we had all had our food for 10 minutes already. So the person we were there for couldn't order what he wanted and then his back up plan wasn't served with the rest of our food. This was very awkward for the rest of us. Finally we asked for the bill. It took 25 minutes to come because they were doing everything by hand. We asked what the problem was at about 15 minutes and were told they were working on it, again no apology. Another 10 minutes and Jackie comes to the table with the bill, she was only interested in explaining what an ordeal doing the calculations were for her. No apology for our wait. If they knew they had to calculate by hand they should have been doing that well before we asked for the check. It was really ridiculous. Finally when she came out with the charge slips she made a feeble and far to late attempt at an apology. I plan on contacting Jackie's manager and let him know about all these issues. They should have either closed or been more well trained in how to handle a...