Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews — Restaurant in Middletown

So, this one is tough. Is this place 4 or 5 stars? It's really close to 5. Let's discuss.

Vibe, the kids call it. I really love the current use of that term. Middletown Red Robin is a vibe. It's cheerful and friendly, but not in a corporate way. It's genuine. It's chill. Sure it was designed by a committee to look "so random," but, kids, "so random" was a whole vibe like 15 years ago. Let's be honest, it's the people that make the place, and everyone I've encountered there has been on point and made me feel good for showing up.

Granted, we never go there during peak traffic. Usually strolling in around 3 or 4pm, just gliding in for that early happy hour, cause we're old enough to want to get home early but fun enough for booze. Which leads me to my second accolade:

The bartenders at this location are not playing games. You want a drink? Go someplace else, kid. At Middletown RR, you gettin a DRANK. I mean, Red Robin has a pretty great, value-driven, happy hour as it is. But when a $5 Long Island shakes your hand and slaps you with the other, that's a bargain my friend. Oh yes.

The menu you've seen before, we all have. Personally I can't see how McDonald's is still in business when you can come here and get a massive burger with a fried egg on top and all-you-can-eat French fries for like, a few dollars more than a value meal. Literally! The prices are literally comparable! McDonald's doesn't even have a happy hour. Let's face it they don't even have cool toys anymore. But I digress. Point is, this place has a very solid, 4 star menu.

But at the Middletown spot, the kitchen - I don't know. The kitchen here just hits the plate with an extra dose of Tastes Good. Or something. Is that how cooking works? Who knows. It's hot and tasty is what I'm saying. How hot? How tasty? Five star hot and tasty. See? Not so easy, these reviews. Gets tricky.

So what we've got here, people, is a 5 star location within a 4 star chain. So. Do I rate the location, or the chain?

Hmmm? What's that you say? "Dummy, the point of Google reviews is clearly to rate the individual location." Ah yes, but, do the limitations of Red Robin's offerings, decor, variety, and value hinder the scoring potential of the Middletown location? Are their efforts hampered by the very business for which they toil???

If you've made it this far, you're clearly too hungry to care. Hit them up, let some very nice people fill your belly, then waddle across the lot to the movies. Why?

Because that's...

Most horrible restaurant experience I have ever had was here at this specific location roughly a month ago now. I arrived at this restaurant to take my little brother and his friend to eat and the movies for my little brothers 12th birthday the atmosphere was so nice and welcoming. Until having to pay for our meal. I handed the at first kind lady a $100 bill as our meal was roughly $70 she came back and there were black marks all over my $100 Bill. And proceeded to say out loud my bill was fake and that I needed to pay another way. I personally do not use bank accounts, just a personal preference. So I had to have a friend send me money to pay for our dinner. It was very embarrassing but for bank purposes as my work checks are cashed at a local bank in Kent county Maryland I asked may she check the money again in front of me so I know for sure this bill is fake and can report it to the bank my checks are cashed at. She pulls out a Sharpe Permanent Marker and marks the bill I said ma'am that is a Sharpe she said oh sorry and proceeded to pull out a money marker from her waitress apron and marked it only to find out that it was real the whole time and she made a simple error/ mistake. But I'm sorry that was so embarrassing for me as a customer people to the front of us behind us all around heard her tell me my money was fake. I am a hard working man, and to be embarrassed like that was utterly humiliating. I haven't went out to eat again since and I love taking my family out but now I'm almost traumatized by being profiled like I was in the situation she thought my money was fake. I should of asked for a full refund considering the circumstances but I left and tried to have a better night at the movies. Never will I go there again. Next time ask me to come talk to a manager or something. Because it was humiliating all these people heard this and I cannot imagine what they thought. Thanks for ruining my brothers birthday dinner. He was so upset people looked...

The food was good but the service was terrible. The restaurant was almost empty after the lunch rush, with only 5 other tables filling in the whole building, and we waited almost 15 minutes to be great by anyone after being sat. There were two servers working our section. The server that ended up helping us proceeded to bus his table and just look around the new tables before he came over after he heard both tables questioning why it was taking so long. It took over 10 more before he came back with our non-alcoholic drinks and took our order. After our food was dropped off by another server, he never came back to the table until it was time to bring our check. No new tables came in while we were there. I will be honest, I hate small talk, so I don't expect him to ask how we are in any real sense, like that. I will also be the 1st to admit being a server myself for many years, I am more critical of the job but on the flip side it means I am also more understanding and always friendly to all our servers. It's a bit unacceptable to have only 1 table in an otherwise empty section that you working and then barely acknowledging them or even feigning politeness, never smile, show up once and consciously ignore newly sat tables while looking at them. It is also the fastest way for me to think you're not very good at or simply just hate your job. Customer service is just that... all about service. That requires faking it sometimes. The food is always decent, fast, and less expensive than some local places, so it's why we go, but based on our experience this time, I'd rather do carryout or go somewhere else entirely. Servers like this are why people now think tipping 20-25% is too much. For the 1st time in a long time, I considered doing less, but I know how hard working in chains like that are. Really, though, if you're going to do bare minimum work, then it doesn't surprise me when people leave the...