Chili's Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Milwaukee

Service is everything in a restaurant setting and my experience was pretty terrible. For starters I stood at the front waiting to be seated for several minutes while the hostess conversed with people behind me. I eventually just sat at the bar despite the please wait to be seated sign. There were 8 other people also at the bar, so it wasn't too busy as there were plenty of extra seats. Penny was the only bartender at the time and she seemed visibly frustrated with being the only bartender. She came over to me and handed me a menu without saying much and walked away. I waited patiently for her to take my drink order which took about 7 minutes and when she did come back she just asked me if I was ready and I told her my drink order and she scoffed and asked about my food order. Then impatiently asked if I needed a few minutes, I didn't but I said I did just so she could get on with whatever was so urgent so she could come back to calmly take my order. Then when she came back she stood at the computer and had me yell my older across to her so everyone at the bar could hear me. She was short with me when I asked about adding a salad and the entire interaction was pretty awful. She's still shaking her head and scoffing and slamming things around at this very moment. They need some help at this chiles. Someone needs to train the staff on how to have better customer service. No matter how busy or frazzled or frustrated you may be, you should never treat customers like they are inconveniening you. Put a smile on your face...

We had a 3 hour layover in MKE, over the dinner hour, so we spotted a Chili's in the terminal (C) and thought that would be perfect. Normally we enjoy Chili's, but this was not your normal Chili's. Once seated, our waitress let us know right away that they were out of guacemole, avocados, bacon, & all soups and chilis. As we then tried to figure out what we wanted, we asked about the side dishes only to be told that they were also out of many of those (i.e. seasonal vegetables). It made ordering food from the menu into a challenge. While this was the right thing to do, and we appreciated the waitress who let us know (and she did it very well), it's still frustrating that the management of the restaurant would allow them to run out of so many items. Our waitress was explaining to us that she loves working there because it's always busy (it's in an airport), and that at her prior job, she would be busy on weekends, but during the week, evenings were usually sparse. I am glad to hear that they are busy, but from the customers' perspective, they are doing a poor job of meeting the normally good quality food standards that have enjoyed from Chili's at other locations. If all you want is a beer & some chips, this place can help you. But if you are looking for a decent meal while traveling, try another place in the...

I don’t expect gourmet service at an airport, but this location was an outright embarrassment to your brand. I waited at the hostess stand for over 15 minutes—not during a rush, not with a line—just standing there, being actively ignored by every employee who walked by. No greeting, no wait time update, no acknowledgment that I even existed. It was like trying to dine in a ghost town run by people who resent hospitality.

Tired of being invisible, I went over to the Togo counter—big mistake. The man working there didn’t say a single word. Not “hi,” not “what can I get you,” not even a grunt. He took my card and handed it back with all the warmth of a malfunctioning kiosk. Chili’s, if you’ve started hiring mannequins, just say that.

And then? I waited. Again. Forever. No updates, no food, no eye contact. Just standing in limbo while employees moved like they were underwater and completely uninterested in doing their jobs.

This wasn’t just bad service—it was anti-service. It felt like every staff member was on a personal mission to make sure no one ever comes back.

Chili’s, this is your name on the door. If this is the experience you’re okay with serving in one of the busiest public settings in the country, then you’ve completely lost the...