Chili's Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Pinellas Park

We are challenged each and everyday, as a guest, to be able to have the confidence to pick a restaurant to eat at.......one that will be clean, one that will have a friendly staff, one that will have good leadership, one that will have quality food at a fair price, etc. The rule of thumb these days is if we are unhappy with any aspect of a restaurant, we go to social media and blast it not worrying about the consequences. However, if we go out to eat and all of the above areas are checked off, we mostly dismiss the experience and move on. These are the times when we should stop and recognize the hard work and attention to detail that some restaurants try to provide. For me, today's experience at the Pinellas Park Chili's was one of those times. I decided on a whim to stop in for lunch. It was around 1:00 so most of the "lunch" crowd was about finished. I walked in and was enthusiastically greeted by Rick. He led me to a table in the lounge area and as I sat down, he laid out the menu and pointed out the "specials" but went on to say that I could, of course, choose anything off of the menu. He then said to be on the look out for Ronnie. Ronnie came to me a couple of minutes later and I let him know what I would like to order and he was off. Prior to him arriving at my table, I noticed him as he was super friendly at all of his tables and his tableside manner was exceptional. It was hard NOT to like him already. He brought my appetizer and I looked around and listened to the sights and sounds. More than once I watched as RIck seated other guests and provided similar quality information. Within less than 10 minutes, my food arrived. I had ordered the "3 for $10" meal. I ordered the smashed burger and I am totally honest when I say that I have not had a hamburger as good as this in 5 years and definitely not at a "chain restaurant". It was HOT, it was JUICY and loaded up with great toppings. The fries were fresh and hot, which is hard to find these days. I sat and enjoyed my meal as Ronnie popped around a couple of times, checking on me. I asked who the General Manager was and if they were working today. Rick said his name was Joshua and YES, he WAS working. I asked if he wasn't too busy, if he could stop by my table. 10 minutes later, Joshua stopped by my table. He was very friendly and I asked him if he could sit for a few minutes and chat and he kindly did. We chatted about his experience in the restaurant industry which dated back 10 years. He is well respected in the Chili's organization. I could tell through talking and listening with him that he could do ANYTHING he wanted to do in his life because he had all of the qualities that a leader should possess. He has chosen, so far, to use his leadership skills here. I could also tell that the staff that I witnessed today were a reflection of HIS leadership. I am also sure that when Rick and Ronnie were hired that they had a lot of these empathic qualities in them already and Joshua knew exactly what he was looking for and he selected these two. I am certain that the rest of the staff are of the same cloth. So, my counsel to anyone reading this is to stop by Chili's in Pinellas Park and enjoy a meal. Look out for Ronnie and Rick, as well. Again, I am sure the rest of the staff is fantastic, also. If you get a chance, ask for Joshua by name. You will enjoy your visit with him. I am very hopeful for the future of our restaurant industry if it looks anything like Chili's in Pinellas Park and Joshua.

UPDATE........ I chose to go back later in the week for another delicious meal and was very fortunate to be served by Felicia, who was equally as friendly and helpful as everyone else I have had the privilege of...

We were in search of our favorite chilis and we stopped in here to try this location . We had already been to 3 other Chilis locations to find our favorite one in the last couple months. Carrie Jo was our server she was fast and efficient, she was handling all her tables like a rock star!. She was juggling about 5-7 tables and doing it with such ease. Carrie Jo made sure service was #1 after she got all her tables handled she came over to us to wish me a Happy Birthday since my husband was telling everyone and I have to get that free dessert on the rewards program! lol The team staff was excellent bringing all the special things to complete the meal. The whole staff seemed to be happy with a bounce in their step. The food was perfect! We get the 2 for $25. I got the fajitas the chicken was sautéed and was super tender and delicious. The hamburger was great like always along with the dessert a big melted chocolate chip cookie! Happy Birthday to me! I have to say the food beat the other chilis kudos to the chef! We were enjoying our Presidente margaritas and just enjoying my husband and the staffs company. Were all having a great time the staff, the customers are being taken care of and Carrie Jo and the Team staff is still Rockin the customer service. Okay so were all happy and having a great time. Myself being a private investigator by trade I am very observant to who and what's going around me . I notice a family who was seated in Carrie Jo's area. I noticed him because he was agitated as soon as he walked in, sitting at the edge of his booth looking toward the bar not engaging with the lady and child that was with him. I saw him stand up a few times their food came out fast the lady & child were enjoying themselves but the man seemed like he couldn't sit still. The reason I mentioning this is because this customer complained to the managers (who are also exceptional) that Carrie jo was rude. I saw and heard Carrie Jo go over to the table, she had the food out fast and was apologizing to the gentleman and was trying to turn his whole experience around and was being super polite. Carrie Jo was trying hard to rectify the situation. The customer tried to just walk off and not pay. The customer I noticed talking to the manager that's when I had to intervene. Once the guy left I asked to see the manager. The Manager explained without to much detail the customer was complaining about service and Carrie Jo that she was being rude. That was a lie I was right there diagonally across from the gentlemen who complained. He lied about the whole situation. Both managers came over and I let them know, that the customer was lying. I didn't taste his food cant speak on that but I know and saw the staff was giving everyone exceptional service and all being very polite. Chilis just to let you know the customer was trying to get whatever free items he could by lying about a waitress who was phenomenal to all her tables. The customer ruined the whole aura of that section by complaining, lying and causing a scene.. The staff being so up- beat and professional they all put that behind them and continue to pull forward to give rock star service! and keep the aura upbeat! Thanks Chilis we choose you as #1 we will see you soon and will be asking...

I must admit, previous visits to this particular location have been pretty decent. I wouldn't say the previous were exactly 5star visits themselves, but tonight was hardly 3, let alone 4 stars. To start, the waitress was okay. She was professional, yet a bit disinterested. I overheard her asking a fellow server if he wanted to take our table while she was in the process of getting our orders. Not a huge issue since it's a busy Sunday night. We didn't fault her for that. I myself have been a server and I totally understand her. She was busy. She was still cordial and attentive. She just seemed tired. We were a group of 6 total, a split ticket of 3 and 3. My complaint is mostly due to the fact that in our large table, which was split ticket (a total of 4 adults and 2 children), our 3 got our food at least 12 minutes before our friends, who actually had to ask how much longer their food would take, and it seemed as if they'd been forgotten entirely as the server herself brought out their food (instead of the food runnners) pretty quickly after our friends asked about it... which was extremely awkward and wholly unprofessional. As for my plate PERSONALLY, the rice that came with my fajita plate was disappointingly unevenly cooked. most bits seemed undercooked, other bits were cooked "perfectly ", but the better cooked rice was on the skillet, which means that the whole of the rice was likely already undercooked but the skillet itself had cooked the other half as it was on our table. I dislike leaving such a "bad" review and even trying to understand the situation as a former Server myself, it still seems like there was just poor or distracted service overall. Not to mention, we had been jolted by at least 4 cases of crashing plates or glasses that were almost certainly intentionally thrown. I could state that possibly 2 were accidental, however I happened to catch a bartender literally...