Chili's Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Rowlett

Our waitress did not seem to care if she helped us or not. She came and got our drink orders and was offended that my son got a call saying his father had a medical emergency. She kept shifting from leg to leg waiting for his drink order and then got pissy when all he ordered was water. "Well okay, I'll get those out to you." We had a coupon for a free appetizer and she made it sound like we were putting her out when we ordered the brisket quesadilla. She said she'd have to ask the back if it was allowed on the free coupon (like she had to walk to the back and get someone's attention). And I said that the only thing that the coupon says is not allowed is the triple dipper and she said that at the same time I did. And then used a walkie-talkie to ask if the coupon could be used on the brisket quesadilla (which is the same price as other appetizers that the coupon can be used for). How are you put out by using a walkie-talkie, I thought she was going to have to walk to the back and get someone's attention. It took her 3 seconds to find out if it was acceptable.

My husband ended up joining us after he got his medical taken care of. That kind of offended her too I guess, because she only came to our table one time after that. It was the people that were teaming with her that brought us our food, got silverware, and refilled our drinks. It was her team who asked if we needed anything else. After we sat there trying to get our electronic tabletop game device to work, which is what you also pay on, she came over and gruffly picked it up off the table and replaced it with one from another table. She was punching the ticket code in like she was beating somebody up. Her attitude was very offensive. We did everything we could to get out of there quickly after her teammates brought us our takeout containers for our leftovers.

We noticed whenever she would go over to the bar she was laughing and joking with the customers there, and at other tables. She was a very different person for everyone else. I don't know what it was about us that she didn't like, but we were very offended by her actions and attitude.

She didn't even come over to ask if we needed anything after taking our order. She was attentive to other people, just not us. One of her teammates came over right after she walked away and apologized for any inconvenience. I think he noticed how she was acting. He asked if we needed anything else and said "it looks like you may need 2 to go containers." I hope she has to share her tip with the two men that were helping her, because even though she acted the way she did, I still left her 22% on the whole check. Many people do not leave more than 15% and will leave coupon items off. I think getting a $15 tip with the way she acted was extremely nice of us. We have a code though, if someone does something for you you compensate them. She did do a little bit for us, and we're hoping she has to share her tip with the other two men, and that's why we left the fair amount.

My steak was barely edible. It had a lot of fat and gristle on it. My husband and son liked their chicken sandwiches, and said they were hot. My corn was the only thing that was hot. My steak and potatoes were cold. I was going to tell the waitress the next time she came around, but she didn't. I didn't even think about it when the men came around because I was no longer hungry.

I don't remember ever having a worse experience at a restaurant that wasn't caused because one of us wasn't feeling well or we were in a bad mood. I've never been treated so rudely at a restaurant.

I had wanted to order some cheesecake to take home, but decided I just wanted to get out of there more than my love for cheesecake. If you know me...

I want to write a rave review because the customer service we received from our server Isaac was fantastic. He was sincere, hospitable, honest, welcoming, and polite 🙏🏼 5 stars. I asked what he recommended and he was able to provide personal insight into each, and having worked in the restaurant industry, I could tell his suggestions were honest. A complete gentleman, and true manager material.

Unfortunately, the lady host who seated us initially led us to an elevated booth, but one of our party is a semi-quadriplegic. I suppose she was in a hurry to get to her post to not have taken that into account. My papa had to let her know it wasn't possible, and so she walked over to a regular booth. I excused myself to the restroom, and when I returned, I saw food on the table. Gross, but I guess it happens. The young woman was friendly, but could have looked it over before running away to go elsewhere. No one wants their grandparents to eat off a dirty table with food that could have fallen out of previous guests' mouths. Our drink order was given to us, and I saw a speck of something that I tried scraping off the plastic mug. Turns out, it was inside the mug. Yuck. Our server apologized, quickly removed it, and brought me another water.

I ordered the Cajun pasta bc I love Cajun flavors. The food was room temperature at best, and the sauce was nearly flavorless. Isaac was more than accommodating asking if I'd like additional seasoning, which I promptly agreed to, as well as asking for some Louisiana hot sauce. They did have Tabasco, and when in doubt, drench it in hot sauce. I was looking forward to lunch, but was disappointed when I saw a hair in my pasta. I was hoping to be mistaken, trying to compare it to the seasoning. But after I looked at it under a flashlight, I saw that it was curled on both sides and had split ends.

I have a theory that Chili's is paying minimum wage, which may not inspire some to do any more than minimum labor. Personally I believe it's important to do your best at what ever your work is, as the Lord blesses those who are good stewards of what they have. Remember, every elevation comes from God. While people may look only to see externally, the Lord looks upon our heart posture.

If cleanliness was up to par, I'd be...

My husband and I (and our rowdy toddler) visited this Chili’s after watching Good Mythical Morning's food feud between Applebee’s and Chili’s. Here’s what we found:

-service was attentive and professional, but maybe not quite as friendly as I’d like 4/5 -we were seated at a table that I thought was dirty, but it was simply damaged. I highly recommend turning the table around (or replacing it) so that it isn’t so off-putting initially 3/5 -ambience was okay, lighting was a little awkward, but overall it was average 3/5

-beer was frosty and my cocktail was fabulous. Maybe one of the tastiest cocktails I’ve ever had. I really, really enjoyed it. I think it was the captain’s castaway. 5/5 -we tried the southwest eggrolls. These were good- if you saw GMM, these beat Applebee’s appetizer (the wonton tacos) and I don’t think they should have, BUT we really liked these and I would definitely order them again 5/5 -my husband ordered a large fajita platter to share with our little one. It was hot, fresh, and tasty. They both enjoyed it 5/5 -I ordered a steak with garlic mash and asparagus. The sides were tasty, but the steak was grey and not a great texture. It looked well done and I’d ordered it medium-rare, so I asked the kitchen to remake it. The second steak was a little better, but I realized that the lighting in the restaurant was so awkward that when I took my leftovers home, it was perfectly cooked in my kitchen lighting (albeit still very grey). Steaks tend to turn a grey color when they’re steamed to speed up the cooking process or when they’re cooked on too low of a temperature. Please be sure to sear on high to get the best color and flavor of your meat! Brown food tastes good. I wouldn’t order a steak from Chili’s again- it costs the same amount at Texas Road House and I think we all know TRH wins on every level. 1/5 -I am pretty sure we ordered dessert, but I don’t even remember what it was so it must not have been memorable 3/5

I had also visited this chili’s before and wanted to include the following: -the Cajun chicken pasta is one of my favorites and I’m always satisfied 5/5 -the chicken sandwich with avocado is MASSIVE. Totally delicious. 5/5

TLDR- The Captain’s Castaway cocktail is fabulous. Non-steak items are pretty...