Perry's Steakhouse & Grille — Restaurant in San Antonio

My name is Kimara Jackson, and I am writing to express my deep disappointment regarding the service and overall experience I received during my 29th birthday dinner at your restaurant on May 25, 2025.

I had approximately 25 guests in attendance and began planning this event back on April 17. I was initially in communication with Ashley Hungett, and later Sarah Sanchez stepped in to assist with the planning. We had several detailed conversations about the event—discussing menu options, slideshow setup, and personalization details such as having “Happy Birthday Kimara” displayed on the printed menus.

Despite these preparations, I was met with disorganization and unprofessionalism on the day of my celebration. There were several glaring issues:

Incorrect/Generic Menus: The menus presented simply stated the date, with none of the customizations we had discussed. My selected sides (corn brûlée, whipped potatoes, and asparagus) were not displayed, and the personalized birthday message was completely missing.

No Slideshow Capability: I was told I could bring a laptop to run a slideshow on your TV, but upon arrival, there was no TV available or any connection setup for this.

Unacceptable Staff Behavior: One server, Trent, was outstanding—professional, kind, and genuinely made an effort to make the night better. Unfortunately, his colleague was rude, dismissive, and even snatched menus out of my guests’ hands. I was also told I could order the Symphony dish (a favorite of mine), but another staff member insisted I could not. Thankfully, Trent resolved this, but the confusion and attitude were unacceptable.

Unclean Menus and Contaminated Drinks: The drink menus were sticky and had dead gnats inside. One of my guests even received a drink with fruit flies in it. When I raised this concern with the manager on duty, he showed no empathy and simply dismissed it as “fruit fly season” with no apology or sense of accountability.

Billing Issues: At the end of the evening, charges appeared on the bill for additional drinks and items that were not originally ordered by my party, adding further frustration.

I dine at your establishment frequently and have never experienced this level of disservice. I expected more from a restaurant of your reputation—especially after spending weeks planning what was meant to be a special and memorable evening.

I left without finishing my meal, deeply disappointed and embarrassed in front of my guests. The only redeeming part of the night was Trent’s kindness and professionalism. Without him, I likely would have left the restaurant entirely with my guests.

I hope this message reaches someone who can understand how upsetting and unacceptable this experience was. I am requesting a formal apology, as well as some form of restitution for the poor service and the overall mishandling of what was supposed to be a joyful occasion.

Thank you for your attention, and I hope to hear...

I'm an avid food lover. Steak and I are the best of friends; however, this evening at Perry's that was NOT the case. Went here to celebrate my birthday, and got a signed card (which was nice). First impression was that the atmosphere was LOUD!!! I had to literally yell to my wife across the small table and we still could not hear each other the entire evening. This was very annoying. The menu is rather large, with TONS of options. The "off-menu" items were recommended and they sounded good. I got the Mignon with crab on top. The bread was delish and martini on pointe, hard to mess up a good simple drink. This was the high point of the evening. When the food arrived, my steak was seared to the point it was difficult to cut. I like it to be seared, but thus was a large amount of "bark" I had to slice to actually see the center. Once I cut it, it was simply raw! The waiter asked me to cut into my steak and they even viewed it as undercooked. Note - it was so dark they had to use their phone light to show me. I think they should carry a little light so this can be a bit more classy. So, they took it back, and my wife ate on her own. (I very much dislike when my family can eat when I can't, this to me personally emphasizes why first impressions, go far beyond the food reviews). When I got my steak back (always a fear of mine, sending it back -- watch the Movie - "Waiting."), it was overcooked and rubbery. Incredibly frustrated at this point, I thought about leaving; however, the GM offered me a new steak. I don't blame Perry's for always being this way, as it may have just been an off night; however, as a STEAKHOUSE, I did expect more). I have to say, this piece of meat was NOT of the best quality. Too much marbling, not enough soft, tender meat that I've had better at lower priced places, i.e., Outback, Longhorn and Saltgrass. We then got a desert because it was my birthday, which was nice of Perry's. My wife had the surf and turf pasta, which she enjoyed. I had great expectations of Perry's. The GM and staff did their best to make it a good experience; however, it just wasn't in the stars' lining this evening. The bill at the end was a bit shocking. It came out to over $200 for two of us, and I left hungry and disappointed. For the price, I really wanted/expected more. If I got a second chance to try Perry's again, I'd give it that option as I believe they DO have some good steak, I just didn't seem to get it. Also, I took my steak home and I have 0% interest in eating it, it was that bad. This is the first time in my life (and I'm old lol) that I thew away my leftover steak. I guess, what this has shown me this evening is that Perry's, had an off day with me. What makes this place special, is the level of service. I appreciate the attempts, but the most important part of the visit (the food) was unimpressive and subpar. Maybe, next time. IF there is...

Dear Management Team at Perry's Restaurant,

I am writing to you to share some feedback about a recent dining experience my daughter, myself and my family had at your esteemed restaurant.

First and foremost, I would like to commend your team for the exceptional service we received. The staff were courteous, prompt, and displayed a keen knowledge about the menu that greatly enhanced our experience. The food served was simply exquisite, showing the care and expertise your chefs put into every dish.

However, I find myself compelled to voice a significant disappointment we encountered during our visit. My daughter and I were celebrating our birthdays, yes, we share the same birthday. A fact I had communicated while making the reservations. We were both eagerly anticipating the traditional birthday serenade, a small but special element we have come to associate with birthdays celebrated at your restaurant. I was asked by my daughter if this would happen at our table.

Sadly, this did not happen. Despite being assured that our special day would be acknowledged, the evening passed without any mention of our birthdays. This was not just an oversight, the table next to us got some of your staff around it and sang happy birthday. We hoped we where next, but nothing, a disappointment for both of us, especially given the significance of the occasion. At the end of our meal I even asked the hostess at the entrance to maybe set something up before we left, she said she would look into it, but alas, nothing. We sang happy birthday by ourselves and blew out the fake battery candle in our table.

Although this does not detract from the quality of your service or the excellence of your cuisine, it does, unfortunately, put a damper on our overall experience. Special occasions such as birthdays are made truly memorable by small gestures like the one we missed, and I hope you understand the impact of this oversight. Two out of three of our desserts where comped by the waiter, I thank you for that.

I felt it was important to bring this to your attention, and trust that you will ensure such incidents do not occur in the future. We greatly enjoy dining at Perry's and look forward to more memorable experiences - this time, with all the details in place.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. We appreciate your commitment to customer satisfaction.

Sincerely,

Chef...