The Ribcage Smokehouse Bar & Grill — Restaurant in South Euclid

Went to Ribcage yesterday because my ailing mother had a taste for their polishgirl sandwich. Was not greeted when I walked in as the cashier was talking to someone. Then after looking g at me for a minute (as though the cashier is not working at a walkin/take out restaurant . . .) I was asked if I was picking up or placing an order. This was my first time at the restaurant and I see the prices are overpriced, but the portion was pretty descent. After placing the order for the sandwich, the cashier basically asked for a tip, stating, "The tip will go to me." Even though I know she did not deserve a tip for taking an order (she is not serving me at a table for dine- in, and if anyone deserved a tip, it would be the cooks!), I gave a minimal tip. Then I see a cook grab a hot dog bun with his bare hands. I told the cashier what I saw and requested the cooks put on gloves while preparing my food. The cashier went to the kitchen to let them know my request, to which they complied. She returned to the front area to express my request was not necessary (in whatever comment she had to say, which she shouldn't have had any input at all but an apology). She seemed bothered that I voiced my dislike for someone touching my food with their bare hands!! I told her I don't know if they washed their hands after using the bathroom, picked their nose, scratched their head (or somewhere else!!). She went on to say in a dismissive manner, that she is aware that in other restaurants they work without gloves and drop things on the floor and still serve it without me knowing what's going on when I go to other restaurants to eat!! I told her that may be true, but if I'm looking at the cooks handle my food bare handed, then I'm going to say something. I'm at Rigcage now, not Cheesecake Factory as I believe she referenced . . . I asked her if she would want them to make her food with bare hands or gloves on. The cashier said, "I know their hands are clean, so I would not mind them touching my food." I told her no one should be touching anyone's food. I don't touch all over my children's food at home . . . I mentioned that even with gloves, many cooks touch all over everything and then handle food without frequently changing gloves as they should. Her response was, "Well you asked for the gloves. . . ." That ridiculous comment let me know to stop conversing with her. The tip I was asked to give was not deserved, but I can look at it as I paid for her to show me that I don't need to return to Ribcage. I didn't tell my mother about the poor experience because I didn't want to spoil her appetite. My sister, who introduced her to the "cage" in the first place, can continue to patronize the establishment,...

We spent $125 on a take-out order on 12/30/23.

Two beef brisket entrees w/sides - brisket was almost ALL FAT (one meal was 50% fat, the other 65-70% fat) not very tender, inconsistently sliced, smothered in so much bbq sauce that we couldn't taste the flavor of the brisket. Both sides of yams were mushy, watery, too sweet, and stringy. The greens were ok, coleslaw was watery.

One Orange roughy dinner - fish was thin, overcooked to the point that some of the fish flesh was crumbly and oily. Ratio was 70% breading to 30% fish. The breading was seasoned ok. Bourbon baked beans tasted like they had sugar and syrup added to them and thrown in the smoker or liquid smoke was used to flavor them. No onions, peppers, seasoning, spices, nothing. I did not taste anything close to bourbon or the extract. The side garden salad was the best dish overall.

The cheesesteak meal and half rack ribs meal were reported satisfactory by the teens.

The associate who packaged our food was friendly and professional. Your restroom was clean.

In closing, my family chose your establishment last night to feed us quality food. 60% of your food did not meet minimal expectations, and I really don’t appreciate that.

At the very least, I hope this review encourages you to improve the food you're serving to those who choose you to feed them. Had we dined in, I would have returned every menu item purchased and requested a refund.

Before I tried your food, I thought we would return to try the wings. I can assure you we're...

I thought that I would leave this review as a compilation of experiences that my family had eating at this restaurant. For starters the food is RIDICULOUSLY OVERPRICED for the portion size and taste. Personally I ordered the brisket and it was terrible, I physically couldn’t eat the meat as it was COMPLETELY FAT, I’m not exaggerating you can even see it in the pictures, the part that was dark was just the part of fat that was crisped from the pan. Absolutely would not recommend the brisket or the Mac and cheese which had a disgusting taste. Not even the corn bread or the barbecue sauce was safe from the bad taste. The only reason I gave it two stars is because the rest of my party had at least edible food. (Turkey ribs, and chicken wings) the lettuce for the side salad was wilted and nasty while the fries were very cold and under seasoned. I was very disappointed to see that the majority of bad reviews...