Billygan's Roadhouse — Restaurant in Washington

I visited this establishment while in the area on business. I walked in about half an hour before they were expecting any dinner rush and was seated near the back of the restaurant. My hostess was polite and pleasant. I then proceeded to wait nearly 15 minutes before a bus boy noticed I was sitting there and sent a server my way. At this time the place was still not busy.

Once my server, Piper, arrived, she was very apologetic and took my order immediately. She brought my drink quickly and shortly after a runner brought my food. There was an error with my order as well, and a replacement side dish had to be brought. The food itself was good, although the mac and cheese seemed old, as though they had made it, and it was instead forgotten under the heat lamps.

I did ask for the manager on duty, Heather, and she came and sat with me and listened to my concerns. She was on top of the situation and understood my complaints and made me feel as if she was truly interested in helping her restaurant get better. All in all, she assuaged my concerns as a customer, and helped rebuild my trust.

Thanks to her and Piper's quick reaction and attentiveness, this visit went much better than it could have. They still lose a star for letting it get to that point in the first place though.

Other than the service I had, the restaurant has excellent menu items, a great decor and vibe for eating hearty food, and the energy you would expect from a shells-on-the-floor roadhouse like this. The staff are all very friendly, and you'll feel at home as soon as your walk in the door. The place is very big, with lots of seating, and can get very lively during normal meal times. Based on how many people I saw in the restaurant by the time I left, I have to assume my experience was an isolated incident and I'm more than willing to give these guys another shot, particularly in seeing how professionally they handled a disappointing experience.

I'm eager to see them on...

I’ve been coming to this restaurant for over 10 years and have always loved it — until today. We came to celebrate Father’s Day, expecting the same great experience we’ve always had. Instead, we were met with a complete disaster. What makes it even more aggravating is that the place wasn’t even busy — there were plenty of empty tables, so there’s absolutely no excuse for what happened.

After we were seated and placed our order, we waited… and waited… while every other table around us received their food. Over an hour passed before our server finally came over to tell us there had been an issue in the kitchen and our food would be out in 10–15 minutes. That didn’t happen. Instead, 20 minutes later, he came back again with yet another excuse and told us it was now being expedited. Guess what? Strike three — we were told yet again there was another issue.

At this point, I’d had enough. I went to the hostess and asked to speak with a manager — only to be told the manager was “busy in the kitchen.” That’s unacceptable. When our food finally arrived, it was soggy and cold. Completely unacceptable on any day — but especially on Father’s Day.

Eventually, the manager (an older woman with red curly hair who never even gave us her name) came to our table. We explained how upset we were, and her response? “Well, I don’t know what to say.” How is that even remotely appropriate for a manager to say to a clearly frustrated family that has been waiting for nearly two hours, especially on a day that’s supposed to be celebratory?

To be clear, our server Nathan was great and did the best he could, but the lack of leadership and accountability from management was absolutely infuriating. That manager should not be in that position, and I sincerely hope the owner is made aware of how poorly this was handled. This was supposed to be a special day, and instead it was an aggravating,...

I took my 4-year-old out to dinner tonight and the food left much to be desired. It took almost 10 minutes for the server to get to our table. First, they were out of prime rib by 5:50 pm which I found to be a bit crazy. So, I ordered the $32 ribeye and asked for it to be between medium and medium rare. After awhile, the food comes out. I start to cut into my ribeye. I was a bit shocked to see around 5 of the 12 ounces was nothing but charred fat. I never complain, but had to since I was paying over $30 for the steak. I admit that I felt bad for the server (who was very nice) but the poor guy asked me what to tell the kitchen because he didn’t know anything about steaks. Since the restaurant features steaks, I hope he learns soon. So then I waited awhile for the new steak to come out. This time, it’s a much better cut of meat with little fat. I cut into it to see that it is purple inside and raw. At this point, I don’t even complain. I just ate around the edges, wincing at the zero flavor, and got a to-go box to cook it myself at home. I keep wanting to like this place because of the fun atmosphere, but the food just isn’t good. I tried the chicken fingers once and it was just plain awful. Tasted like katsu chicken which would have been great had I been at a Japanese restaurant. I also have to order something other than water because the water tastes awful there too. So, I ordered a lemonade and the ribeye. My son got a kid’s hamburger and a milk. I then got a side of broccoli. That all cost me $60 and then I added the tip. Ridiculously overpriced for what I got. I am not one to write reviews that are negative, but tonight just did me in. It’s the last time I will go there. It’s sad because I really want it to be better, but it just isn’t unless you have a lucky night. Tonight, I have an emptier wallet and...