Texas Roadhouse — Restaurant in Waynesboro

I was at this location on their third day open. I was just meeting people and having a drink or two and coming back at another time for a full meal. The opening few weeks are always insanely busy but room at the bar was a walk by the crowd option. I was sitting just before 9:00 and it was still slammed. Good for them. I was introduced to some of the employees and everyone was pleasant. I ordered a beer and thought I would have the ribs appetizer. This got confused into a whole meal which they came back and asked if I wanted the half rack or whole and sides. What the hell I will chat and take it home. So if you are looking for a steak review I can't answer about this location. In my experience at other locations the off the menu steaks are decent. Over seasoned to me but most people love a salty steak and I do not. They do cut most steaks in house but the filet and anything that would require cutting bone is pre-cut and delivered but still fresh and not frozen. I have always preferred picking a steak from the display or much better still. Order one of a size or something not on the menu. This way you get it fresh cut and can request light seasoning so you can taste the steak itself. I like some salt and pepper. That's it. I also like it no more than medium rare. Order temperature is important because I have had most over done at any chain. Please remember this is in the past at other locations so just advice on past experience. As far as what I did order. Ribs, love them and smoke them fairly often so I know what I like. These were good. No joke, I was surprised. The competition around the corner has the worst pork baby back ribs you could waste your coin on. They were taken straight home and opened for a taste. Well cooked but a little over to me which is what people want. If the bones are not melting from the meat it's bad to most. This is really over done but they were tender and juicy with a pleasant flavor. The sauce was good and yeah a little salty but it's pork ribs. From a chain restaurant open on the third day pretty damn nice. Last but not least there was actually meat in there. Thank you for that. I would get them again but I am going to get a bone in ribeye and prime rib before thinking about ribs again. Both in the past have been decent but any prime rib is always salty in a chain restaurant. This is only my opinions so it's free and may be worth the same. The pictures are of them as soon as I get home and you can see a very clean bone pull right from the to go box before I put them on a plate. This is not a deal breaker at all. Worth every penny which was not too bad on the wallet either. I will say keep in mind this is not a sports bar to watch the game or hang out. They have strict rules on alcohol and expect you to drink a couple with a full meal but not a cool bar environment. It is more family oriented but their advertising is a bit confusing. I never had a problem with any location but have heard many stories on any beer with an above average abv even being served in their smaller glasses. Try it out and I will be back. I went back the next week for a steak. I went with the 20oz bone in ribeye, mashed potatoes and broccoli. They had no problem with using a steak that was not pre seasoned. They used just enough to add flavor without being overpowering. Medium rare temp. It was done perfectly. It was rested when it came out and not sizzling when served. It was worth the $. The mashed potatoes were tasty and with some pieces of potato in them and broccoli that was done great to me. Not cooked hard to mush, damn good. Others in the group had a ribeye cooked to medium rare. It was more done than mine and had a saltier flavor but still good. There was a New York strip ordered by another. The strip was requested medium well so it was ruined to me but it's their preference. The last went with ribs. Their ribs were not as far cooked as the ribs I got a week earlier and were holding the bone pretty hard. They can't control everything and they were quite good as well. Overall a great...

Despite this being a new restaurant, comparing it to other Texas Roadhouses, and looking forward to reviewing it, it was a disappointment. Below is a personal experience and what needs to change. In short, I do not recommend this restaurant. If you want to go to a Texas Roadhouse, take your patronage to other nearby locations. This restaurant needs changes and their priorities to be correct in order to gain a better rating.

We started with reservations, which I would highly recommend if you do want the chance to even get in. We came a few minutes beforehand to ensure we were there on time. While checking in, the entry service could not find the reservation and began being rude, implying we made a reservation for the wrong restaurant. After showing proof that everything was correct and having them all check with each other as if they were not trained correctly, they finally went and sat us. This alone made the experience offputting and negative.

The waitress was nice, as she attempted to note our orders over the constant back-to-back yelling of birthday cheers and the likes. I'm not opposed to the birthday cheers, but hearing the same yelling multiple times (6+ times) within just 30 minutes is a bit obnoxious. If you or your company has a hard time with yelling, or you're looking for a 'casual' place to sit down and eat, this is not a good choice. Let alone, if you plan on attempting to have a conversation with the person 3 feet across from you, good luck.

The other new and easily annoying thing is the multiple 'Footloose' playing. While I never saw this in other locations, I attempted to welcome this as a fun event, but after the 5th time of hearing footloose and watching all the waiters/waitresses line up to do some attempt at... square dancing...? It became an old joke very quickly. Once again, within the spand of 30 to 45 minutes.

After ordering a simple pink sirloin steak, loaded baked potato, and green beans, we were met with disappointment. As many others have stated in other reviews, parts of the food were not the ideal temperature. We received the steak, which was ordered medium rare, which had no pink at all. The greenbeans were room temperature at most, and the loaded baked potato did not come out until fifteen minutes later. Furthermore, making the experience below even the basic standard of restaurant service.

I would suggest to the restaurant to firstly manage your staff. I understand having a constant high number of patrons is stressful, but if your employees can not even attempt to fake a smile and niceness while their shirts say, "I love my job." They need serious managing or employment elsewhere.

Secondly, the 'footloose' dancing needs to die down to once every 30 minutes. I feel that this assists in creating the issues with cold food and mixed-matched orders not coming out complete.

Thirdly, the Birthday Cheers could be turned down a few notches. I understand this is a big thing with locations, but having one server completely scream multiple times for someone they're standing directly next to is not good. Let's not give the nice older lady that is sadly next to the birthday booth a heart attack due to the screaming in her ear.

Lastly, there needs to be better care of patrons. The money you earn comes from them. Their food should not be cold or missing items. Luckily, our waitress seemed to be a seasoned waitress, but struggling to do her job due to the yelling/screaming and dancing. There needs to be better coordination between the fun events/gimmicks and the genuine basic ask for service and...

Steaks are tasty, if you can get them cooked right. I ordered a medium sirloin. It was cooked perfectly, but at 8 oz the cut was the size of a filet. The baked potato was extra crusty with salt. They prepared the salad perfectly.

Someone in my party ordered a country fried sirloin. They were not asked the doneness preferred.

One other in my party ordered a medium rare 16 oz sirloin. It arrived looking like a piece of leather - well done with zero pink and the cut was thin and flat. It didn’t look appetizing. The replacement steak looked better and was cooked correctly.

One other in my party ordered an 16 oz Fort Worth (medium rare) ribeye. It arrived overcooked like extra well done, tough. The replacement steak was so rare it was practically still breathing. The interior was deep red and cold, seemed like they cooked it from frozen. Totally turned off the appetite and put my companion off the remainder of his dinner. He also ordered mac&cheese with bacon. They upcharged $0.50 for bacon - bacon that didn’t get added to the mac&cheese.

They comped the one meal ($30 credit), but no discount on the other stack that wasn’t cooked right the first time.

The thing that put me off and that’s going to result in a call to corporate to complain is that the manager flat lied to my face. When I asked for a box, she said they were completely out of boxes and could only wrap takeaway in foil.

After she returned the food wrapped in foil and I paid the bill, I watched 3 separate waitresses deliver handfuls off takeaway boxes to other tables, including a giant handful of turn to the table adjacent to mine.

I don’t countenance or tolerate liars.

There’s no trusting anything else in that restaurant when the manager lies about something as menial as the availability of a single takeaway box.

This was a birthday dinner, and it was ruined by sheer incompetence of the kitchen.

I’ll not be returning to this specific restaurant.

I just went to a TR just two weeks ago in Fredericksburg- steaks and service there were totally perfect. This restaurant in waynesboro is such a disappointment.

It wasn’t the waitress’s fault. She did the best she could. She was attentive and polite. It was totally the cook in the kitchen who messed up the steaks. And the manager lying to me, that earned them low...