Outback Steakhouse — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

Awful! Service was awful. Interior decor is awful. Loud music was awful. Food was awful.

Our server, very new, tried her best but needs a lot more training. She took our drink order but never brought the drinks. She returned to the table asking if we'd like bread, but neglected to bring plates for us to put it on. Still no drinks. She took our dinner orders and double- and triple-checking for accuracy. I asked if the kitchen could do my steak "Pittsburgh Blue," and she listened as I told her what that meant, she went to the kitchen and returned saying they could, in fact, prepare it that way. I ordered the bone-in sirloin, "Pittsburgh Blue." She asked how I wanted it cooked, so I explained the process all over again. Then she repeated everything to us to make sure she had everything right. Still no drinks. Still no plates.

After almost 10 minutes, the plates came, but still no drinks. After a while, she said they didn't have my wine. I ordered a another, having to go to a higher-priced one, but no matter ... they still didn't arrive for at least another five or more minutes. There was only one table of two next to us in her section.

A different server brought out our meals but some things were missing: a side of grilled mushrooms and horseradish sauce for an order of prime rib. My steak was not "Pittsburgh Blue," it was blackened. Granted, it was nice and rare on the inside, but the Cajun seasoning was so hot I needed ice water between bites. The baked potato skin was overly salted and salted up each piece of steak that was cut on the plate.

We really couldn't fault our server. She told us she'd just started, so we wanted to cut her some slack, but the lag time between drinks, plates, additions to our order and my entree tested my patience. Plus the music was so annoying and loud, it was hard for us to hear ourselves talk.

You'd never know Outback has an Australian theme, the decor was not just "minimalist," it was uninviting, had nothing of interest on the walls and looked like it was just thrown together with leftover warehouse junk.

Go to Longhorn. Food is better, service is better, decor is interesting, clean and...

I will attempt to keep this short. The service my server was Matthew. He said we call him Matt. I hope I got his name, right? It was a busy day, but he was phenomenal. We had a party of 7. He was able to accommodate everybody and even help with our meal selections. We enjoyed him very much. He made this experience. Now, the food it left much to the imagination. We got a blooming onion as the appetizer. The middle of it range from raw to the outer edge was burnt, and it had a funny after taste, as if maybe they were using old oil to fry in and they didn't remove the outer layer of the onion that you typically pull off.It was very dissatisfying. And as far as the entrees, the items varied from good bland and overseasonned. Using my plate as an example, I got the shrimp that came with 2 sides, and I halved the shrimp between coconut and grilled. The grilled shrimp was good. The coconut again had that weird aftertaste and was cooked so hard that the coconut was hard flakes. It crumbled in your fingers. I just peeled it off. The rice had a good flavor but was strongly overseasoned, and I got the mixed veggies, which was zucchini yellow. Squash and a piece of carrot, it had absolutely nothing on it. Swapped it out for the broccoli, which was better. We had a variety of drinks those. I didn't hear any complaints about from anybody. . I'd be willing to try again.Might have just been an off night for the kitchen . Which is why? I gave the overall experience a 3 out of 5. Because if you're spending your money you want to enjoy all of your meal but again Matt he made it have a positive light and I didn't complain purely because I saw him running back at forth and...

INTRO: I have been a huge Outback fan for a long time. I had the privilege of working for (OSI Outback Steakhouse Inc.) when I retired from the Marine Corps in 2008. Great food, great people, and an awesome job.

However, I have watched the Outback in Winston-Salem, NC steadily decline over the last 10+ years.

EXPERIENCE: My wife and I recently had lunch there, on 10/24/23 @ 2 p.m. We noticed that well over half of the tables were empty, but puled with plates and glasses. We sat for approximately 10 minutes before the server arrived. She took our drink and food order and then moved on to help other patrons. We then waited 15 minutes to watch our server bring drinks and bread to the table that had ordered after us. We then got our bread, salads, and drinks same time. Approximately 5 min later our meals arrived. The steaks were cooked perfectly. The rice was over-seasoned, steamed veggies were great. The loaded mashed potatoes I couldn't tell you because they never came. We asked for refills and extra salad dressing but only the drinks came.

CONCLUSION: Unfortunately, I would not suggest Outback in Winston-Salem to anyone. They have completely gone downhill, and for the prices they charge, it is, absolutely, not worth it. There were entirely too many simple things that did not happen, IE: drink, special, dessert suggestions, bread plates, drink refills, follow-ups after food has been served, extra napkins, and simple conversation. At no point did I see the manager making rounds, but bussing tables.

I hope that they get a General Manager who has more experience. I know that when I worked there, this would have absolutely...