Chili's Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Wyoming

They were very busy, but everything was still good. Server approached our table immediately to take our drink order. Food arrived quickly. It was hot and fresh. We were all happy. Just as we were almost finishing our food, a manager walked by and asked how things were. Edit: after our second visit, I have to update my review. Our food was still great this time, hot, fresh, but this visit wasn't nearly as good as the last visit. As we were being seated, I had a difficult time getting into my seat due to the 3-4 employees standing right in front of my booth at that end of the aisle. Once I was seated, I noticed many times during our visit that employees seemed to gather in that spot. Everything went smoothly with the ordering. Food came and as waitress walked away I noticed that one of my dips wasn't the correct one. She had stopped at the table beside us, so I was watching her and went to motion with my hand that I needed her back when finished and she gave a nod. As soon as she finished with them, she left to another table at the other end of the restaurant and then to the kitchen area and wasn't seen for a few minutes. When we finally got her attention, she said she'd go get the correct dip and be right back. She headed back to the kitchen and again wasn't seen for a few minutes then came back out to another table, then another and back to the kitchen area. We kept watching for her but didn't see her again. Soon after, a man that I assume is the manager came by and asked how things were going. I mentioned the incorrect dip and how I was waiting on the correct one. He said he'd be right back with it, went to the kitchen and was right back with it. During our entire visit, I watched him wander around checking up on people, clearing things here and there and generally just doing whatever he could to make things flow well and ensure happy customers. I mentioned to my husband that he must go home tired, but he looks like someone that would be good to work for. Anyways, back to our experience. As we were finishing our food up, our waitress stopped by again and asked how things were tasting, we said good and at that point she saw the dips and said oh I forgot to bring your dip. I explained about the gentleman bringing it and said we were good, it worked out. A few minutes later she stopped to get my husband's plate and asked if we may want dessert, he said no but I said I would be ordering one because I had a free one for my birthday. She said do you want me to wait until you're done eating? I said yes. She said OK I'll bring a molten when you're done. I said what about the other choices? She said oh the birthday scoop? I said no the peanut butter pie. She said that's not included. I said it was in my email. She said can you show me your email? So I stop eating, wipe my hands, get my phone and bring up my email (remember I had wanted to wait until I was done eating for all of this, but she decided to just bring a molten and proceed with it while my food is still on the table and I'm trying to eat). I show her my email and it has a big picture of peanut butter pie and says let's get the party started with your favorite sweet, maybe even that pb pie you've been craving. So she asks someone and tells me I can have it after all. Then it comes time to pay on the little gadget on the table, she says let her know if there's a problem. I put my card in and immediately pull it out remembering I have a gc. I call her over as she told us to do if there's any problems and instead of trying to back out or anything, she hits the green pay now bar at the bottom. Then she says how sorry she is, says she'll go to get her manager, walks away, comes back and says her manager says since I put my card in, there's nothing that can be done and I can just use my gc next time. If I return to use the gc, it will most likely be the last time I return due to the way our visit ended. She sent the transaction through, then tells us she's just learning but will go get her manager and never brings them back out. That left a very sour taste...

I am not sure who this review will go to but I really hope that is reached someone who can address this problem,my name is Kelly and I came into your restaurant on Wed evening about 5ish(give or take)there were 5 of us and Patty was our server,and let me say this she is one heck of a server,so friendly,so on top of things and could answer any question we asked her(our first time here)she explained everything,gave us drink options, appetizer options,the soups,up charge for chili,she was just AMAZING most of your other servers should follow her around for a day,she has a lot to teach a person!! We will be back to visit her 1000% So you ask if Patty was so great,our food was great and our service was great then what is our problem? Well a "manager"stopped by our table and asked how our service was did we need anything etc.etc we told her how great Patty was to us and she went on to tell us that Patty. Is not normally like that and that she was loosing her job for lying so she was trying to "Be extra"In a last effort to keep her job but Patty normally gets 3/4 complaints aday from customers,that we should come back and see(I forgot the name she said) she could guarantee us Patty would no longer be employed here any longer and she chuckled,she also went on to tell us that there was nothing wrong with Patty's foot,she just wanted "sympathy tips"she said Patty lied about some other issues and even got caught stealing a co-workers wallet!! Ok well here is my issue,I don't CARE if Patty is all these things,this isn't who she was to us,to us she is hands down the best of the best,My problem is that this was NONE of our business and as a "Manager"she had no right at all to discuss Patty's personal struggles with us,NO right to tell us Patty was getting fired,NO right to discuss Patty in ANY manner to my family but DEFINITELY NOT THE NEGATIVE STUFF!!!! We didn't need to know Patty is only allowed to have five tables and no more than 4 people but Patty say us so she got 5 this time..... I didn't know how I wZ gonna address this issue,or if I would at all but I can't get this poor girl out of my head(Patty)So then my his and I talked about it and decided since the "manager"wanted to share Patty's faults with us,we should share the managers faults also,I think it is unfair,not professional at all,mean, disgusting that she did this,Even if Patty is your worst employee you have in OUR opinion it should've addressed accordingly with maybe other managers but absolutely not with MY FAMILY....I am absolutely disgusted!!! This review isn't gonna fix the way the "manager"views Patty more will it fix how my family views your manager but at least you guys know what your working with,I appreciate ANYONE who reads this and I PRAY it gets to the right person,listen we think Patty is great,I really, REALLY hope those things were not true and Patty is still there next time we come in!! GOD BLESS YOU PATTY(if she sees this)you are a GREAT SERVER with a great attitude, wearing that boot has to be uncomfortable and faking or not(I don't think she is)that girl is a ROCKSTAR!!! ,a VERY HARD worker and VERY VERY KIND!!!! We didn't catch the manager name anso please forgive me because I don't like describing in this way butso I apologize ahead of time,stbe manager was a VERY young African Americ Skinny lady with braces.... Thank you very much! Our family will pray for Patty and her manager...God...

In a twist on the prevailing norm the onion petals arrive in a metal box (or possibly an ineffective cheese grater), which is itself on an oversized square plate. The box is just the right size to contain the volume of the petals, overflowing every so slightly. A delicate sprinkle of what I can only assume to be a proprietary blend of Chili's seasoning coats the top layer, perhaps providing an extra boost of flavor. The accompanying "Blossom sauce" rests in a standard ramekin, albeit with some leakage reaching over the rim.

The petals themselves are fairly evenly coated and with a golden brown crust in appearance. A handful of petals deeper into the basket had bare onion showing, or a blended together batter, but overall, they looked meaty and robust.

In a perfect metaphor for the Chili's experience, and many of the dominant chain restaurants around the nation, the strong appearance of the onion petals served only to mask the lifeless chunks of onion hiding within a bland batter. Though the petals are thick, they lack onion juice. Though the batter is brown and all encompassing, its thickness masks a moist and bland interior. Though greasy, there's no hint of onion taste, leaving me to marvel in horror at its source.

The bits of Chili's proprietary seasoning blend were only sprinkled on the top few petals, and served to add little more than a bare hint of flavor, tricking me for a brief moment into thinking there was flavor.

The sauce is the closest thing to a highlight in this dish. Rather than the standard sides of Southwestern sauce or ranch, the Blossom sauce has a strong taste of horseradish. Unfortunately, as is always the case with bland onion rings and related products, the petals serve as nothing more than a vehicle to shovel the sauce into my mouth, eschewing even further the concept of nutritional value or satisfaction.

Though my foray into the world of onion rings has taken a brief leave of absence throughout the bulk of 2019, the issues have not changed. Slippage, my mortal foe, has been hiding deep in the weeds, waiting for my eventual return to strike. And strike it did, with a vengeance. On nearly every bite of every petal I ate, the onions squeezed out from the batter like a greasy, oversized sunflower seed, leaving an unappealing shell in its wake.

The onion interior is too big, and the batter, though thick, can't seem to contain it. There's hardly a hint of a crisp in the batter, and the mouthfeel is more like an onion cake, sweetened with sawdust and bound with earwig honey.

For my metal box of onion petals, I paid $6.99. For the sheer quantity of onion flesh, lessened substantially by the pivot of a petal rather than a ring shape, it's hideously overpriced. In every possible sense, these Awesome Blossom Petals are a perfect metaphor for Chili's. Through strong in appearance and presentation, they are bland, tasteless, overpriced, and poorly executed. The closest they approach flavor is through the dipping sauce, which serves only to mask the deficiencies of every other part...