Terrible Experience at Outback
TLDR: took over 1:30 to get our food and we never even got utensils or napkins for our entire party.
Just a little vent of frustration and also genuinely curious how this happens.
Went to Outback last night and yes I realize it’s the busiest day of the year for restaurants. Called ahead and was told 35-40 minute wait, which sounded pretty good considering it’s Mother’s Day. Put my name in and arrived at 7:00. Was told 20 minute wait at that point. Cool.
Get seated at 7:25. Not bad.
Takes a 10 minutes maybe for server to come, but I know they’re busy. He brings 3 loaves of bread. That seems excessive, and in hindsight sight should have been my first clue it was about to go south.
We order immediately: drinks, blooming’ onion, main course. He struggles a bit to put it in his tablet but no big deal, he seems new based on his speed and uncertainty and demeanor.
Blooming onion comes out in good time. Cool but we don’t even have plates or nailed or napkins. Whatever, I’m not letting this get cold. Salads and soup come out also in good time. Still no plates, napkins or silverware. Put in the request. Takes a minute, they’re hot and upside down and wrapped like a crazed chihuahua wrapped them. We also only got 2 for our party of 4. Whatever, they’re busy.
Then it begins. We don’t get our food until after 9:00. Our server disappears for over a half hour. One table left after waiting so long and getting no food. The table behind us heard at about 9:00 that we’d been there since 7:00 and decided to leave. The server told them their food was coming up “right now.” They said, if it is, we’ll stay. If it’s even 5 minutes from now we’re out. They waited 4 minutes and left. Food never showed. The people to our left were seated before we even walked in and still didn’t have their food until about 5 minutes before we did.
We still never got silverware for half our party.
By this point the restaurant is closed and half empty.
I’m genuinely curious how it can possibly take 1:30 minutes to make food even in a full restaurant. I’ve never worked in one and understand it’s very busy, but I’ve been to places with much longer waits to get seated and never experienced anything remotely close to that slow of service.
My theory is that they prioritized the curbside pickup at our expense. When we pulled in there were 5-6 cars waiting in line and I wonder if that flow was steady and they kept putting their order through and not ours.
Edit: to the guy that replied, “you don’t then,” and seemingly deleted his post: yeah, I could have at home. I went, b/c I had an hour drive home and had I gone home, went to the store, and made dinner we’d be eating at like 8:30. I thought sitting down at 7:30 we wouldn’t get him after 10:00. I was wrong. We never once complained to them, and the food was delicious and hot when we got it. Again, I get that it’s the busiest day and they are working their asses off. But, at a 2 hour wait for what takes 10 minutes to actually cook, I do think someone should let you know at some point what is happening. It’ll only help them too b/c some people will walk. And the manager was giving out free meals like candy on Halloween to everyone who complained. They took total losses on multiple 5-7 tops.