Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

We drove over an hour to dine at one of my sister’s favorite restaurants while I’m visiting from NJ. With 21 years in NYC high-volume hospitality and as a very frequent diner, I’m realistic about service expectations—but this experience was unacceptable and absolutely worth calling out.

Sunday lunch was busy, but the wait appeared reasonable (roughly 5 minutes). We put our name down and remained clearly within eyesight of the hostess stand. We then watched multiple parties who arrived *after* us get seated. We gave the benefit of the doubt—until nearly 30 minutes passed.

When my sister finally approached the hostess (the one with bright red hair), we were immediately met with attitude and a blatant lie: that our name had been “called three times.” It was not. My 12-year-old nephew was standing less than six feet from the stand, actively listening for his father’s name.

What followed was eye-rolling, being told we’d have to be re-entered on the list and wait even longer, and a whispered exchange with the other hostess. Moments later, a booth was suddenly cleaned—but instead of seating us there, we were placed at an uncomfortable table in the center of the dining room while yet another party who arrived after us was given the booth.

This wasn’t an oversight. It was poor judgment, poor attitude, and poor hospitality.

My brother-in-law had to escalate the situation to a manager.

Takeaways:
* Don’t lie to guests.
* Don’t punish guests for questioning you.
* Some people simply should not be in the service industry. Staff are the backbone of a restaurant, and behavior like this isn’t just unprofessional—it’s a liability.

Atmosphere: 2

Service: 1

Our waitress was very sweet. The croissants were great. That's were the great experience ends.

When our waters were delivered, the outside of all glasses were crusty. I asked the waitress if that is how the glasses always are and she said that the outsides are always gross, but the insides are a little better. Not an apology or embarrassment, just a fact. I asked for a new glass, which was wet and still crusty. I did not drink anything in your restaurant.

My daughter and I ordered the chicken alfredo and the broccoli was raw and inedible. This was a tremendously disappointing experience. We ate what we could and paid, as we are on a road trip and didn't want to take time to address the manager.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 2

First time eating here and the atmosphere did not match the food. The server seemed overwhelmed despite only a few tables being occupied and a handful of servers drifting around. The apps took a while and were warm at best and not very flavorful (Cheese balls and artichoke dip) so I decided to save myself for my burger. Got the bacon cheeseburger and queso fries for my meal(took a while) The queso fries were again warmish the fries were kind of soggy but after a long day of shopping 7 months pregnant I WAS STARVING. As soon as I bit into my burger though, I almost lost them. The burger had 1 strip of bacon, no sauces and the meat tasted/felt like rubber. I normally dont say anything but had to send it back. I was offered something else but declined due to already being there for over an hour(still needed to drive back to Davenport). The place looks fancy and clean but really disappointed with the food. Probably won't eat here again and wouldn't recommend.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 2

Good food options, long wait times, service was ok.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 3

Every single time I have stopped by it was incredible. I really enjoy it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food and the service was well worth the 5 stars.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Chicken fried chicken is amazing.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Love the service, food and quality!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food, quick service, great stuff but more can you want

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Honey Butter Croissants, Soup, Santa Fe Spinach Dip

The quality of the food was the major downfall

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 3

Very busy, nice staff, long wait for seating.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

The server we had was very nice - nothing wrong here.

I got my salad and there was mouse droppings in it. Absolutely disgusted and lost my appetite after that. Makes me wonder what else in their kitchen is contaminated.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 4

Great food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Our food was good and our service during our meal was good. The pay process is not, we had to scroll thru a large ticket on the table top pay kiosk for each person so everyone could pay. It would have been better to have our tickets split up for us.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Traveling and staying at a nearby hotel. First time at a Cheddar’s and it did not disappoint. Thomas provided friendly and attentive service. The house complimentary croissants were deliciously flaky and buttery. The side salad served in chilled bowls with delicious creamy Ranch dressing was delightful. The shrimp Alfredo pasta was creamy and loaded with perfectly grilled shrimp and crisp tender broccoli. The blackened fish was crispy and cooked perfectly. Definitely a great dining experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5