The Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain opened its Danville location in late winter this year.
Customers from CHS had different experiences recently.
“I liked it,” Eric Wilson, freshman, said. “Good music and good people around.”
“It was a nice atmosphere,” Kinslee Cassell, freshman, said.
“It was good and pretty upbeat,” Kayleigh Lautenbach, junior, said.
“The smells were good,” Gabrielle Custer, freshman, said. “I smelled the rolls as soon as I came in. I saw people I knew, so I talked to them. The music was good as well; it was good country music.”
Some believed components of the environment were a bit overwhelming.
“It was hectic, and there were lots of people everywhere,” Savannah Morris, junior, said.
“The atmosphere was good,” Coach James Banks said. “There was music playing when I walked in there, and it was kinda loud, but other than that, it was cool; I enjoyed it. Everybody was minding their own business.”
Others did not appreciate the poor service.
“It was really busy, though it was good,” Lindsey Evans, junior, said. “I was waiting for my food, and it kind of made me mad because my waitress was just dancing.”
“It was really loud because there were a lot of people there, and there were a lot of birthdays when we were there; a lot of people got on the saddle,” Avery Norton, freshman, said.
Caitlynn Hawkins, junior, enjoyed watching the servers dance.
“It was fun,” Hawkins said. “The servers started dancing, and it was very interesting.”
The wait times for different customers varied. Customers can join the Waitlist before arriving via the Texas Roadhouse website or app.
“Our wait was 55 minutes,” Hawkins said.
“When I got there, I only had to wait five minutes because of the app,” Wilson said.
“It was two hours online, but when we got there, it only took 10 minutes,” Lautenbach said.
Despite the sometimes long hold times, customers believed the overall experience was worth the delay.
“When we first joined the Waitlist, it was a four-hour wait, but it was worth it in the end,” Evans said.
“It started as an hour, but using the app was worth it because once I got there, I didn’t have to wait that long,” Norton said.
“I waited two hours, but it was worth it for that bread,” Ameyea Murphy, junior, said.
There are lots of menu options.
Banks ordered a 6-ounce steak, a half rack of ribs, some fries, and some rice.
“I didn’t like the rice,” Banks said. “I loved the steak. My ribs were a little tough. Maybe I went on the wrong day. I enjoyed the steak so much because it was well-seasoned.”
Wilson ordered a full rack of ribs, loaded baked potato, fries, and a steak.
“It was good, a 10 out of 10,” Wilson said.
Norton ordered grilled chicken tenders.
“They were really good,” Norton said. “I get them every time I go to Texas Roadhouse.”
Murphy ordered the rolls to-go.
“They were great, they were soft, they were big, and they were loafy,” Murphy said.
Custer ordered the kids’ steak bites with mashed potatoes.
“I thought the steak was under-seasoned,” Custer said. “The mashed potatoes were great though.”
Zakyah Mansfield, sophomore, ordered potato skins, a 6-ounce steak, and a baked potato.
“The potato skins were good, but everything else was mid (something average or mediocre),” Mansfield said. “The steak was like beef jerky.”
Madison Sharp, sophomore, ordered bread, bacon cheese fries, a steak, boneless chicken wings, and jalapeno poppers.
“It was bad,” Sharp said. “We ordered everything at 5:30, and it was all cold when we received it because we got it two hours later. We did get a refund for that though. The bread is not over-hyped; it’s really good.”
Lautenbach ordered a steak with shrimp, mac and cheese, and fries. “It was cold when we got it, but it was good,” Lautenbach said.
Hawkins ordered a bacon burger. “It was pretty good,” Hawkins said. “I ate way too many rolls, and then I couldn’t eat it all.”
Most customers believe Texas Roadhouse charges a fair price for its menu items.
“The price was high because I got a lot, but I think it’s fair,” Wilson said.
“I think it’s fair; it’s about the same as every other restaurant around here,” Banks said.
“It’s good, especially if you order from the kids’ menu,” Evans said.
“It’s all right,” Mansfield said. “It’s a decent price for what it’s worth.
Some believe the options are overpriced.
“I think it’s a little expensive,” Norton said.
“It could go a little lower because of their service,” Sharp said.
In most customers’ opinions, the employees were kind and efficient in helping everyone’s needs.
“They were super sweet and had good service,” Hawkins said.
“They were helpful and very nice,” Cassell said.
“They were nice, and they gave us a discount because a student who goes to Chatham works there,” Wilson said.
“Their service was good, and they were nice,” Evans said.
“They were friendly,” Morris said.
“My server was really nice,” Norton said.
“They were very helpful,” Banks said. “I asked about the rolls when I first got in there because I had heard they were out, but she told me to wait one second and kept bringing rolls.”
Other customers believed their demands were not taken care of in good time.
“She was a good server, but she took forever,” Lautenbach said.
“They were nice, but it was very crowded, so it was a little slow,” Custer said.
