I love this place. Great food. The monte cristo is amazing. Try their spinach dip. Great staff.

This is THE place to go in Joplin. This place is great for dates, social life, or an afternoon business meeting. There is a small sports bar, but the emphasis is on the sit down atmosphere. This place is always busy, always packed which might not suit to well for the homebody. If you are a socialite, then I suggest coming here. Over all, this place is where the night life in Joplin is at with reasonable prices to keep you coming back for more! read more

If you want an outstanding waitress ask for Jonnie! She made our night enjoyable. We never had to ask for anything it just appeared. The food was outstanding. Try the pot pie it was to die for. We will definitely be back! read more

Nice atmosphere and pretty good food. There's a nice variety of food-seafood, sandwiches, steak etc all reasonably priced. Wouldn't eat there all the time but every once in awhile is good read more

I love coming here when I am home on vacation. I love the Monte Christo.

The food is better than average for a chain restaurant that serves such a variety of dishes. I agree; it is all a bit heavy on the sodium. The service was excellent but the atmosphere was so noisy that I usually couldn't hear the server. My usual order is the Grilled Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad and I love the honey croissants. The Cookie Monster is a MUST if you have the calories to spare. read more

Fast service, great food highly recommend have never had a bad experience at any pf there locations.

Was in Joplin for a week and ate here the last night. Place was super busy even at 8pm; the food was pretty good and the prices extremely reasonable. I had a great Philly cheesesteak and a Caesar salad. I would definitely come back here if I ever return to Joplin. read more

Stopped by on our way bicycling across the country and the manager sand staff were very willing to feed our hungry bodies. The chicken fingers are phenomenal. Fried to perfection, without being soggy or too hard, and incredibly tender white meat on the inside. They also came with a honey mustard sauce that paired perfectly with the chicken. The mashed potatoes and gravy were delicious as well. Would definitely recommend this place to others looking for traditional American food. read more

We used to love Cheddars but as of recently it seems to have gone downhill in terms of quality. I ordered a burger and potato and it was mediocre at best. Burger was over cooked and potato was dry. My son got the salmon and shrimp which he said was better. Makes me sad to see it trend this direction. read more

Had a great lunch today! Our waiter was great. A lil disappointed we didn't get the stunning blonde in the black dress but our waiter did a great job! read more

Cheddars is just standard and good. It's a chain so you know consistently you're probably going to have a pretty good experience. It's probably the best chain in town read more

Typical Cheddar's you will find across America, big portions low price and good food.

This was barely a two. Chicken tenders were cold. Seriously difficult to screw that up. Then I ordered a quesadilla and ended needing to take it back to the hotel because they couldn't find a clean fork. Bartender could not have cared less. She had to fix another patron's cocktail twice because she didn't know how to make it. She was clearly annoyed with trying to do her job. Really fallen far from what it could/should be. read more

We are traveling with three cats by car from Boston to Tucson. What a treat (and bargain) to find Cheddar's near our hotel. There may be wonderful points of interest in Joplin but excellent food and attentive service can't be beat with the hand-crafted menu offered at Cheddar's. Don't miss the croissants, no matter what the meal! read more

Management should be notified!!!!!! Worst dining experience we have had in awhile!!! I would like to give this a one star but because we have one close to home and I know it's good I'll give it a 2. We were traveling through and decided to stop and eat here. For starters the ladies at the front acted clueless. We finally got a table and our waitress was awful (I wish I could remember her name). Our drinks were always empty and we would have to ask for more. Then when she got the hint that we were thirsty with our meal she would come out and say to us with empty cups "do y'all want more to drink?" She was not proactive at all!!!! And our orders didn't even come out wrong. My 81 year old Grammy ordered a cup of soup and she brought out a cup of the completely wrong soup. Secondly our silverware, plates and cups had leftover food from previous customers on it. When we asked for new silverware she brought us more and it was also caked with food. Management here needs to be notified. It was disgusting! Our waitress then asked us how to split up the check. She got that wrong as well, as if she just didn't care or listen. We were so ready to get out of there. The food here is good (with the exception that they had "ran out" of the foot we really wanted) and that is the only real reason I won't give this review just one star. read more

They were out of 3 things we tried to order. One meal came, we had to ask twice for the other meal. The baked potatoe for the steak dinner was cold. The butter would not melt. Lunch on Saturday, I would think the food would be hot. No apologies or discount on the meal or an offer to go get a hot potatoes. Very dissapointed. read more

Our server was doing the best she could, but it took over 30 minutes for us to get our meal. When we finally got it, it was less than average at best. We've eaten at other Cheddar's Scratch Kitchens that were better. read more

Cheddar's is always very busy, so it must be good right? Its always hit and miss for me. The food is usually cooked right and to my specifications, and usually I don't have to wait more than 20 minutes after I order, but those times when everything just is terrible.Starting with rude careless servers, to cold "not what I ordered" food, to unprofessional managers, with a terrible knack for damage control have ruined the Restaurant for me. I will only go there ,anymore, if someone invites me. I will no longer wait too long for sub-par food, with thoughtless staff and little to no actual service! Its not worth the gamble that maybe I'll get the one good server this time! Great price, but sometimes at Cheddars it will cost ya. read more

A tad pricey for the quality of food. Was pretty tasty...I would go back. Not a great place to take small children or infants. The waitress seated my friend and I along with our two babies in a small booth, with the babies awkwardly in the way of every person and waiter coming through. There were other tables that would have been better....and less waitstaff complaining and rolling their eyes maneuvering around our little ones. Not very pleased with their attitudes and lack of drink refills. Felt like we were being avoided. The babies were well behaved and enjoyed themselves thankfully. read more

Prices are good. Food is usually good--especially the buffalo chicken tenders/ wraps. If you like crossaint rolls, make sure to order one--you won't be disappointed (they come free with salad). Sometimes the service is slow--especially when they get swamped. Overall, one of the better cafés in Joplin. read more

June 11, 2016 We were a party of eight. My elderly friend didn't like the way the chicken fried steak tasted and said she couldn't eat it. We decided to send it back. The manager, David was very apologetic and put a rush on a new entree for her plus a fresh side order. He was very nice about the whole thing. We appreciated the manner in which David handled the whole thing. Made for a happier elderly lady. The rest of us enjoyed our meals of beer battered shrimp, fried catfish, ceasar salad, blackened salmon, and the iced tea was nice and strong. read more

Good food, and our waiter was pretty good and very polite. Waiting for an undersized table an hour and and a half though...... well not much else needs to be said. read more

See all

I'm tickled I found Cheddars in Joplin MO - as when I lived in Ft Worth TX one of our favorites ... great selection - great food - great $ ... busy busy busy ... so will be back to try more of the menu!!! I had the really really good bourbon salmon .. friend had the chicken strips (we had leftovers) and she ordered to go for hubby. Will be going back with friends & relatives from the area for the 'scratch' variety menu. This will keep us happy for a long time!!! - cheers y'all !! read more

Had lunch at Cheddar's with a friend on Friday 6/17/11 and was very pleased. I had the half club sandwich and tortilla soup. Had to wait just a bit for a table but the service and food were worth it. read more

Great food they so many dishes to choose from and a great waiting staff. I always get the same the the chicken tenders and the french fries but I would like to try the pot pies my mom always gets them and they look delicious! read more

We are traveling and I need to eat gluten free. I called ahead to the Joplin location. The person on the phone was very helpful and explained their processes for serving gluten friendly food. She assured me that my server would let the kitchen know I was ordering gluten free. Out server was a little less concerned about things and her answer to most of my questions was I don't really know. Not, let me get you an answer. It wasn't busy at this time either. I do not like to be a bother when ordering but the person on the phone made me feel comfortable. My server not so much. I asked for a bloody Mary with a bottle of hot sauce on the side. The bartender or server put the hot sauce in my drink. A ridiculous amount. When my burger came I asked if I could eat the dip that was on my plate. Again....she says I'm not sure. Then why is it on my plate???? All in all the food was great. But, it is So scary to try new places..Please make a better effort to make sure they know what they are doing with gf. I don't choose to make this my diet. I have Celiac. read more

We have been here twice in the past 4 years and both times was a complete let down. The second time we came my wife's food looked like it had been picked up off the floor and had hair in it. My red beans and rice tasted like dish soap. It was all horrible. Will never be back after we had to pay full price for what we got after we talked with the staff read more

This is one of the best places to eat in Joplin, MO. The service is great and the food even better. They treat you like family, and the atmosphere is amazing. I highly recommend the Chicken Alfredo bowl or the Monte Cristo. read more

I've been to Cheddars many times because it seems to be a nice neutral favorite for families and business meetings. I wasn't sure how to rate it because it is not necessarily a favorite choice of mine, but I think it is a good place to eat in the right situation. There's something for everyone; I like their buffalo chicken wrap best, but the salads and most chicken dishes are very good at Cheddars, as is their cole slaw. It's usually pretty fast, the service is consistently good, and the food quality is acceptable. The prices, however, are much better than similar chains like Applebees or Ruby Tuesday. I've taken that into consideration when formulating the 4 star rating I assigned to Cheddars. The only problem I've ever had with Cheddars was the time our server explained they could no longer afford to give diners "to go" boxes and we had to leave our leftovers there. I called her bluff and she brought us 1 carton to share amongst 3 of us, which was ridiculous. On subsequent visits there was never a similar problem. I'd be ok with Cheddars charging for to go cartons as long as the price was reasonable, because I can never eat the entire huge portions given. My husband is a hearty eater and this is the only place the two of us can actually share a meal on occasion; that's how big the portions are. read more

I am confused by all the high star reviews for this place. Joplin is certainly not known for any great restaurants but I thought we would have a decent experience based on reviews and the mob of people in the lobby area waiting to be seated. We shuffled past the mob to sit at the bar. Oddly enough, the seats were a little too short for the tall bar so that was awkward from the start. I ordered the "fall apart" pot roast and my husband ordered the baked layered spaghetti. Yes, as you can see this is your typical chain restaurant. My salad came first which was fine. But they gave me a buttered, honey drenched croissant on the side so in many bites of my salad with ranch dressing, I was tasting honey. Annoyed. Three different waitresses and or bartenders dropped and shattered glasses while we were there. Headache. My pot roast came and it was globs of meat held together with fat on top of mashed potatoes that tasted instant and were so soupy, it literally spilled off my spoon. I took maybe two bites and was done. My husbands meal, while he ate it, was no better. The spaghetti was all in the center with sauce poured around it so very bland and tasted as though it came from a can. The only good thing was the bartender waiting on us did offer to get me something else. At first I passed but after eyeballing another patron eating french fries that looked golden and cooked right, I asked for a side of fries. They were ok. Fortunately for them, they did not charge me for the 10 dollar pot roast. For that, I left her a big tip, after all, she wasn't having a good night being all fumble fingered and dropping things but managed to provide good customer service to me. She gets an A for effort there. I also must admit, I was a bit shocked to see they allowed children to sit at the bar. Isn't that an ABC violation? Regardless, we will never ever go to another Cheddars after this experience so please never come to NWA. Its obviously a sister to Cheezy's which is quite disgusting and surprised its still open as well. read more

Decent chain restaurant. Busy on a Friday night. The food was very good. The service was spotty. Overall a decent restaurant. First time in a Cheddar's. Found one near St. Louis. I might have to try that one too. read more

Poorest service I have ever experienced. I rarely complain because I know it is a difficult job but when it is blatantly bad then I do. Sent my meal back because the waiter couldn't bring steak sauce though he made three trips to a table just next to me. Another table next to us was seated after us and received excellent service from a different waiter. Got an apology from the manager and he removed the meal I sent back from the ticket. Too little too late. I won't be back read more

I just had to rave about our experience tonight. We went to cheddars when we first moved to Joplin a little over a year ago and our visit was flat out terrible. My husband had a hair in his food and nothing was done. We didn't even get an apology. We vowed to never visit cheddars again, but tonight we decided to give it another go and I am so happy we did. Our waitress, Nikki, was amazing. Our onion rings were a little late coming out because they were busy and overlooked them on our ticket. Two managers came out to apologize and they didn't charge us for them. They checked on us numerous times to make sure we were okay and everything was good. Then last but not least. We asked about military discount as we always do since my husband is active duty and she informed us they don't do that. But when we got our ticket back she explained how she had first hand experience with service members and how much she appreciates what my husband does so she paid for his meal out of her own pocket. We will definitely be returning and we are just so happy we gave cheddars a second chance. (The food was delicious too definitely get some onion rings and tortilla soup when you go and if you get Nikki, tip her well. She's awesome!) read more

Last week on Friday my girlfriend told me she wanted to go to her favorite restaurant, she then said the name which was "Cheddars". Judging by my size I obviously love food and I have never heard of that place before, by the name I thought it was some place that only served cheese. I looked up the description and all their restaurants say "Made from scratch kitchen" which still tells me nothing about what kind of food they serve. Then I learned the nearest one was in Joplin, Missouri or Fort Smith, Arkansas. We ended up choosing Joplin. That's a little bit of a drive I thought but figured id give it a shot. We ended picking up my girlfriend's best friend who we invited last minute. When we got there, it was located right next to the interstate with a big sign you can't miss which I liked because it was simple and easy to find. When we pulled in it was just like the internet had said "Cheddars Made Form Scratch Kitchen". When we are walking in, it had the same vibe as a red lobster dim lighting but enough to see where you are going. Dim like a how you know its sunny outside, but a big fat cloud is blocking the sun, so it almost looks dark out. As we headed to our seats in the main portion of the restaurant they had a very one of a kind looking fan. It looked like a big wheel on a paddle boat but each of the fan blades were a different length and turned how a paddle boat paddle would turn in a rotating motion with the blades coming towards you. Just watching it rotate and do its job was so out of the ordinary because each blade being a different length it was looking watch a new fan turn each time. The fan blades themselves were the color of what looked like charred hickory wood with lacquer on it to make them shine. I am making a big fuss over a fan, but it was very unique, and I challenge someone to find another like it. Not a normal ceiling fan that has 5 normal blades and just spins around an axis. On the way to our table I also noticed they had a fish tank that was unique as well the lighting in the tank was a dim purple which made the fish that were in the tank almost glow, also the dim purple went along with the dim lighting that seemed to be a theme of the restaurant. The table we sat at already had silverware and a cloth napkin waiting for us the forks were not cheap buffet forks that you could break if you took to big of a bite. They had real silverware the fork was so big I felt like I was holding Poseidon's trident. From the layout of the place and how much money they spent decorating it I assumed it would be kind of expensive. Once I got the menus I was pleasantly surprised the pricing really wasn't outrageous. The menu was very well laid out and easy to read, some menus have huge graphics all over the place and a ton of pages of things that don't sound appealing, their menu was simple to read simple price locations but still looked high class and professional. The type of food they offered would best be described as American you've got your burgers, steaks, salads, and dinner platters which is a combination of some type of seafood paired with seafood or steak. They also offered tilapia which our friend that came with us got and she said it was excellent but a little spicy. I got a steak and chicken dinner which was $14 that came with two hearty sides. My girlfriend got grilled shrimp and chicken dinner that came with two hearty sides and an appetizer salad which was $13. I also got spinach dip as an appetizer which was $5 we also had sodas which were like $2 per soda and I had 4 crown royal and Dr. Pepper drinks the total with tip and taxes was $60. Which is more than the usual dinner costs, but I made the mistake of ordering expensive whiskey which is not Cheddars fault whiskey already has a higher tax rate so its going to be expensive anywhere. The food was outstanding for the price you pay and the amount of food they give you and how it is prepared everything was cooked to perfection my chicken was cooked perfectly it was still moist and the fries were golden brown and my steak was cooked just as I asked which was medium rare just the perfect amount of pink and slightly bloody and it was all served on a bed of French fried onions. I would have paid twice the price for a meal like that, I can not over state how delicious it was. The waiting staff was very nice and polite she did at sometimes take a while with our drink orders, but it was a packed Friday night she was doing the best she could. The only negative I would say is that the tables were a little close together you could hear other people's conversations even though they had built a wooden divider between our booth and the people next to us, they kept making a fuss about how someone at the table was eating all the sugar packets. But Cheddars is a business that's in it to make money, so they want to pack it as full as they can which is understandable. I will defiantly be returning there. read more

Food was good but not enough to fill either of us up. Scanty portions. Service horrible. Server did not return to check on us for refills or any other reason. Desperately needed napkins! Server Brought check and never offered dessert or refills. Will not return. read more

Ate here Sunday night while traveling. This location was very dirty and the chicken tenders were more breading than chicken. The waitress was good, not great. read more

Good comfort food. I like the chicken tenders and you get a lot of food for the money! The honey croissants are the best. Love the salads. Chicken pot pie is good! Always busy though. read more

Normally we love this place however the manager refused to plan for us. We anticipate a party of 20 people and tried to make reservations for us the manager refused due to "policy"....we will go to another establishment and they have lost a LOT of business. NOT good business! read more

Very nice restaurant. The ribs are amazing. All of our food was great. Service was just average but it was a Saturday evening and they were super busy. Restaurant was clean. I'm starting to become a big fan of Cheddars for the quality of their food. My kids love the choices on the kids menu. Very convenient location right off of I-44. Overall I would definitely go back if I'm in town! read more