The value is fantastic. Lost of quality, tasty food for less than fast food marginal from McDonald's, Wendy's, Carls, Arbys or Booger King. Plus you're waited on and. An play a good trivia game at the table, it's even better when we get the excellent waitress. In fact, the only reason I'm not rating 5 stars is that the hostesses are awful, obtuse, and intentionally difficult, as are other staff and a few waitresses.
The hostesses are insufferable and it seems like they are making an effort to frustrate customers snd make it difficult to get seating they want. I used to think the weirdness with the hostesses was me being hungry, but after the following experience, I know it's them
Here is the entire interaction with the Hostess as my gf and I entered the empty waiting area at the Santee, Ca Chilis. We got there at just the right time on an unusually slow night so we were thrilled that we'd be eating quickly. We walk into the foyer which is void of people waiting for tables and a hostess typing into something that looks to be a phone:
Me: "Hi. We're Smith, party of two and we'd like a booth. If necessary, we would wait for a booth in the dining room, rather than sit at a table a table nor do we want to eat in the bar."
Hostess: "It's going to be 30-40 minutes. Would you like to seat yourself in the bar?"
I look out into a Dining Room where, interspersed with occupied booths, there are approximately 10 empty booths, some clean, some need cleared along with a few tables.
Me: "But there are at least 6 booths open right now, 3 of them are clean. Like that one there." I'm pointing at a clean, open booth, surrounded by active booths, just as the busboy moved the interactive screen to the edge of the table he just cleaned and walked away from it. "Can't we sit there?"
Hostess looking at her screen, not the booths: "You're welcome to seat yourself in the bar but there aren't any tables available."
Me: "That booth right there was just cleaned so can we sit there?"
Hostess: "It's not ready. Phone number?"
Me SMH: "619-867-5309".
Hostess: "We'll text you when it's ready."
I take two steps and as I was sitting down in the empty waiting area, I get 3 texts from Chili's telling me I have a reservation, how to check status and that my table is ready. (See picture)
Hostess announces to the empty, except for me and my gf, waiting area: "Smith. Smith. Your table is ready."
I stand up, my gf and I take the step toward the podium.
Hostess: "Name?"
SMH I answer: "Smith"
Hostess: "First name?"
Me: "Michael "
She leads us to one of those small tables right next to another table of 4, not a booth.
Me: "Would you please seat us at a booth?"
Hostess: "There aren't any available"
Me: "We'll wait" and we walk toward the still empty waiting area where there is now another person at the podium that seemed to be a manager or supervisor. The original hostess left the podium so I approached this other woman and I say:
"Can we please be seated at one of the booths like that one?" Pointing again at the booth I pointed at before. She turned, looked at it, glanced at the screen and
New Chili's Person: "Sure." She walked us to the booth, we say down and were waited on by an excellent waitress, serving us excellent food, while we played trivia on the device, which was why we wanted a booth. We like to take our time, enjoy the food and trivia together, and we tip really well for taking up the waitress' table for a long time. read more