While this is trying to be the Ford Garage of trucker theme restaurant, I can tell you that it is not even in the same league because I have been to both. No 18 wheeler hanging over the bar, but themed menu and decor. There is one in the "garage door" part of the place. As you can see, there is room for more tables but it wasn't busy at all on a Friday night. Lots of staff, but still not good service since my server messed up my simple order and it took time to get it. Asparagus was so salty you could see chunks of salt in the very thin stems. Even grilled the hot dog was average at best. I am glad I don't have a reason to try this again. It replaced a regional chain that went out of business, but is a very big step down from it. read more

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Stayed here at the hotel and came down for lunch and snacks. They have some GF options. The server was very knowledgeable about what I could eat as a celiac. I had the baked potato, coleslaw, mashed potatoes and blackberry chocolate chip ice cream. They also made me a strawberry daiquiri mixed with pina colada. Everything was very good! read more

Ralph's American Grill - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Wilmington, Ohio

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Was on a road trip & stopped off here for lunch. Great place to have a sandwich & fries. Really enjoyed my lunch. The food was fresh & the fries were hot & crispy. The server was great! The decor is fun too. My only reason for not giving five stars is that it took a while for the food to arrive at our table. Other than that, I would definitely eat here again. Great food & atmosphere! read more

Ralph's American Grill - Iced tea & complimentary pork rinds - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Wilmington, Ohio

This place is a hidden gem. Their food was incredible, presented nicely, great/quick service, and the place is super nice and clean. It gives a nostalgic and metallic feel. Full nice bar and sports playing on the TV. I met my family 75% of the way between Columbus and Cincinnati and this was the perfect spot. Can't wait to come back!! read more

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The bar closed at nine. We're standing outside watching the Reds game since you can't get it in your hotel room in the baldheaded bartender turns off all the TVs at the bottom of the ninth inning. read more

The restaurant is wonderfully themed to a local large trucking organization. I stopped in for dinner. The star of the meal had to be the amazingly efficient and delightful waitress who made sure to communicate well throughout the meal. The chili was the star of the evening followed closely by the delicious hot chicken on the Mac and cheese. The menu outside the restaurant stated the dish also contained fried pickles which were missing both from the interior menu and the dish, however they were not necessary. The nachos were extremely cold, the steak was cooked well on top but was also quite cold. Possibly using beer cheese resulted in lowering the temperature of the dish quickly on the way to the table but it was still a wonderful meal. read more

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There aren't a lot of great places to stop, sit down, and have a nice meal between Cincinnati and Columbus. My family and I recently discovered Ralph's American Grill, about halfway along the 100-mile drive between the two cities. They are a self-proclaimed tribute to the trucking industry and feature decor reflecting the area's rich history in transportation, including the nearby R+L Carriers. For my meal, I opted for the Nashville sandwich, with a spicy fried chicken breast, coleslaw, pickle, and mayo on a toasted bun ($13.95 with choice of side). The coleslaw was particularly good I thought, and the chicken was well seasoned and not overly spicy. My wife had the paramount pulled pork sandwich topped with BBQ sauce, coleslaw, cheddar cheese, and fried onions on Texas toast ($13.95 with choice of side). This was also a pretty good sandwich, though quite messy. My kids sampled the Mack (truck) & cheese ($4.99) and the Bavarian-style pretzels with beer cheese, honey mustard, and everything cream cheese dip ($9.95). They also have a nice beer list featuring beers from Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus. read more

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Dined here again this past weekend with a party of 9 (location wasn't our decision). Have to say the service was much better. Water glass was kept full and appetizers were brought out quickly with individual plates. Ordered the turkey reuben. Flavor was okay. I liked the marbled rye but husband prefers dark rye or pumpernickel. Fries were as good as the previous visit, appreciate the consistency. read more

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Food is pretty standard chain bar food quality. Decor is interesting, if you like NASCAR. Ribs were not great, sides were like reheated bulk food. Not worth the prices. read more

Second time there, this place is awesome. Service, ambience and food were perfect. Huge beer and liquor selection, especially bourbon.

Yelp considers 3-stars Okay. This is a 2.5 Star review; almost okay. I tried to order a non-alcoholic beer, cheeseburger and side salad. - Non-alcoholic beers are not stocked, so I drank water. - It took 18 minutes to deliver a side salad. The ingredients were fresh, but smashed absolutely flat in the bowl as-if books had been placed on top of it. - My burger arrived ~25 minutes after ordering, looking very good. I ordered medium rare, it arrived well done. Poor beef flavor. Weird, mealy mouth feel. Perhaps I was served a vegan burger? - Although Ralph's is attached to the hotel, it is not possible to bill a meal to the hotel room. - The poor guy seated at the same time, next to me ... waited 36 minutes for salmon. The waiter and someone from the back kept apologizing for the delay, explaining that salmon takes a long time to cook. No, it does not ... - Stools at the bar were made in a metal fab shop - not kidding. Very, very heavy and difficult to move. Will I return? Very unlikely. read more

Ralph's American Grill - Pulled pork - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Wilmington, Ohio

What a cool place... This is a cool place with an R and L trucking/NASCAR themed interior. The service is okish. This place is a hotel restaurant. they had a buffet that did not look good, so I opted for their Nashville chicken sandwich with fries, which was good. This was a decent place to stop between Cincinnati and Columbus off 71... read more

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I have no idea what happened to the pics of my burger and tater tots. While driving back fro the Columbus area my BFF and I pulled in for lunch. There was a convention going on next door so parking was tight. But we got lucky and found one close. We went it to be greeted then heading toward a table. We stopped when the greeter realized that the table we were going to was not available and turned around to a table we already passed. We sat down and a fun happy person came out to offer us drinks. We both got water. When the water was brought out we decided on splitting a burger and fries and also ordered the "Lug Nuts" tator tots filled with cheese and bacon. We waited for a few and a server brought a burger and asked if it was ours. It was not. Then they left. I seen this happen a couple of times then our lug nuts came out. They were good but not as good as I hoped. I would order them again, but would try other items first. Then I seen what I thought was our burger but as seemed the trend it was taken to a couple other tables first. Then back to the kitchen. Our waiter came out and I mentioned this and they went to check on our food. Seconds later our burger came out. It was very tasty. Maybe a little over cooked. We ordered it medium and it tasted well done. So next time I will order medium rare and hope it doesn't go the other way. I prefer medium rare but I have been to several places that under cook. So. The place was very clean and even the bath rooms were clean. I would come back if traveling between Cincinnati and Columbus. read more

Ralph's American Grill - Wall - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Wilmington, Ohio

FOOD -- (2 stars because of the Broccolini and 3 stars for the chicken sandwich). I ordered the Nashville chicken sandwich which comes with coleslaw inside the bun but I got the coleslaw on the side. I also ordered a side of broccolini. The chicken sandwich was fine. It had too much mayo on the bun and if I knew it came with mayo, I would have asked for it on the side. The Broccolini was underwhelming which sucked because I was really craving vegetables on that day. It had a very weird taste to it that is hard to describe. It just didn't taste right and I could barely eat one stalk of broccoli. It almost tasted bitter too. Overall, I'm sure they have other better menu options but I won't be back for the particular dish that I ordered. SERVICE -- I got a takeout order but service was good. The hostess was friendly upon arrival. AMBIANCE -- This is a medium-sized restaurant and bar that is attached to the Holiday Inn hotel in Wilmington, Ohio. Thus, it is in a very convenient location for hotel guests. **** - 38/150 total reviews in 2023 - 589 total overall Yelp reviews - Reviewed on 25 March 2023 read more

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Enjoyed a couple breakfast meals and a dinner while in town. The R+L team has done a really great job creating a welcoming space with all sorts of memorabilia to walk around & experience, when you're not enjoying a great meal or a casual drink at the bar. All of the staff was very friendly and made each visit a pleasure! Enjoyed the Chicken & Waffle breakfast along with the Biscuits and Gravy. The waffle meal was better in my opinion, also quite a bit to eat with two large pieces of crispy chicken on top of a large waffle. The biscuits meal was good too with two biscuits served open faced under two eggs cooked to your liking, and country potatoes covered in sausage & white gravy. Very hearty, very tasty, very good! Oh yeah, LOTS of coffee with these meals too!!! For the group dinner, I opted for patty melt and fries and I was not disappointed. The group shared some desserts to wrap up a great meal. Buckeye Pie (chocolate & peanut butter), Bread pudding and a huge slab of Carrot Cake (my favorite of the three). If you're in the Wilmington area - drop by Ralph's, you won't be disappointed! read more

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The restaurant itself seems like a really cool space. We were seated right away on a Thursday evening. It was later in the evening, so it wasn't as busy. The beer list is rotating and seems to offer a good selection of local beers. They're very generous with the beer too, as the sizes are either 16 oz or 22 oz. I ordered the Fish & Chips for my entree. It was pretty lackluster. The fish was already a bit soggy and the fries tasted stale. Our server was incredibly kind and attentive. Everyone who worked at Ralph's seemed to be great! read more

Food and menu are fine and we've had the same pleasant and capable waitress twice. The unforgivable problem is that it's FREEZING there in the summer. This time, we happened to be seated by the thermostat so I saw its 67 degree setting. I went to the bar staff and learned that the setting is a strict management rule. I've never had a restaurant be unbending on that! When a manager came to address my complaint (probably not the one making decisions), all he could do was move us closer to the sunny front window. A pair of women were outside smoking as we left and they, too, brought up how freezing it was. If you go in the summer, bring a true coat and socks, and please submit your own complaint. I have to put up with it because Ralph's is midway between Cincy and Columbus so, if I want to meet my elderly aunts, that's their chosen spot because it's also near the highway. (I'm extra grumpy because I came well prepared this time, with socks to put on too, but my aunt had forgotten her sweater so I insisted that she use my coat. Next time, I'm definitely bringing extras.) read more

I got the Mack and Cheese with Nashville chicken. I'm from the south, so this dish is... not cheesy enough. Sauce lacked flavor though it had a spicy kick to it. Still ate it all because I didn't have time to reorder something else. My family members burgers were delicious though. Shared a shake and carrot cake which were heavenly! Ambiance here is great. read more

My bff and I came here on the way home from a trip. We were very tired and hungry. Our server was very nice and offered great suggestions but she was the only one that seemed happy to be working. The person bringing out the food kept offering us someone else's food and then couldn't find us when our food was ready. The food was good but the burger tasted like it wasn't made in house. All in all, a good meal for hungry travelers! read more

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Good bar restaurant. Not much else around, and this place had surprisingly good food that wasn't too expensive. Nice bar area for relaxing before going back to your hotel, chill atmosphere and lounge style decor. Service was friendly even though they were busy with an event nearby. Got the Nashville sandwich and loved their coleslaw. Could have been a bigger chicken breast but was still good. French fries were great and so were the glazed carrots (not pictured). Had a nice time and the waiter was very friendly. Definitely a good choice if you're near the Roberts Center. read more

Ralph's American Grill - Nashville sandwich and French fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Wilmington, Ohio

We ordered the lug nut tater tots as an appetizer and they were the size of semi truck lugs which I thought was pretty cool. For my meal I ordered Ralph's melt and at first I thought it was over cooked but as I started eating it the meat was cooked perfectly. The general atmosphere was really nice and it was great seeing the nascar memorabilia. I would definitely visit again. read more

**Note this is the second part of a three part review of this facility and its amenities. For clarity, we did not stay at the Holiday Inn portion of the facility. Part I covers the Robert's Convention Center and Part III cover the Post-Trip bar which can be found in the Ralph's American Grill Restaurant within the facility building. So, I hate to give negative reviews, so I'm hoping this is just a bad day, err... weekend, for them. However, this restaurant left a lot to be desired. If you are in "town" for a convention, meeting or whatever, I strongly suggest steering clear and heading a few exits north. Trust me, in the time it takes you to get a couple of exits north and back, you will have a fuller, happier belly and still make it back before your table is ready here. The primary challenge is staffing, as in, they have very little. This one business enterprise, err, building thrives solely on conventions, group events and meetings. If you take a moment to look around this exit (I-71 exit 50 Xenia) there is literally nothing else here. (OK, so the R+L trucking headquarters doesn't count because I a, pretty sure you didn't drive all the way here to soak in its ambiance and history.) Keeping that in mind, when you have a large group event coming to town, you may want to prep a bit better, as in hire enough staff to make sure your amenities will accommodate the crowd. On this particular weekend, there was a large dance competition and a crafter's event going on, and at lunchtime the restaurant had two servers, a hostess and a brand new guy on his first day behind the bar... ever. Our group of six was told it would be a 45 minute wait (so I snuck over to the bar) and the rest of the group retreated back to the convention center to await the text message letting us know our table was ready. Curiously, not ten minutes later, another party of 6 arrived and were immediately seated (they didn't get a text, just walked in). The other bartender (not the poor FNG) was handling wait staff for the entire front of the restaurant (20+ tables) and trying to fill drink orders simultaneously. Look, I understand staffing issues- lots of places have staffing issues, but it's not like a bus full of 600 tourists showed up unexpected- you booked this event months in advance. Major management fail. If you didn't decide to go ahead and order the all-you-eat salad bar in the back, you weren't going to get fed for hours, or at least not predictably so. A small group bellied up to the bar and ordered to-go food in a matter of minutes, while a 6-top that was 8 feet from the bar didn't get their orders taken for nearly an hour. An absolute disorganized mess, which sums up the theme for pretty much the entire "convention centre." (See the other parts of the review for this site.) On the positive side, the menu looks delicious, but after two days of being here, I couldn't tell you what it tasted like, because I either never got a table or never got waited on. Recommendation: Keep On Truckin' to another exit. read more

I went to Ralph's with my father-in-law and his buddy. When we received our burgers, my father-in-law's friend picked up the burger and had his hands all over it and told the server that it wasn't his burger. I picked up the burger in front of me and saw that it wasn't my burger. The server said "all you have to do is switch the plates. Gross. Gross. Gross. I talked to the manager, and she did NOTHING for us. Dirty, nasty little lace with bad management. Avoid!!! Unless you don't care about cleanliness and sanitation and food handling standards. read more

My family and my friends family were going Buc-Ees and we stoped here for dinner the waitress was very friendly and she is great at her job the food was also delicious if we ever travel this way again we will stop here again read more

my husband and I were on our way to Bellevue, Kentucky. We decided to stop for dinner. Laura was our waitress. She was very nice. Service was great. However, the fries came out lukewarm. When we asked her if we could have hot fries, they brought us hot fries out within a few minutes. I had the hotdog and had cheese, grilled onions, chili, and jalapeños. I was charged $1.95 extra a piece for those.. so, my hotdog ended up costing me nearly $16. Not worth it! I definitely had very little cheese & very little chili. Nowhere near $1.95 worth for any of those ingredients. My husband had a Nashville hot chicken sandwich. It was OK but pretty small. It was bigger than a slider, but nowhere near the size of a burger. I don't think we will stop at this place again. read more

It was Ok, nothing special. I had the fish and chips (fries). The breading on the fish was good. The person next to me said that their burger fries and veggies were cold... read more

Ralph's American Grill - Fish & Chips - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Wilmington, Ohio

Greeted at door and seated immediately for lunch. Coke products. Fresh brewed ice tea. Served in nice stemware. The food is excellent. Prepared to order. Teamwork. Food delivered hot by whomever can carry. My husband thought the cheesesteak was perfect. My cheeseburger is perfect. Fries cooked crispy as requested. Restaurant is located inside the Holiday Inn. Everything is clean. Restrooms are very clean with nice handsoap. I am stuffed. No room for dessert.....hopefully next time. The managers are great. Two stopped by to inquire about our food. Definitely recommend this restaurant. I am coming back for dinner. Pricing is in line with others. Reasonable for what you order. Morgan was our server. Very polite and attentive. She was also pleasant. And she made the very best sweet tea. read more

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Very good dining experience. Stopped in for breakfast, dinner and drinks at the bar. Breakfast was good. Salmon dinner was excellent. Very cool auto garage theme. Servers were all very nice and helpful. What triggered me to leave this review is the men's restroom. I was really impressed with how clean everything was. In my opinion, that is a reflection of how clean the kitchen is as well. read more

so bad. waited 30 minutes for our food and it came out very cold. everything was very dry. pasta had very cheap sweet sauce. we only got refills as we were handed the check. we had to ask our server for napkins,refills and the check. will not be back read more

They're broccoli is called broccolini. Not good first night couldn't cut with a butter knife ask for a steak knife still couldn't cut it when I did finally get a piece to eat it was still hard to chew. Third night we went there I had broccoli again and it was ice cold like came out of the refrigerator mashed potatoes were burning hot salmon with burning hot. They need to go back to broccoli and not cook the food so hot. Rating is a one on the broccolini star rating on the other two three too hot when it was served. read more

we had two steak dinners. the steaks were overcooked, the baked potatoes were still hard and the asparagus was tough and stringy. we probably won't return. read more

Salad bar was great. Really good choices, plus two soup choices, both very good. Also two dessert choices on salad bar. Atmosphere was really nice, back ground music pleasant and we were able to talk in a normal voice volume (which is rare). Lighting pleasant , roomy booths, clean, interesting and historical decor. Restrooms spotless. Tyler, the manager, greeted us and shared some history about the founder. Tyler was quite hospitable and seemed proud of his place of employment. Our server was Kryss, who was friendly & accommodating, and simply put;she was kind. So glad we stopped here for lunch on our way to Cleveland Clinic. It's one of a kind. Thanks Tyler& Kryss. read more

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I was not impressed!! The hamburger was very bland and the fries was cold!! Never again!! The waitress was very nice but when we complained that the fries were cold she just never came back. There was a good amount of food but like I said not good at all. read more

Could not get anyone's attention. Horrible service. the first waiter, who I asked "where do I sit?", pointed at the empty hostess station and said "talk to the hostess". Once seated, I noticed that the second waiter made eye contact twice, but then apparently ignored me because it was either not his turn or I was not in his zone. I gave the hostess a chance to retrieve my designated order taking dude, but after 3 minutes of him bit showing, I gave up. this seems like a lot if customer-ignoring hoops to jump through for a meal when there are only 8 people in the restaurant. So I left and went to the next place on the list - Sonic. I wish I had read reviews from the last couple of weeks before wasting 20 minutes here. read more

Service we received was great. The food is sub par. Not great and not bad. Its a little bland for my liking. Its a little to pricey for okay food in my opinion. Charging high prices in an area that has nothing else so no competition allows them to do that. This place is attached to a hotel. Live music on weekends. The entertainment for our night was not good. But I don't think you can blame the restaurant for that. They don't appear to be very busy so maybe thats why? read more

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This place was awesome! Best dinner I've had in this part of Ohio! Excellent prime rib, good service, couldn't ask for anything better!

Arrived on a Friday night and this place was hopping. Met by friendly host who took our name down and quoted a 30 minute wait. Headed to the bar to grab a drink while we were waiting. I didn't catch the bartenders name who served us but he was nice friendly and helpful. After grabbing a drink we checked out all the decor & that 30 minutes flew by. Got sat in a booth in a corner and had a friendly and fun server, Victoria. We ordered the wings as a appetizer, the Mac & cheese, beer cheese burger, and the seafood buffet. Dev at the sea buffet was working hard! He did a great job. All of the food was great! Mac and cheese was full of flavor. Really no complaints at all with the food. We'll be back! read more

Ralph's American Grill - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Wilmington, Ohio

Burger was bland French fries were not warm. Meals were just not great. Service was ok.

Not a large menu and limited options. The fish was good, plenty of fries. Coleslaw was excellent. Mostly average food with higher than average pricing. Service was poor, slow, and felt ignored with only a half dozen customers in the place. Nicely decorated and clean. read more

Great food and service! The Roadhouse salad was great with their house made ranch! Also got the Nashville chicken and it was great! Will be back! read more