Outback Steakhouse

We came in here on Father’s Day — June 19, 2016. Please Note: We hate leaving a sub-​standard review since we have been fans of this place, be we feel we had to leave another fair review.
We arrived at 4:45 pm. Wait time was only about 7 minutes. No problems there. Our waiter (young guy, maybe early 20’s) was just fine. No problems there — brought us re-​fills and two complimentary breads.
Our food (OVERALL) was a disappointment and for the amount we spent (upwards of $ 70), it left a lot to be desired.
— Mother’s 6 oz. Sirloin Steak was pretty bad. She asked for «Medium Well» (with SOME red) and it came out clearly «well-​done», and was almost charred and tough. It also had some funny taste, which we all picked up on.
— I ordered the smaller-​size cup of soup. While the soup WAS GOOD, I barely got anything — literally. The size of the «cup» was literally slightly larger than a small side cup which would hold tarter sauce or a side of salad dressing per se. For 3.99, this was uncalled for. This wasn’t even enough to feed a baby.
— My father’s burger didn’t taste well — he ordered the Bloomberg Burger which supposedly came with a side of onions. They never came with the burger and we told the waiter about this who apologized and said that the burger indeed did come with those, and he did go and bring them out a few minutes later.
— We ordered a side of mashed potatoes which never came out. We told our waiter who actually remembered this and even showed us he wrote it down on our order slip, so the issue came from the staff in the back. Our waiter did bring us out our mashed potatoes then.
— I ordered a regular cheeseburger — this was GREAT. No problems on my end. However, the fries were overly salty.
— My brother ordered fish tacos and he said they were good, no complaints on his end.
As stated, overall for what we spent we left disappointed, especially having been fans of this place for several years. Two out of our four meals had issues, several side dishes seemed to be forgotten by the kitchen staff, and the portion of the soup bordered on a joke. We are not expecting to come to a restaurant and spend McDonald’s type money, but also don’t insult people who come into a restaurant to spend hard-​earned money on a holiday by being skimpy-​skimpy.
We are unsure if we would return. We may send our review here to corporate, also. Again, we hate to do this as we ARE/​WERE fans of this Outback.

One of the worst experiences at a restaurant and the worst Prime Rib I ever had.
I made reservations for 6:30, got there at 6:15. Waited 20 minutes for a table. Others that just arrived without reservations were told it was a 45 minute wait. So not too bad.
Got a table, ordered drinks, waiter got that wrong and instead of asking if we wanted to order appetizers before he left to correct the drinks, he left to correct the drinks and so ten minutes later he’s back with the right drinks. Then we get to order the appetizer, but not the entrees. More wait but he did bring bread to the table. When that was gone, he asked if we wanted more bread. We told him no but wanted refills on the drinks. He came back ten minutes later with more bread but no drink refills.
Then the appetizers arrived and we got to order our meals. Just two mistakes with that, forgetting the sides for two of us. We asked for them and he left to get them. I ordered the 12 ounce prime rib and struggled to cut it with what I thought was a dull knife but it was also the toughest prime rib I ever had. I asked for a sharper knife and got one but the meat was still very very tough. So I stopped eating it. When everyone else was done, the waiter showed up again and asked if I wanted a box for the remainder of the meat on my plate. I asked him, «for what, to bury it?» I told him it was the worst prime rib I ever had. He called the manager over to our table and the manager asked if he could bring me something else. I said no, because everyone else was done and the waiter never came back to the table while we were eating to ask how the meals were. I think they were very busy, too busy to check on us. So the manager had it taken off the bill. Which was good of the manager. But when I got the check I noticed that the waiter charged me for the 16 ounce prime rib not the 12 ounce that I received. So it was good that they took it off the check. But I will never go back to this place again.

We normally go here once a month. Not anymore we will travel to another one. Our server was Melissa K and omg she was terrible. Took over a hour for our dinner. The prime rib was terrible. 30 mins for salads. We had to ask for refills. Checked on us maybe once and goes you guys are fine right. I was so annoyed do you think a manager would ask us how our dinner was nope nothing. I will be contacting corporate too

Went here for Lunch. The food (Sirloin) was a little dry but other than that the rest of the meal was pretty decent. I plan on going back but, I’ll def try something different next time.

We ate here yesterday (Easter Sunday 3÷27÷16) wasn’t overly busy when we arrived around 5pm, we were seated in what we thought was the best booth, tucked away in a corner away from major traffic & loud conversations.
Our waiter was the best! I believe his name was «Jarrod» (sp?) 20s, short black hair… He made the whole experience that much better. Was very attentive and made sure everything was perfect for us. Probably the best service we’ve ever had in a restaurant.
My husband ordered a Sirloin steak, Med-​well which was cooked to absolute perfection, so full of flavor and juicy and it came with a baked potato and ceasar salad.
I ordered a breaded Chicken Sandwich that came with fries, while I ordered it completely plain, it was still amazing. I had to cut it in half in order to eat it because it was so big.
For both meals, a beer + soda, our bill total was around $ 36 not bad at all. face
I’m not sure what all the bad reviews are about but we will definitely be back to this location.

I asked for a medium rare steak. It was raw and inedible. It was a to go order so no wait staff to tell about it, but I won’t be going back.

Came in for a quick lunch, got the endless soup & salad combo. Upgraded my soup to the French onion but I’ve had better. Just tastes like a basic beef broth with not a lot of onion flavor. Loved the giant croûton and melted provelone cheese on top though. Their ranch dressing on the house salad is great! Also ordered a mango passion fruit rita and it was surprisingly very good. Def recommend! And who doesn’t love the yummy loaf of bread that they always give you? So fresh and I love their whipped butter!
Only thing that sucks, no wifi! I was hoping to send out a few emails for work while I was here but ended up leaving to go to Starbucks to do it. Probably would’ve ordered another drink if I could’ve stayed longer to get some work done! ;)

Two main reasons for the two star rating: crabby waitress and ridiculous ‘call-​ahead’ seating. This was my first time to go to an Outback Steakhouse; hubby had a gift card and mother-​in-​law likes it for some reason. I had checked online before going there and noticed they offer the option of ‘call-​ahead’ seating, which basically puts you on the waiting list to get a table around a certain time. While I understand that it’s not the same as a reservation, they need to explain the system better on the website (might avoid some angry patrons). So this is what I learned: if you are crazy enough to go to this place on a Saturday, even for an early dinner time, put your name on the list for a time that is about a half-​hour before you ACTUALLY hope to be seated. When my mother-​in-​law walked in, she gave my name as being on the list and all they did was hand her a pager, no extra info offered. My brother decided to ask about it and they told him it would be «around 18 minutes» (which ended up being 30). Why did the hostess not offer this info when giving the pager? Anyhow, it was insanely crowded for being 6pm, and nearly every person that came in walked back out after being told it would be over an hour wait. Thank goodness there are stores nearby to walk around while waiting (that is where I sent my husband and our toddler). The waiting area to be seated seems like a fire hazard and no solution of ‘sit at the bar to wait if you would like’ or anything else is offered. No one looks happy to work there, understandably.
I’m quite certain our waitress never smiled once while serving us, but she did do her job, so of course we still tipped her accordingly. The food was just OK; I’ve made far better steak at home from the supermarket. It did come out very quickly, so I can give them credit for that much. My drink, a margarita, was not all that great and arrived after appetizer, so minus points on that one. Overall, very underwhelmed and will not return if up to me (it wasn’t my pick in the first place).

I’m sorry but this place doesn’t deserve any better than one star based on Unilocal’s rating descriptions.
If you like bland food, overcooked (and thus over-​priced) steaks and crabby waitresses– the Bloomingdale Outback may be right up your alley.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that we had used a $ 50 gift certificate and didn’t come out of pocket much for our meals, my husband and I seriously would have cried. The best thing I put in my mouth there was my two yr old son’s mac-​n-​cheese.
I’m not sure if our standards have just become too high for Outback but this was just bad. No other way to put it.

The food was delicious and quick to come out. Our steaks were cooked to perfection, they were juicy, and all around amazing. The sides were delicious as well as out soups. Nothing compares to their baked potato soup. The new tomato mozzarella caprese was phenomenal (though they could use an extra spoon to get the good stuff onto the bread!) Our server (can’t remember her name!) was awesome. She came to our table at the perfect times and was very friendly. Loved our whole experience tonight

Love the food but this location is FREQUENTLY understaffed or staffed with poor help. Tonight we walked in and there were a number of empty tables but my party of 3 waited for 20 minutes to be seated. I have also been seated quickly and been ignored for a half hour … until I got up to walk out. Then they sent someone over who had an attitude. We left and went to Wendy’s.

The wait to be seated wasn’t as long as could be expected for the date. But once we got a seat the real wait began. It took long to get our drinks and the bread. Ordered an appetizer and had to ask the waiter for menus. Waited for him to come back. Waited for the food. Waited for a side of mayo. Waited waited waited. Overall we were at the restaurant over 2 hours for an appetizer and hamburgers that weren’t anything special. Will not be coming back.

We usually get excellent service at this location. Today was a giant disappointment. Greeter? MIA. Drink refills? Missing. Waiter? MIA. Our soup and salad was great, but would have been better with some actual wait service. Sorry to see this happen at what is usually an amazing restaurant.

I would give it a zero star if it was possible. Worse service ever!!! No smiles. No thank you! No apologies. A bowl of soup was 4 tablespoons, not quite a bowl. Facility smelled like a butcher shop! Hope it gets closed down!

Very pricey and steaks are not large… Just thick. If you have money to go, then ok

I won’t be going back. The little mistakes I usually overlook, but this restaurant just messes up too much. I ordered prime rib mr– came well done, charged me for a side that asked could replace the sweet potato that they didn’t have, stale bread… Small things that keep happening. What has happened here? Bummer because we ordered 1 – 2 times a month…

If we could leave a zero, we would…
Other than the hostess, no one, not the bartender on our initial wait nor the
wait staff we never encountered after asking to be reseated because the child next to us regurgitated his bloomin’ whatever.
We left…
We might try another location later only because we have a gift card to burn up, but ordering it as a carry out seems to be the most logical choice…

People go to restaurants for good food, environment and a memorable experience. Unfortunately, none of them are offered at outback steakhouse in Bloomingdale.
A steak house that doesn’t know how to cook steaks!
At first entering into the restaurant the hostess is not welcoming, They look at guests as an intrusion of their time. Maybe, its more important to gossip and laugh about while customers decide if they went to the right place.
After taking our name, It takes half an hour to be seated. We observed several tables were empty, so after inquiring if we can get the one those empty tables, the response is:
«oh we don’t have servers for that table»
What!!!
That goes to show that management is unable to utilize their staff or don’t have enough help to cater guests. As a customer, you want to be treated well and feel welcomed, you really don’t care if they have available servers or not, if management had a good sense of customer service they would make it happen immediately.
There used to be a time when restaurants earned your business, treated you with respect and made sure that your experience is such that you would talk about it with your friends and family. Over here, i just felt like a head count, another 50 – 60 bucks and thats it.
Our server was nice, on time and attentive. Their timing on bringing in appetizers
was within 5 – 10 mins (not too bad) and in the meanwhile our drinks were filled as soon as they were half empty.
The french onion soup is one of the better ones I have had compared to others however, the steak is a different story. Poor cuts of meat and loads of liquid smoke is used to make your wood fire grill. The meat was dry and tough and had lots of fat on it. This is by far one of the worst steaks I have ever had.
After our complaints; The Manager was apologetic and offered another round of steaks or free desert. Sorry, we don’t really want more bad food. We respectfully, declined to both. Also don’t give an expired appetizer card expect customers to return. Its a gesture at least you can BE NICE! Sorry, Management is ineffective and needs some training in customer service.
If i was an investor at this location, I would seriously consider pulling my money out. Number one rule in restaurant industry is food quality and customer service which they don’t have so i wonder how long they would be open.
This location needs to revise their business strategy and just call it:
Don’t comeback
Which is exactly what we will do. I will take my business down the street to Jameson and pay for better quality and service than to waste my time and money here.

Last time i was at an Outback was about 10 yrs ago. Now i know why its been so long. This was not my lunch pick, my significant other chose this and I’m very upset. I’m leaving hungry and he spent over 30 on my sucky meal. I’m giving it one star for the decent drink, a blueberry sangria. I ordered the Outback special steak and it was a HUGE disappointment. It was cooked medium rare, how I asked it but it was terrible. Chewy, had no flavor. I ordered the sauteed mushrooms which were whole button mushrooms and they weren’t good. Not what I expected. I also ordered the house salad which was just that, very basic. For 30.00 I ate a salad thats comparable to mcds house salad, warm bread with butter and a baked potato. Oh, the potato was good. Now I leave, upset, disappointed and hungry. If you want steak go elsewhere!

Bad everything and we will not be visiting this location again. On ½/​2015 we decided since we were visiting our old neighborhood in Bloomingdale, IL we would have dinner at Outback. Big mistake!
When we walked in it was standing room only and that is understandable for a Friday evening. I should have followed my instincts and left but the kids have never been to Outback so we waited. After being seated we were given a menu and it was 15 minutes before we saw our waitress again. When she finally appeared we ordered appetizers, and our meal. Our appetizers arrived in 10 minutes, which was great but after still waiting for 50 minutes for our main course I told the family get your coats, I’m paying for the appetizers and we are out of here. One of the other waitresses heard our conversation and suddenly our waitress appeared. She apologized for long wait and gave us a sad story on how they were «slammed» I told her people who were seated after us have already paid their check and left. She brought over the manager and he apologized and said our meal will be served in 5 minutes.
When the meal finally arrived the steaks were tough and flavorless; and the pasta dish was tasteless. We wasted close to 2 hours for this below-​par meal. Extremely disappointed.