Original Roadhouse Grill - Salem, OR

Reviews 4

GE

George Hayen

Wow! Used to be my wife and Is favorite restaurant. I dont know why the food quality went sour, but man I just have to say No More. My last trip was this evening at 5 pm. We knew better not to order a full dinner from our last visit experience. In that adventure in March of this year, the wife and I went in for dinner. We always eat dinner at 5pm, just the schedule we enjoy. Start out with a dinner salad. All the red onions were wilted and discolored, the lettuce leaves with wilting and brown coloring obviously from being frozen, and served as fresh. YUK! Didnt eat the salad, and after showing our server, he really didnt care to hear any complaining. I told him that the menu said fresh salad, not frozen and wilted. OK was the response. For dinner, My wife had the petite cut sirloin and a baked potato. I had the 16 oz ribeye, and baked sweet potato. Both steaks were cooked to our liking, no complaints. The potatos were in a class of their own. Not only were they not fresh, but looked and tasted as if it was rewarmed from the day before or from lunch. The sweet potato was very dark (not from the brown sugar) No yellow to be seen. After a bite, I realized that this was not something to be eaten. My wifes regular baked potato was a repeat, minus the brown sugar. The skin was dark and leathery and the potato was reheated from, I would guess from the day before or the lunch hour, same as the sweet potato. We never asked for any refund, just asked the server to tell the kitchen staff of the less than fresh food that should be thrown out and not served at a cost. We gave up on The Roadhouse for 6 months, until tonight. We knew not to order dinner at that time to avoid the lunchtime left overs. So I figured lets try the happy hour menu. We ordered potato skins, saloon cheeseburger, and tri-tip sliders. The potato skins were good, a bit over cooked, but good. The saloon burger had the taste of freezer burn, kinda yukky aftertaste, but ate it do to hunger. The fries served with the burger were fresh and tasty. Now to the tri-tip sliders with onion rings. Onion rings were great. Sliders? If anyone has ever had a beef roast leftover from a meal the night before, they know of the taste that comes with it the next day, kinda repulsive. My wife was eating the first of 2 sliders and made a face. Whats wrong I asked! The meat has a taste to it, and I cant eat it, you try it she says. I did indeed, and made the same face. Wow! This was dinner? Man what a disappointment. I would bet if the corporate owners came in for a surprise visit and sampled the food that they are so proud of, they would surely make some changes. I would bet that the quality of food represented today is not the food they meant to serve their customers. Ive been cooking for over 30 years, and know my way around the kitchen. This survey is the first Ive ever written on any site. I rarely complain to a server and am always kind. But when asked "how was your meal"? And please fill out the survey on your receipt, I then felt obligated to do so. I want my favorite restaurant back. I thank you for your time. G Hayen

V

V Balsiger

I dont mind the mistakes made in serving the Wrong salad dressing, or even the Wrong flavor-style wings, but I Do Mind that the chicken wings served at this place are from Old chickens! Adult chickens, bigger legs, so much tougher. Safeway makes far better wings, at all times, at every store. Since a restaurant cant even compare to the Safeway grocery store deli, they probably shouldnt be in business. And it looked like they barely are - only a handful of customers on a weekday lunch hour. So sorry I stayed for lunch. The free peanuts in a bucket on the table were OLD and should have been a warning. My mistake. Plus, it was a cold day and it was colder inside than it was outside. I was stuck, with a guest, or I would have left. The wings that got sent back for the wrong sauce, were likely washed off, dropped in the fryer for a minute to heat, and then tossed in the correct sauce and then re-served! I am certain that I detected the bite of the first sauce, telltale, underneath the swathed-in second sauce. The dried old wings with hard edges, too. Poorly disguised. And to make it even worse on the poor young man waiter, the girl cooked did a lot of yelling at him in that open view kitchen. I wouldnt go back here if I was starving. They shouldnt be in business. It was all a waste of time and a waste of money. I wouldnt mind bidding on some of their primitive decor items if they have a closing sale or auction when they bite the dust, though, even if they are all fake.

MI

Mike Samples

My wife and I stopped at the Roadhouse Grill yesterday, February 13 for an early dinner. We waited 10 minutes at the reception area while employees ignored us. Finally what appeared to be a manager or asst. mgr. walked out and asked us if we were being helped. I said no. He finally directed one of the number of employees standing around to seat us. The employee did without even saying Hi or your server will be with you shortly, or anything for that matter, or ever looking at us. We then sat at our table for over ten minutes without so much as a waiter or waitress looking our way. We finally decided to get up and leave. Again no one noticed. We used to look forward to dining at this restaurant but apparently things have changed. The Roadhouse Grill has lost our business from this point forward. Never again will we step through the doors and, we will inform everyone we know about the poor service and to make better dining choices. I would have to say management had lost its grip on this restaurant. When we walked through the doors at 4:15 in the afternoon, only about six or seven tables were filled. Maybe the word got out about the poor service. One additional point, the bucket of peanuts on our table was so full of crumbs and other debris on the top it looked as though it was swept off of the floor and placed in the bucket. It was to gross to even touch.

??

??? ?

My wife ordered a steak (medium well), because of the description that medium well would be “losing pink, but juicy”. There were no signs of pink at all and it was not juicy. She also got a side order of Garlic Mashers, too bad the description did not indicate that they would be cold. I ordered the baby back ribs, and in my opinion the meat should practically fall off the bone. Glad I only ordered a half rack and that I had a good steak knife to saw the ribs apart and strong teeth to tear the meat off the bones. Most places give you wet naps when you order ribs, not at this place. Wishing now that I had checked out the Marion County Restaurant Inspection Score before I went. They only got a 78 the last time they were inspected on 12/2/2009. There were plenty of empty tables (I can see why now) but I felt a bit rushed when I was handed the check and not asked if I wanted desert or anything else. PROS: Plenty of parking, free peanuts and no wait to be seated during peak dinner hours. CONS: Just read my review.