Chart House

Reviews 4

RI

Richard Moyer

This was, by far, the worst restaurant experience I have ever had, in my life, across multiple countries, on two different continents. TL;DR: Rude, unprofessional management ignored our needs and punished the only employee who cared about the customer. Avoid this place like the plague. The story: We made a reservation and were seated. But our party of 2 was seated at a table for 4, with 4 place settings. Additionally, we were seated directly under an AC vent that was blowing so hard it was folding the menu over. We notified the hostess that we were uncomfortable and that it seemed odd we were placed at a table for 4 when there were two empty tables for 2 within 10 feet of us. She rudely dismissed us and stated that those tables were somehow saved and that "people" were waiting for them. When our server came and asked how we were doing, we communicated the same concerns. He very nicely stated that he would move us to on of the nearby tables for two, and we were reseated. Not a minute later, the hostess arrives and states, I understand you wish to speak to a manager. (I guess shes management?) Umm... No, but since she was there I wanted to commend our server who took our concerns seriously and politely reseated us. She stated that, "actually, he wasnt supposed to do that and hes now in trouble." That by itself seemed odd and rude: Her poor management skills are not my problem and internal operational decisions (like disciplining an employee) should not be communicated to the customer. THEN she goes on to tell us that we shouldnt have been reseated that she "will not ask the other customers (who were not there, as far as I could tell) to wait." I was confused, but it slowly dawned on me... "Wait," I said, "are you asking us to move back to the other seat?" She didnt have the courage or communication skills to say it directly, but confirmed, "yes, I need you to move back." I was flabbergasted. "Thats unacceptable," I said. She reiterated that she wanted to move. I said "good evening" and got up to leave. On the way out, I asked for the contact information for the General Manager, stating that I have (truly) never been treated so rudely at a restaurant before. She gave me a card for the sales manage and replied with a flippant and dismissive comment. I respond with my own unkind words. (Not my finest moment, but I was DONE! I would apologize to the other patrons who overheard me if I could...) We left and the next day I called the corporate office for Landrys Inc. (Chart House parent company) to discuss the incident. I have yet to receive a return phone call.

BR

Brent L

WOW! The SERVICE and ATMOSPHERE were impeccable. Food is just ok, but remember you are paying for the experience so you should expect as much. This is a place I would go back to about once a year or maybe once every two years. It is definitely made to impress but if you are after awesome, high quality cuisine, this is probably not the place for you. If you are visiting from out of town and want a special experience, I would definitely check it out though. Two ribeye steaks but both were very fatty – yes, I realize ribeye are not lean cuts of steak but this is my favorite cut and I am very familiar with it. As I ate the steak I was comparing it to the less expensive Saltgrass (of the same Landry’s chain) and I realized the Saltgrass quality was MUCH better. Shrimp pasta dish was good but just not a lot of flavor. The pièce de résistance was the Hot Chocolate Lava Cake – it was DEFINITELY the bomb, but it takes 30 minutes to prepare so let your server know ahead of time if you are going to want it. We let him know when we placed our entrée order and he timed it perfectly. Service and consistency at Saltgrass is just as good but again, this place is intended for its views of the city and its atmosphere; it did not disappoint in that aspect. Here are a couple of tips for you: Make reservations and arrive early in case there is a wait for the elevator. Go inside at the ground level and look for the check-in desk for Charthouse. Otherwise you may find yourself waiting in line for the elevator to the observation deck for 30 minutes or more. Ask questions and find the right elevator to Charthouse or the bar – very little wait, it includes a trip to the observation deck and it is free. If you are just going to the observation deck, there is a charge. One final note – our server (Nicholas) was awesome! Very courteous, responsive, and was able to describe EVERYTHING on the menu including the chef’s special creations of the evening. We even got a special customized desert to celebrate the evening thanks to him. I attempted to give feedback on the Chart House website but this location is not included in the guest feedback section. If you are reading this Charthouse, you need to do everything you can to keep this guy on staff. He is the reason we will return – he really sold the whole experience!

TA

Taylor Bickford

We went to Chart House for our first anniversary. The food and the view were wonderful, however I cant say the same for the service. Our reservations were for 9pm, we arrived at 8:45 and checked in downstairs where we requested a window table. When we checked in again upstairs we again stated our request for a window table and we were told it would only be a few minutes. We sat and watched table after table be seated and assumed it was just taking a little longer because of our request. However after 20 minutes we finally went and asked about our table and were immediately shown to a table at the farthest level from the windows. we refused the seat and asked to speak with a manager. The manager appologized and assured up we would get the next window seat available. We decided at that point to go up to the bar to get drinks while we waited. Once we found a table upstairs we waited another 15 minutes for someone to take a drink order. We then waited almost 10 minutes for the drinks by which time our table was finally ready. So at 945 we were finally seated. Our server informed us that the manager would comp an appetizer for our wait, which was nice but didnt really fix the problem. Our servers were ok but once our orders were in we barely saw either of them. It took 10-15 minutes to get our next round of bar drinks and my water was never refilled. We may go again so that our kids can experience it but I will never go there again for a special occasion.

HA

Hannah E.

We read a lot of bad reviews on this place before coming here, but decided wed take a chance anyway with low expectations. I wish I listened and we never came at all. To start, the elevators are so slow and random that you will stand in line for an hour before you even get up to Chart House, so plan to arrive an hour before your reservation time (or 90 minutes for large groups or holidays like Valentines Day). It takes approximately 60 minutes for the tables to rotate around the view so you see everything - our table did this rotation once before someone even came to fill our water glasses, and twice before we even got our food. Mind you, there was just 2 of us. The table behind us had 4 people and had their entrees before someone even came to get our drink order. I wish I could rate the food, but we never got any. We complained to the manager but he didnt care. This is embarrasing for a 4-star restaurant that charges $45 for a single lobster tail. We left and went to a better restaurant, a Brazilian steakhouse where the food and service is better and the staff actually give a crap about you. Id recommend the observation deck for the views, but if youre looking for outstanding service and ambiance with amazing food, check out Galpao Gaucho off Loop 1604 and Bitters instead. (And, its half the price - a much better place to take a date.)