I am extremely disappointed with the customer service my family received at Saltgrass Steak House in Cedar Hill, Texas (Highway 67).
My son initially reserved a table for four people but realized shortly afterward that our party actually consisted of five. We had already waited approximately 30 minutes for our table when we informed the hostess of the mistake. We were told it would not be a problem and that they would find a table to accommodate us.
However, while we continued waiting, we watched multiple larger parties—some of whom arrived after us—be seated before our family. When I asked for an update, I was told we would need to wait another 30 minutes. At that point, I could clearly see several empty tables throughout the restaurant and observed staff combining tables for other guests. I politely asked whether a table could be rearranged to accommodate our party of five, but no one provided a meaningful explanation. The staff avoided eye contact, appeared disengaged, and offered no effort to resolve the situation.
When I explained that we would leave if they could not accommodate us, the response I received was simply, “Okay, have a good day.” There was no apology, empathy, or attempt to retain our business.
I asked to speak with the manager, Douse Hanley. He briefly acknowledged me, said he would get me his card, and returned with it. He never apologized, addressed the issue, or attempted to assist in finding a solution. His demeanor was cold and dismissive. As we were leaving, a hostess named Ashley interrupted and dismissively said, “Okay, ma’am, bye.”
Mistakes happen, and I understand that restaurants get busy. What was unacceptable was the complete lack of customer service, communication, and professionalism shown by the staff and management. A change from a party of four to five should not have resulted in our family being treated as though we were an inconvenience—especially when there appeared to be available seating options and accommodations being made for other guests.
I will be contacting corporate to formally document this experience. Customers deserve to be treated with courtesy, respect, and basic empathy, even when a restaurant is busy. Unfortunately, our family received none of those things during our visit.
Tonight’s experience was extremely disappointing.
I placed an online order for one dessert at 5:06 p.m. with a scheduled pickup time of 7:00 p.m. Since it was Mother’s Day, I completely understood that the restaurant would be busy. I also had another order to pick up from a nearby restaurant, so I planned ahead and gave myself plenty of time.
I arrived at the restaurant at 6:45 p.m., waited in my car for a bit, and walked in at 6:55 p.m. I did not leave with my order until 7:25 p.m.
To be fair, the staff member working the pickup area was polite and professional. She checked on my order with the kitchen twice within the first 10 to 12 minutes. However, the issue became frustrating when a walk-in customer came in and ordered the same single item I had ordered nearly two hours earlier. That customer waited about 5 to 7 minutes and left with her order before mine was ready.
At that point, I had already been waiting around 20 minutes. Another staff member, who appeared to be a manager, asked what I was waiting on. I explained that my order had been placed at 5:06 p.m. for a 7:00 p.m. pickup and that I had already been waiting for about 20 minutes. She went to the kitchen to check on it, but several more minutes passed and additional customers came in to pick up their orders.
Eventually, I asked someone in the kitchen about the status of my order and explained that it had been placed more than two hours earlier. She could not find the ticket and then went to grab and bag the slice of cake.
I understand delays happen, especially on a busy holiday, but this was a single slice of cake that had been ordered well in advance. It was frustrating to watch multiple customers come in and leave with their orders while mine seemed to be overlooked. I have experienced slow online order service at this location before, but this situation was especially disappointing and poorly handled.
It made me 25 minutes late picking up my dinner order. I made the pickup times between the two restaurants the same because they’re 2 minutes away from one another. My other order sat waiting, ready to go the same amount of time I waited for this slice of cake. It’s a real shame.