cheddar's scratch kitchen

my friends & i have been going to this restaurant twice a month in the evening for over 5 yrs. we like it, the service has been good, and we haven't had towaitvery long (5 to 10 min) for our group to be seated. we went last night and i'm assuming they changed managers as we had towait30 minutes to be seated & by that time part of our group had left & the manager was stunned that someone would leave. she also complained because we had 10 people. really??? our table wasn't clean--sticky & salt was spilt on part of it & we had to ask for it to be cleaned. the food was good, but several of us were shocked at the change. i'm sincerely hoping this was a one time incident!

understaffed? a no purpose wait!!. just arrived, 30 mins of wait, about more then half of this restaurant is its employees. yet, i'm wondering here why there's awaitline when there is about 20 open tables. food is really good, but not worth one's human half life time of wait.

no free dessert for birthdays!. pretty good food and ya seem to get your monies worth. thewaitis not to bad depending on how many is in your party. fast service but it is to noisy in there!


-----31 jul, 2014-----

another chain.... it's ok but to me nothing special. just like applebee's it will do , its food!

gave them a second try. it was even worse this time! thewaitwas fine for a busy friday evening. the table wasn't clean test when we were taken to it to be seated. then we got our drinks, mine dodn't have the requested lemon slice. i wasn't ready to order and she acted personally offended. my boyfriend ordered and then i ordered. before i was able to ask for lemon she was gone. a different waiter dropped off a refill for my boyfriend. when we got our order i finally had the chance to request lemon. the food was as bad as the service last night. my salmon had a layer of slimy fat. there were tons of onions. they should change the name from cheddar's to onion's, really. i wouldn't even call the steamed broccoli steamed. someone here said the food was home made, but frozen potatoes like theirs are not any less fast food than mcdonald's serves. i never got more tea, my glass stayed empty. i left very disappointed.


-----19 apr, 2014-----

don't get the chicken fried steak, yuck. get the spagsagna. the croissants are good. onion rings are good.

great food. huge variety and portions. excellent service. we had amanda. ask for her. very hard worker. atmosphere was a bit loud.waittime was about 25 minutes. definitely worth it and will be back soon.

doubtful i'll ever return. firstly it was incredibly busy which is sometimes a good sign, but this particular evening it was an utter and total disaster. our waitress looked so disinterested in serving us, and normally if the food is spot on andwaittimes are low, i'm fine with a below average server. ticket times on our food was anything from 20 minutes to 65 minutes, much of it was cold when arrived and not edible and although the manager did assist us with the deplorable service, quality of food and ridiculouswaittimes, that won't be enough for me to try again.

service was horrible across the board. food was ok but ruined by thewaitstaffs lack of effort or enthusiasm.

fun, friendly, and cheap.. i swear every time i go someone is there for a bachelorette party. but it's cheap for both the food and the drinks, so i can see why! definitely a family friendly restaurant as well. i always go with the monte cristo. it is my go-to entree when i just want to completely forget about calorie consumption because it is worth it. their croissants and nacho appetizer are also good choices, and their strawberry lemonades are so good. i have only had one bad experience. i ordered a steak and it was completely covered in fat. i ordered medium rare but i couldn't even cut a knife through it. i hate making complaints but i didn't want my money to go to just a baked potato and carrots. the manager was cordial and brought me a new steak that was delicious, and even brought out another baked potato. customer service is so important in the restaurant industry and i'm so glad they were eager to turn my bad experience into a good one. i love coming here! thewaitis long and it is always busy, but it is because this place is good and i don't mind the wait!

efficient ,prompt and attentive service by hostess andwaitstaff. the decor is beautifully done, very classy! the food, sadly wasn't up to par. appetizers were chips, salsa and queso (suggested by waiter, canned items). potato soup was way to salty, chicken caesar pasta salad (overdone, dry chicken) and a decent surf and turf and portabela... i would rate them a 5 out of 10.

horrible. first time ever eating here and i will never come back. i'm a dallas chef and let me tell you, when my customers ask if we can work with them on something the answer is always yes. their lunch combo consists of very simple food. i was going to order the half club with a lunch portion of the chix caesar pasta salad. they already have a caesar on that combo. just throw some chicken and pasta in it and charge me 3 or 4 bucks, right? nope. the waiter, clearly uneducated on the menu, tries to bs me into saying everything is specifically weighed out and portioned so they can't do it. i'd have to order two separate meals. there are no lunch portions and everything is huge! he (my waiter) also said he didn't know about a few things on the menu. seriously?? i'd send mywaitstaff right home if i ever caught wind of them being unhelpful to a guest. unbelievable.... 'f'!!!!

good variety, but only above average. while the price and selection are pretty decent compared to the other choices in the area, overall it is only a little above average. i usually get the new orleans pasta, which is pretty decent even though it is nothing compared to what you find from other chains. i have also tried the baked spasagna, which is quite good. a crowd favorite for those that i dine with is their chicken tender platter. they apparently get the most bang for their buck with this. they don't skimp on the portion with this, which leaves my co-worker friends all full and happy.

other favorites of ours include their grilled tilapia with mango salsa, key west chicken & shrimp and their vegetable plate. i think i'll actually try the last item next time. i had a bite of their shepherd's pie and it was decent. most recent dish i ordered is the braised fall-a-part beef roast. while it was okay, i have other better options to choose from for the price i paid. i've tasted many beef roasts and this is only average being that i found it not memorable at all.

good ambience and location, but definitely be prepared towaita little and to have to ask for glass refills if you come during busy times.

mixed blessings. things i like: great food! chicken fingers and the melt in your mouth croissants, pretty much everything i have tried i like. did i mention the salads? no dried up bagged stuff thrown in a bowl. really fresh with lots of goodies on it. oh and i have to say the best peach bellini i have ever had.when i think of cheddar's i think of those.... and i rarely drink. one is good enough for me,but it is so awesome.waitstaff has been good and they and the managers are quick to fix any problems.
things i don't like: because they do have awesome food thewaitis often incredible,unless you go 4:30 or earlier on the weekend. my least favorite part is the noise. forget planning on having a conversation unless you are sitting next to each other.
so other than the drawbacks of thewaitand the noise (and the distance from my house) we would probably go more often. sometimes you just have to feed that craving for peach bellinis and chicken fingers.

good food but can be frustrating.... positives:
excellent food, especially for a chain restaurant. best grilled chicken i have ever had... prices are quite reasonable, lots of choices... really, really good food... waitstaff are friendly and they try hard.

negatives:
they seem to always be understaffed, with the exception of hostesses. waitstaff is always slammed while 4-5 people stand up front not doing much. always awaitwhile you stare at 8-9 clean, empty tables. your tea glass will sit empty even though your server is busting their butt. never once had a manager ask how things are and we hit this place at least once a week.

this place will thrive for now because the food is that good. they will slip in the future however if they dont change things up a bit. people will tire of waiting 20 minutes on a table while seeing them sit empty, while the 4 high school girls at the podium act snotty. also, the servers have no problem telling you that they are over-worked and under-staffed and that is never good, long-term.

c'mon management, this place is a jewel... there are too many new options coming up in norman and moore for you guys to ignore your weaknesses, people will get tired of it and go elsewhere.

good food, iffy service. this place serves good food at even better prices. service is very hit or miss.

my favorite is the spasagna (lasagna made with spaghetti). but, really - everything is good. get an appetizer - they're cheap! the onion rings (huge order) are delicious and only $3.99, but the spinach & artichoke dip is way better (but on the small side).

considering the price, atmosphere, and fast service, it should be a favorite. but, the service is so hit or miss that lately i don't enjoy going anymore.

the waitstaff are either overworked or something -- you'llwaitages for your items to arrive & won't get refill service or a timely check.

they can get really busy, so plan accordingly. generally, thewaitis 0-15 minutes, but we have waited over 30 when they are slammed.

note: they (corporate or restaurant itself) won't give you nutrition information on anything. scary.

king of comfort food. i can'twaitfor an excuse to go to norman so i can eat here. i've tried numerous things on the menu and everything i've ever tried has been fantastic. the prices are very reasonable too, and the portions certainly do not disappoint. i was so bummed when the black eyed pea closed up shop in oklahoma years ago, but now i have cheddars!