Chili's To Go

With our current schedules, we've been a little lax in the "no eating out" policy*.  It's been even worse since Mark got sick.  He has wanted soup pretty much daily, and Chili's just so happens to have a nice and spicy soup on their menu that Mark enjoys.  As such, I don't even want to think about how many times I've been to Chili's recently.  A sick Mark at home means I've been picking up the food and bringing it to him; this has led me to become quite familiar with the Chili's To Go system.

We have ordered carry out from quite a few table service restaurants, with Outback and Carrabbas being pretty high on the list for impressive service.  Outback allows you to order online, and both of these restaurants will come right out to your car to handle the transaction.

I guess I was a little spoiled, as that's what I was hoping Chili's would do.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  On the multiple occasions that I ordered from Chili's, no one came out to my car when I arrived.**  That's not a bad thing, as it isn't too terribly hard to get out of the car and walk into the restaurant.  Since I was usually coming from work, I was dressed.

Once inside, however, the experience became less than impressive.  On average, I would have to wait about five minutes before someone would wander close enough to the "To Go" area to notice my presence.  If you're going to offer this service, it is important to man that area, especially when you know there is an order prepped/prepping to go out.

After an employee would notice me, the experience would improve.  The people are always nice there.  I've not had a bad interaction that was employee based.  They do their best to make the service and food good.

While you may expect the food to be less than stellar when you take it home, the items we ordered have continually held up well.  Aside from one container of ranch coming open, everything is carefully packed.  At no time did our soups escape their styrofoam prisons.

I had mentioned that Outback allows the customer to order online.  It appears that Chili's is also trying to create an online ordering system.  I attempted to use it on two different occasions.  The first time it gave me a message saying that the store I wanted to order from was not accepting online orders.  The second time, it appeared to go perfectly.  When I reached the restaurant, I was disappointed to find out that it did not go as smoothly as I thought.  My order hadn't even been started, as no one noticed it.

In an attempt to apologize, the person in charge told me that the order had just come through.  I find that hard to believe, but I appreciate that she was trying to make it better.  She even comped one of my items.  She handled the situation the best way that she could, and I was fine with that.  They should probably institute a system for monitoring online orders though, as the next person might not be as chill as myself.

If I'm being lazy and looking for quick curbside service, I'll go to Outback Steakhouse.  Thus far, they're the only ones who have gotten the hang of it.  Chili's is making an effort, but they have quite a ways to go before they're successful.

*Insert inappropriate joke here.

**After going in to pay, one gentleman did bring the food out to me.