Steakhouse Chains That Reviewers Warn Against

Dining at a steakhouse is a treat. Of course, the steakhouse is a relatively broad genre, encompassing value-focused family restaurants and break-the-bank, luxe experiences alike. Nevertheless, be it Twin Creeks Steakhouse — one of the most underrated steakhouses in the U.S., hiding in Vegas — or Texas Roadhouse, a night out at a steakhouse should feel like a special occasion. Disappointment, therefore, can hit especially hard when a steakhouse doesn't live up to the lofty expectations inherent to its very concept.

Chain steakhouses, it's safe to say, are a gamble. In general, chain restaurants can excel in factors like comfort and consistency just as often as they can serve some of the most middling food possible. Since negative experiences can feel especially frustrating at a steakhouse, feedback from customers is a valuable resource for identifying which chains to visit and which to avoid.

Establishing this list of poorly reviewed chain steakhouses required combing through online reviews and identifying which chains had lower-than-average ratings across a wide selection of restaurants in as many cities as possible. You can learn more about our methodology at the end. Each of the following is a steakhouse chain that reviewers have warned against across numerous locations.

The menu at Claim Jumper seems to have been formulated with a more-is-more philosophy. Diners can, for example, order entrees such as chicken egg rolls or mozzarella sticks that wouldn't be out of place at, say, a Chili's. Accompanying those sorts of items are luxury steaks that can total nearly — or, in the case of a tomahawk ribeye for two, exceed — $100. That variety, it turns out, isn't necessarily a strength, given the multitude of negative food experiences at Claim Jumper.

Claim Jumper operates across California, Oregon, and Nevada. Most critiques focus on the quality of its dishes. One reviewer at a Henderson location, for example, found both the mahi mahi sandwich and a house salad flavorless and overcooked. Meanwhile, at a Claim Jumper in Tualatin, Oregon, a fair number of customers have criticized various steaks. Both the texture and flavor of the steaks are often highlighted, as are the low-quality veggies.

Another reviewer critiqued both a steak and a burger they ordered, noting that they witnessed their food resting under a heat lamp for 10 minutes before it was brought to their table. The speed of the service and the general atmosphere have also attracted ire. "Service was very slow," wrote one Yelp reviewer about a San Diego location. They added, "It's not like the Claim Jumper of 10 years ago with a large dining room and a line out the door. It feels old, worn down and out of place."

Outback Steakhouse is one of the most well-known steakhouse chains in the U.S., operating more than 650 locations across the country. There are, it's worth noting, plenty of customers who patronize Outback for items other than its steaks. Most importantly, the Bloomin' Onion at Outback is a must-try. The distinct joy of the Bloomin' Onion, however, may well be a saving grace at a chain that has otherwise become a bit of a disappointment, based on reviews for locations across the chain's sprawling footprint.

Many customers feel like the quality has dropped over the years. For example, during one visit to a Las Vegas restaurant, a customer found that multiple appetizers and entrees came out bland, and service was lacking to boot. While a diner at a New Jersey location was impressed by the service, they felt that Outback struggled to prepare a satisfactory steak, even after they sent their first back to the kitchen.

Reviews for some locations are the inverse. At an Outback Steakhouse in Overland, Kansas, many have praised the food while criticizing the service. Rare, therefore, are reviews highlighting both quality food and hospitality. Pricing is also a sore point for customers nowadays. "The steak was not cooked right. The shrimp was overseasoned. Did not get the bread we requested," wrote a Yelp user in Portland, Oregon. "Definitely not worth the price."

Western Sizzlin encompasses a collection of restaurants, including names like Wood Grill Buffet and Quincy's Family Steakhouse. That said, Western Sizzlin Steakhouse is the brand's flagship restaurant, encompassing the vast majority of its locations. For what it's worth, reviews for the additional restaurants under the company umbrella range from middling to low. Reviews for Western Sizzlin Steakhouse, meanwhile, are uniformly below average in a variety of locations.

First of all, it's worth noting that Western Sizzlin Steakhouse features an all-you-can-eat buffet. However, opinions on the buffet in locations — from Hagerstown, Maryland, to Clinton, Arkansas – are critical, and a Mashed ranking of all-you-can-eat buffet chains placed Western Sizzlin Steakhouse firmly in its lower half.

The steak doesn't fare much better. One reviewer in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, found their steak visually repulsive and overly watery before noticing flies in the buffet's dessert station. Judging by other negative reviews, they're not the only one to do so. "I showed a picture of the flies to a young staff member, expecting some concern or at least an apology," complained one customer on Yelp. "Instead, she casually remarked, 'That's why I don't eat here. I don't see how anyone does.'"

The atmosphere at Logan's Roadhouse is decidedly casual, oriented more toward satisfying family meals than fancy steakhouse dinners. That's not inherently a bad thing — a relatively affordable steak from Longhorn Steakhouse performed well on our ranking of chain restaurant steaks, for example. Reviews for Logan's Roadhouse, however, suggest that most customers' experiences at the chain have fallen well short of the bar set by the Longhorn Steakhouses of the world.

Food quality is the primary issue. In a review of a Logan's Roadhouse in Huntsville, Alabama, one customer detailed a sirloin steak that reminded them of dog food. They're far from alone in their disappointment. A customer in Peoria, Illinois, took issue with their steaks, determining that both theirs and their dining partner's were undercooked, which plenty of other customers have noted in the past.

Inattentive service worsens the experience for some customers. "After a steak from this restaurant two years ago, I swore I would never eat there again, but today I was in the area and I broke my promise to myself. What a mistake," wrote one Yelp reviewer in Chico, California. "If you want to pay high prices [for] really dreadful food, this is the restaurant for you."

Sirloin Stockade is concentrated in what could be described as the center-middle of the United States, operating across Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Missouri. Its atmosphere is casual, and it even features a buffet, akin to fellow casual steakhouse chain Sizzler. Whether or not Sizzler is worth a visit depends on the location. Some are well-reviewed, whereas reviews for others are mixed. Reviews for Sirloin Stockade restaurants, on the other hand, are pretty uniformly on the negative end of the spectrum.

Frequent complaints among reviewers of Sirloin Stockade cover the fact that the food is excessively salty, bland, or insufficiently heated. A Yelp reviewer at a location in Ardmore, Oklahoma, even described a steak as tasting "rotted." Despite appreciating the service they received and the restaurant's ambiance, the quality of the food alone earned Sirloin Stockade a one-star rating.

Even some of the less negative reviews of Sirloin Stockade admit that the food is average, at best. Generally speaking, however, the texture and lack of flavor cause issues for many customers. "The food was bland and tasted quite odd. The food texture was off and was nearly inedible. The ambiance and service raise this to two stars," wrote a Yelp reviewer about a location in Rolla, Missouri. "Wouldn't eat this again unless I was dying of hunger."

As its name clearly indicates, the Hoss's Steak & Sea House chain features an expansive menu. Not only are steaks and seafood offered at Hoss's, but burgers, chicken entrees, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, and even a soup, salad, and dessert bar are available as well. As it turns out, customers are largely not a fan of that variety, judging by the poor reception to a range of dishes at locations throughout its eastern United States area of operation.

Recent customers claim that the quality of food has declined in recent years. In a mixed review for a Hoss's Steak & Sea House location in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, a customer praised their server and a side of mushrooms. However, they found the ambiance dull and their steak shockingly small. Meanwhile, a reviewer of a location in Martinsburg, West Virginia, found their steak overcooked, while they described the salad bar as undersized and unsanitary.

Similar sentiments can be found in the reviews of multiple Hoss's Steak & Sea House locations. "We were passing through on a recent trip and wanted to get dinner and relax in the hotel. So we ordered the Philly cheesesteak sandwich and the grilled chicken salad," wrote a Yelp reviewer about an Altoona, Pennsylvania, location. "The cheesesteak was way too salty... inedible. The chicken was grossly over cooked and the lettuce was old and wilted.....inedible."

The first K-Bob's Steakhouse opened in New Mexico, but it was later acquired by a Texas native in the '90s, resulting in a smattering of locations across both states. With just six restaurants in operation, K-Bob's is a decidedly smaller chain. For what it's worth, some customers have shared five-star experiences at various K-Bob's restaurants. Nevertheless, the average Yelp rating for four of those locations is sub-three stars, while the remaining two are below 3.5 stars. K-Bob's Steakhouse, therefore, has earned a spot on this list of steakhouse chains with unflattering reviews.

Meat quality is often mentioned as an issue. One reviewer who visited the original K-Bob's Steakhouse location in Clovis, New Mexico, appreciated the service they received but found their food entirely unremarkable. Their meat, notably, lacked sufficient sear, resulting in an inadequate flavor. A reviewer of a location in Lamesa, Texas, had a good salad bar experience but panned their chicken-fried steak for excessive batter, adding unnecessary mass to what turned out to be tough meat.

The Corpus Christi, Texas, restaurant has a string of negative reviews, a significant chunk of which criticize the steaks. "The medium-rare steak was medium-well with almost no pink and charbroiled on the outside making it hard to cut," one Yelp reviewer wrote. "The asparagus and chicken fried steak were charbroiled as well. I've never had a chicken-fried steak where the meat was burnt." They also claimed that while sides were overcooked, others were basically raw.

Montana Mike's Steakhouse does not operate in or even near Montana. Rather, it seems to be invoking Montana as a source of high-quality meat. A restaurant in Montana was, after all, responsible for one of the biggest steaks ever eaten on "Man v. Food." In total, Montana Mike's consists of seven restaurants across Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Regardless of location, however, a fair number of customers have shared middling-to-bad experiences with Montana Mike's Steakhouses.

A customer at an El Reno, Oklahoma, location appreciated the service they received and the restaurant's ambiance. Ruining the experience was an undercooked rack of ribs. Worsening things was the fact that the restaurant offered to prepare burgers to make up for the unsatisfactory ribs, but then charged them for the replacement items.

In a review of a Montana Mike's in New Braunfels, Texas, another customer recounted finding mistakes with the food they received on more than one occasion. They also found a New York strip steak excessively tough. The sides receive equal criticism. "They could definitely do better. Baked potatoes are always cold and or hard. Steaks need more flavor. Ranch dressing was runny," wrote a Yelp reviewer about a Greenfield, Indiana, location. "We were not impressed."

Quaker Steak & Lube has faced its fair share of obstacles over the years, making it one of several steakhouse chains struggling to stay in business. While Quaker Steak & Lube persists to this day, its reputation among customers isn't great, based on negative reviews for locations throughout its relatively small restaurant footprint.

At a Quaker Steak & Lube in Charleston, West Virginia, one customer recounted receiving two undercooked steaks. "What I got was a tough as hell sirloin, regular fries that were almost raw and mushroom and onions that I had to saute," wrote a Yelp reviewer of a location in Columbus, Ohio. "All of it was under seasoned and bland." Meanwhile, a reviewer of a Sevierville, Tennessee, location enjoyed what they thought was a Cracker Barrel-esque interior (although others seem to find it tacky), but thought that both their wings and burgers were unsatisfying.

While its restaurants offer all-you-can-eat wings, this deal isn't as impressive as it sounds for some customers. A visitor to its location in Council Bluffs, Iowa, complained that the wings came out too slowly to satisfy the all-you-can-eat stipulation, while lacking flavor to boot. Additionally, they had a bad experience with their bartender. While the wings do have their fans, many other customers have similar complaints about the flavor, texture, and size of the wings.

Determining this list of steakhouse chains that reviewers warn against started with a general list of chain steakhouses that operate across the United States. Based on Google searches covering a range of locations, any chain that seemed to maintain above a 3.5-star average for most of its locations was eliminated from that initial list. We also looked at chains with isolated low ratings for multiple locations — at least three for smaller chains and four for larger chains — in as disparate a selection of cities as possible, and narrowed down those results to this final selection of nine steakhouse chains.

Ratings and reviews came solely from Yelp, both to keep criteria consistent and because Yelp caters more to locals, as opposed to Tripadvisor's more traveler-oriented user base. Opinions referenced for each restaurant are, for what it's worth, cherry-picked from negative reviews. That's because, for any restaurant to land on this list, its overall Yelp rating had to be subpar. So, even if positive reviews were ignored in favor of negative opinions, that was in service of explaining precisely why each restaurant's rating was low overall.