Cheddar’s Casual Café

Meh. This was on my bucket list of places to eat before I moved out of Tennessee. I understand that this is a chain. But, it was still on my list.
While this place is still a few years old in this area, I haven’t heard that great of reviews. But, I see that this place is always busy. Or, at least it’s busy every time I pass by. So, I still gave it a try.
The atmosphere was actually nice. As soon as you walk in, there is a nifty rudder slowly spinning above the center ceiling. I’m not quite sure what the catch is. But, I felt a steampunk steamboat fan theme going on.
Now, the service –And, this is the word of mouth I got until my own eyes saw it — was not that great. I would have rather sat through a glass blowing class taught by sloths than sit through that again. I mean, it wasn’t horrible. But, it could have been way better.
The section we sat in only had 4 families, including us. You’d think service would have been catchy. It was as fast as two crabs in a fencing duel. There were people who were seated nearly right after us who didn’t get their drink orders until we were nearly done with our meal.
Some of what we ordered wasn’t correct. I get that mistakes happen. I’ve worked in the food business for years.
I will say that the food was portioned well worth what we paid for. It was filling to say the least. However, I want to say a quick rant about the Mac & Cheese. How can you kill the best thing in the world for me? It was as dry as Hilary Clinton’s breast milk. (I’ll keep it PG)
The ribs, I will say, were pretty tender. They fell off the bone.
I will say that our waiter was friendly. He does have a good soft spot for first responders, and military. For that, I salute him. Some of his helpers in the area were not so great. The guy who brought the food out was pretty rude. Especially when we flagged him down for a quick request of an order not fulfilled. You just don’t go around a professional establishment, nod your head up, and say, «Sup,» to a customer — especially a hormonal pregnant woman. (That would be my wife).
Cheddars isn’t a bad place, per se. I wouldn’t tell anyone not to go. That’s all I’ll say.

Before this location came along, I frequented the Winchester location which continued to decline over time. I’m not sure if the Winchester location just became overwhelmed with so many people but when they first opened they were awesome. Anywho, back to the Cordova location… I absolutely love this location! Although there is always a line, they move the parties fairly quickly which is a plus because the reality of things is that no one likes to wait for hours on end just to eat when they’re already hungry. Our servers are always professional and knowledgeable which is a double plus when dining out. The food is always hot and they give portions so large that they have to be taken out in a To-​Go box which says a lot because I have a pretty hearty appetite! Their grown-​up drinks *giggles* are really good too. My personal favorites are the Texas Frozen Strawberry Swirl and the Maui Margarita.
The best time to go is usually when they first open or around 4pm before the dinner crowd starts arriving.

I’ve been here 3 times and ordered to go a few times as well. EVERY TIME my food is on point and awesome. I have only one complaint about this restaurant and it is I wish they weren’t so corporate when you go inside. The food is awesome though.

Service was okay. Everything took way too long even though the restaurant is not busy: sat for fifteen minutes before anyone even came around to take our drink order, waited another ten minutes for the water to come to the table, food came after maybe twenty min (which is not that bad)…
The server didn’t come back around until like 45 minutes later to ask how the food was, even though we had finished eating a while ago.
Everything took too long, even for the card to be swiped and brought back to the table.
Say by a LOUD, OBNOXIOUS table that was being way too boisterous and inappropriate. That didn’t help.
See you never, Cheddars. Peace!

Slow service… poor tasting chicken tenders… long wait to be greeted… Okay, went to this place because my uncle and cousins love it. Well, I was excited because I’d never heard of it and it sounded cool, but it was cheesy and bad. (Ha, cheesy) I would just have to give this place two stars because, just… read above.

This restaurant gets five stars from me for five separate visits. One star for each visit. Five out of five. No, just kidding. They get 25 stars. Perfect job five times in a row. Been meaning to review, but just now getting to it.
All my trips were lunch. Today four of us ordered shrimp, a burger, an awesome looking chicken salad, and country fried steak. Everybody today was very pleased. The burger looked great. The shrimp meal did not quite look like it would be enough for me, but I didn’t order it. I ordered the country fried steak. The menu had already selected the side items as mashed potatoes and green beans. I did complain a little to my friends that they should allow customers their choice of sides rather than pre select them, but with mashed potatoes and green beans, I decided I wouldn’t have it any other way if given the choice. The waiter made up for this even without me mentioning it and asked me what sides I would like with it! I said, so I do get a choice, and he said they offer to do whatever you like. That’s customer service in my book, but I ordered mine just the way it was, and it was good. We worked outside today and he kept those drinks coming. I do appreciate that!
So if I really like something, it’s very likely that I’ll order it again. I’ve had the Philly cheesesteak twice. This I would recommend because it was so good, it’s hard to try something different. You kind of get stuck ordering the same thing again and again.
If you just want a sample appetizer for lunch instead of sandwich or meal, or a sampler to share amongst friends either with a meal or just for friends to snack and drink beer, the appetizer sampler is definitely the way to go. Just pick 3 of the 4: these awesome nacho things with meat, cheese, and peppers (kind of like tostados)(you get 3 or 4) of these, 3 or 4 chicken tenders (and these aren’t snack size, no skimping), 3 or 4 mozzarella sticks with sauce, and loaded potato sticks. I’ve ordered this without the potato sticks twice for lunch and couldn’t finish either time. BTW, I did finish my CF steak today and it was just the right amount.
Maybe this restaurant does have some off moments, but I’ve tried hard to find something to complain about, and when I found something, the waiter debunked it!

Walked in and was immediately seated in the bar area. Saw many, at least 4, servers in area yet, we waited 10 minutes for anyone to take our drink order. He got the jalapeño burger and I got chicken tenders. He loved his burger. My chicken wasn’t cold but it certainly wasn’t hot either. Fries were not hot. I don’t know if this place is worth another shot. It seems to get worse every time I go.

Driving cross country CA to VA we stopped here for lunch and what an amazing find! The manager allowed our two small dogs to sit on the patio with us and we enjoyed the delicious buffalo chicken wrap and chicken caesar pasta salad. We were impressed with the sincere hospitality displayed by all the staff and the quick and delicious food! I wish we were staying in Memphis a little longer

Came here to eat at 3:00 on a Sunday afternoon with friends. After waiting for over 10 minutes for someone to greet us, the less than welcoming hostesses told us that there was an hour and a half wait. We thought it was strange because there was an abundance of open tables.
Needless to say, I won’t ever try to dine here again.

We has a large family group that got to Cheddar’s on a Sunday morning, as they opened, and before the rest of the after-​church crowd got there. But by the time we left, there was a significant wait.
We had a great time, and were well-​taken care of. We all enjoyed our meals, and I’m still a fan of their monte cristo sandwiches.

Whoever is managing this place needs to get their act together. When we arrived to eat dinner, my mother was informed it was a 45 minute wait. Then a few minutes later they came back and said it would only be a 20 minute wait. Service was a nightmare. We never received napkins or flatware, and had to ask for them when our entrée’s arrived. I ordered a cup of the chicken tortilla soup and never got it. After i had finished my entrée’, i told our server my soup never arrived and to take it off our bill. She said, oh it’s coming out now. Why would i want it 2 hours later after i ate my entrée and an appetizer?
I love children, but we had a screamer seated next to us. The parents changed the baby’s diaper in their booth.
The food is really unimpressive. It’s like food you would make out of a box at home. But the prices are very cheap. I guess that is why the place is always packed.

This was the first time I have ever been to Cheddar’s and I was not impressed by their food. On a Wednesday night, my husband and I were promptly seated. Our server arrived and took our drink orders. Being that we have never been to a Cheddars, we asked our server for a recommendation of what’s good and we were told that everything is good. That was not helpful at all! My husband ordered the Texas cheese fries as an appetizer as we reviewed the menu. The fries came out with our drinks and they were okay. For entrees, my husband ordered chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese and I ordered the chicken pot pie which came with a salad and a honey croissant. Our entrees arrived promptly, however the flavors were lacking. For the most part, I have no problems with chain restaurants but their food just didn’t cut it. Although their customer service wasn’t bad, I wouldn’t go back!

Here once again! Fast service, great food, and cheap prices! I love the six ounce steak it’s good for the price! Oh the butter and honey croissants are to die for!

Light your money on fire. That would be more fun! What can I say– one star. We were ignored, lied to and ever even got to eat. The business hours listed on Unilocal and online said they were open until 11pm.
June 16, 2015– I had just driven 9 hours to town for a busy work week with a coworker. We arrived at 10:25 and stood at the hostess stand only to be completely ignored by every employee who saw us. They would literally spin on a heel and walk the other way. They actually hid from us, seriously. We were extremely hungry and yet remained patient. But the servers weren’t the huge disgust.
The blonde bartender saw us come in. She was standing close by the door talking to a man who was cleaning his section. She quite visibly rolled her eyes, while making a vomiting face, to the sweaty miserable server she was talking to. and walked away. She later went back to make conversation with him, we ignorantly presumed to find us a table since she kept looking at us. But again she walked away completely ignoring us. I am quite sure based on our observations and what we overheard she was quite literally mocking us, saying how stupid we were that we didn’t get the hint and leave.
Several minutes later I approached the bar and asked if we could get a table or at least a to-​go order. She lied (and badly) to my face, saying «Oh so sorry» she didn’t even see us, and that they were closed for the night. When I asked what time they closed she said «We’re closed». By this time it was 10:40. The two customers receiving service at the bar started to laugh and glare at me, and she actually joined them in light laughter.
I was so angry all I could say was «Well perhaps next time let someone know instead of letting them stand there and waste their time.» As I walked away I overheard her using profanity to say how foolish we were to not get the hint.
There are no hours of operation posted anywhere outside, on the door, or even at the hostess stand. Perhaps we were foolish to assume a low class chain like Cheddar’s would feed us. I mean, that’s what a restaurant does. Feed people. If you’re in the service industry your job is to help, i.e. serve, the public. Food. What a shocking thought.
There was no management to be seen. We considered returning the next day to speak with someone. But honestly didn’t think they would care either. If you want cheap, GMO food served by an ugly and very unhappy person who hates their job, this is the place to go!

I had the chicken strips and fried shrimp. The food was delicious and the portion size was very nice.
The chicken was seasoned to perfection. The Mac and cheese was better than normal.
My server was ok. He wasn’t as attentive but he looked as if he had a lot of tables. Overall I enjoyed my meal and the experience. I would definitely come back.

Just stopped in for a quick bite at the bar. The chicken tenders were quite good. My drink was strong and the bartender was running her behind off. Nothing to complain about, really. I will know to bring a sweater if we go back, as on top of the air conditioning they have huge ceiling fans going as well. This is just a Memphis thing, I think… as I FREEZE everywhere I go here.
There is a really pretty fish tank wall that was immaculate!

Large menu selection. Fresh and hot. Very reasonable priced. Enjoyed eating on patio.

There’s a place on this page where it tells you other places you might want to consider. Don’t take that lightly.
We had the most delightful waitress that wanted nothing other than to see us happy, but I was soooo hungry I couldn’t decide what to eat. I decided on the Monte Cristo, but I really really wanted onion rings with it. Like, really. I was all set when the waitress cave and told me it wasn’t happening. You have to get fries with your Monte Cristo. *sigh*
Scratch that, then, let’s begrudgingly go with a Chicken Caesar Salad because this must be a sign that I need something healthy​.er. Have you ever had a salad that all tasted the same? Every bite reiterated the same bland bite before it. I added salt and pepper. Still nothing. I decided to take drastic measures and ask if I could add salmon. The answer? No. I mean, seriously? Cheddars is like when you go to the store with your Mom and you’re six. «Mom, can I have???» NO.
I gave up and just ordered desert. Which was also just meh.
Next time I’ll just go to Burger King. At least I can have something my way.
:(

It still amazes me how the parking lot is full here every time I drive past here. I’ve only been to this location once. Still prefer the Winchester one. It’s been long enough though that I might consider giving this one a go again.
The food is good, that’s to be expected. The portions of everything are huge, I mean really huge. If you can finish your entire meal, I applaud you. I’ve never been able to.
The service at this location though is lacking. I found myself waiting ages to have my order taken, get refills, just basic things. It’s not like I was running the poor waiter ragged or anything.

We arrived here at 3:50 on a Sunday — waited 5 minutes for a table outside to be cleared. Once we were seated, we got no menus or silverware. Flies were abundant but service was nonexistent. We waited and waited as those around us were taken care of. After 25 minutes of waiting, we got up and left.