After reading some of these reviews it makes me very sad. Every time I have eaten at Macaroni Grill, the service has been excellent. The server is always attentive, keeps drinks full, offers good suggestions ect. Maybe its just the one I eat at, Macaroni Grill in Henderson, NV. The food is awesome 99% of the time, although some of the dishes are a little bland, I.E. Carmela Chicken Rigatoni, and if you don't like something, send it back! I just hope people do not read some of these negative nay sayers and decide not eat there because it would be a shame to miss out on excellent food, service and atmosphere.

Total horse shit.

Please pardon my french, but some things need to be told like it is, and there's just no other way of describing Macaroni Grill. Let me start off by saying that I was a fan of the chain for about 12 years - it stood out above many other chains because it used to deliver some semblance of service, and had decent food. I craved it for years after leaving Minneapolis until they finally expanded to Seattle. No longer. The last three visits have been awful. Portion size has been cut in half. Staff training is apparently non-existant. Bring us bread Edurado, please, bring us bread!! Please?! But Eduardo is not the problem. The problem is that the dishes have been changed to such an extent as to be virtually unrecognizable. Unrecognizable and nasty. Examples? Sure:

The pasta milano no longer has sun dried tomatoes, but instead some kind of dehydrated diced tomatoes sprinkled on top as an after-thought. They are gross - like little pieces of tomatoe-felt that do nothing but get stuck in your teeth and make you NOT want to swallow. Also, they used to serve this dish with mushrooms. I think I saw a mushroom in mine, maybe, possibly, but I'm not 100% sure. It may have been a booger. The sauce sucked donkey balls. Big F A T hairy ones. No one could possibly want to eat this. Just take it off the menu and be done with it, you tools.

The 'create your own pasta' card has been butchered to the point where you can essentially have penne, spaghetti, or bow-tie pasta, and the add-on selections have been slashed dramatically as well. The add-ons that remain are a joke - for instance, when ordering penne arribiata with sausage I was treated to a ground meat product of some sort that more rightly belonged on a dominoes pizza (or at the bottom of a rabbit cage) than anything else. The real sausage, as well as the red peppers and black olives that I would ordinarily toss on it for fun were no longer available. I had to separate the little meat-ish pellets to the side of the dish in order to have a shot at eating the remaining noodles.

You are witnessing the beginning of the end. Rather than choosing to distinguish itself as a mid-level chain restaurant, Macaroni Grill is driving the franchise into the ground. The service is already suffering because anyone who can tolerate eating the food doesn't have the intrinsic mathematical ability to tip worth a shit. The product and/or suppliers have changed to such a degree as to put this chain in direct competition with the local Olive Garden (optimisitcally), or perhaps even Old Country Buffet on a good night. Is this really the vision for the business? Really???

This is sad. This is shit. I am done.

We went to the Macaroni Grill in Henderson, NV on Sept. 9, 09. I took my 2 sons out to dinner for my younger sons birthday and the service was horrible. First off we traveled 28 miles just to eat at this place, which would not had been a big deal if there had been good service and better food. We waited for at least 20 minutes before "anyone" came over! After 20 minutes a waitress came and asked did anyone come over yet and I quote "we were deciding who was going to come over here". Now, what kind of a comment is that? At that point I should had just taken my family and left. Although, we decided to stay after the long drive and the service never got better. The waitress smurked about everything that I asked for and even acted like she did not know what paper napkins were. The service was bad and the food was dull and bland. I choose The Macaroni Grill over the Olive Garden, but it seems to have been the wrong choice. I would never recommend this location to "anyone"!!

From the sounds of these "reviews", most of you negative rating participants must not work in the restaurant industry, or with people for that matter. Most people tend to give restaurants a bad rap and hey most of the "gossip" you hear is probably right. But for some reason you poor attitude consumers keep coming back even though the entire way to the table you bitch and whine about what a bad experience you had before. Why keep wasting your money? Go elsewhere!

I've worked in restaurants long enough to realize most people just don't have a life and need to create drama where ever they can. Yes Romano's is noisy, yes it's dark, yes it can get crowded. But did you ever stop to think why is it so crowded? The food's decently priced for dinner occasions, the portions are great for sharing, and you can bring as many as you want (literally, ive seen walk in parties of 25-tops and MG always accommodated). And if its too noisy don't go to a "family Italian-styled" restaurant then. And the dark lightening specifically lit to that brightness to set a mellow atmosphere and more appealing glow to the dining customers. Did you ever drink one too many Chiantis and turn rosy red? Well MG has accommodated for this and "set the mood" so you can get happy and merry and not be embarassed. In my experience, MG has been on of the friendliest, most balanced, well-trained and staffed restaurant I've ever dined and worked in. And for the rest of you, we live on a heavy human-populated world so get used to dealing with people! People and personalities aren't going anywhere so loosen up!

Based on my experiences I have a hard time believing some of these people aren't exaggerating. (Mabye it's because I've only been to the one in Nashville,TN , of all the places I've lived these people are the friendliest therefore you generally get great service) The food taste great, always served hot and the prices are very resonable. I can't say it's as good as a high-end authentic Italian resturant but then again why would compare it to that? It's a great family resturant and I highly recommend it to anyone who isn't too snoody to have a good time in that type of atmosphere.

A small step above Olive Garden, very small step. Not outstanding though it's a coin toss between the two

This place use to be one of my favorite until yesterday's experience. I went there with my husband, the one in Silver Spring MD, and we got our table fast and we got the waiter fast but we did not get drinks til like 20 min after that, we ordered salads and were waiting on the bread they give but neither came til after the main course was on the table. My husband went through 2 drinks and when he asked for the 3rd one the waiter made his point about that would be the last round! what the hell?!!!! I thought the drinks were unlimited refills! so anyways we ended up not eating the salad because by the time we would have been finishing the salads the main course would get ice cold, so we wasted around 50 bucks with tip and left VERY disappointed , I may never go back to that place again!

What else should you expect from a chain? The food is alright, but you better eat most of your dinner while you’re there because it doesn’t taste good leftover.

So much potential, but they seem to use low quality ingredients. I like the recipe, but I couldn't eat the chicken. Why was my chicken gray? And please use more effort in actually serving me only one type of noodle instead of giving me leftovers from another batch. Haven't you heard, presentation is key.

NJ location

If you ask me for this Brinker Co.-controlled restaurant, I would say it was a warm place. From the date I wrote this, I was there one or two hours ago. I did enjoy the warm hospitality and food there. I did enjoy the service- they served me in less than ten minutes for the main meal (If you want to know, it's the artichoke cakes.) The waiters were knowlegeable on what's on their menu and the food tasted great. When I left the waiters and manager did say their goodbyes to me. I got what I paid for, and most of the prices are fair. I don't know about the other places, but Romano's will compete well with Olive Garden. I will go again, but I will be more self conscious of what I eat since a magazine gave a low grade for how healthy their food is. Exceptionally unbeatable!

Why would anyone eat there? Is there a need for chain Italian restaurants? Just go to a real Italian restaurant!

I think Macaroni Grill is a realy good restaurant!
My favorite dish is their Fettucini Alfredo! YUMM!

Every single time I go there, I get the macaroni and cheese. It's good, but that's all I ever eat. It's always dark and loud in there, though. And cramped >_< But, if you want mac and cheese, get it :D The only other thing I like is the bread and olive oil. And the crayons :D It would be good for little kiddies :D

It is a politically correct chain restaurant that contributes to other social problems.

My food was actually burned and they tried to cover it up with lots of bland sauce and gobs of cheese. I ordered the eggplant parmesean, but frankly there could have been anything under all that sauce and cheese- all I could taste was cheese and sauce.. No real imagnination for any of the dishes...they have about 10 ingredients for evrything and have never heard of spices. Waste of money.

macaroni? grill? youve got to be kidding me, right? god please tell me that is someones idea of a joke. please.

I <3 The Macaroni Grill! It's muy delicious! Everyone should go there as much as they can!

I have eaten there twice. Both times our food was served to us cold. Had to ask to send it back. It is so loud there also. I don't like it I will never go back.

Ok, if you live in the Midwest or something and your choices are Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill, this is your best choice. If you live in an area with other italian places and still choose to go here, you need your head examined.

Excellent preparation on create your own pasta dishes every time. Can't go wrong when you tell them exactly how you like your pasta, etc.

I had the spaghetti with tomato basil and it was the most delicious spaghetti I have ever had, and trust me, I have been to many many restaurants in which I ordered spagetti, and none can compare. Also, the bread has hints of rosmary in it which is very delicious.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! We went there a few weeks ago when we were out of town. Me and my husband's favorite is the Tomato, Basil and Mozzerella appetizers - they are SO good! Also love the Cheese Bread they give you with the Olive Oil to dip it in...so good!

I DO NOT recommend the stuffed Lobster Ravioli though. I love Lobster (which is why I ordered it to begin with) - but I should of known better. She was some weird herb/seasoning in it and it tasted AWFUL! Wasn't cheap either. What a waste this particular dish was!

This place is the best. Way more high class than Olive Garden. The food is a lot better too!

Hi I recently had such a bad experience @ macaroni grill it was in junction with the 10 east and the 30 freeways in san Bernardino well at the beginning it was so nice to be there because the environment is so great!!! They gave girlfriend and me seats close to the front almost by were the manager was. After 15 min I erased my hand because no one was taking any of our orders nobody give us a drink or the bread that they usually give before they bring the food. Finally a guy called jack brought us plates and nothing else apparently he was going to bring us the bread... they apparently forgot about giving us food, another lady passed by and I said to her can you please bring us drinks she walked right by us and say ok and never came back or passed by. My girlfriend told me to be patient so I was. A nice guy took our order after 25 min and another guy came with our food apparently no one brought us more drinks or asked us how’s everything, I got very disappointed of this place and I wouldn’t recommend it to any of my friends I never had such a bad service in my whole life, great food. But I would never be there again.

I'm not exactly sure of why rude customers and long waits evaluate the overall successful interpretation of a restaurant review, but I would say that at most chain restaurants the goal is to give consistancy from location to location. I feel that I have experienced so many emotions from working for RMG over nine years (both good and bad) I am glad its finally all over with! Thanks RMG for the memories

Their is food is definitely way overrated, kind of in the same category as an Olive Garden. It is pricey and just not worth it. If there is a macaroni grill their is usually some other sort of pseudotrendy foodplace nearby like Woodranch. Go there.

Tasty food and ample portions for a reasonable price.  Waitress was very attentive, came back every five minutes, guess she had only a couple tables to serve.  I have been five times and love it, especially the fresh oven bread which they bring out at first with olive oil.

I wanted to enjoy a meal with my little sister and brother since we rarely enjoy meals together. We all decided on the Macaroni Grill in Bakersfield, CA. Although it did not take long to seat us service was horrible. Our server, Judy, barely took any notice of us. All our utensils were filthy; we had to ask for our bread; it took her 20 minutes to come take our order; she forgot our straws, and I had to painstakingly ask her twice in 7 minutes; she completely forgot to bring us new knives, which we requested for twice; she never ONCE gave us a refill; we finished our meal within 15 minutes and sat for another 20-30 minutes trying to catch her attention as she walked by several times so we could TELL her to give us our bill; and to top off the ruined night, she took another 10 minutes to take the bill off our table and another 5-7 minutes to return with our change. We did not even bother with dessert because we did not want to get stuck there for another 30 minutes and went to Coldstones instead. The restaurant was not even as busy as some other restaurants which have way better service during their busiest hours. As the previous rater noted, there is a very bad misperception that Asians are bad tippers; despite the 15% rule I consider myself a very generous tipper, but I really did not want to leave anything for her since the nicely planned dinner with my family was completely ruined. However, despite the bad service, the food was satisfactory.

went to Lewisville, TX location. when we arrived, waitress didn't come over for 10min or so because "the entire staff was in a meeting" (it was 6pm). following the meal (which was average) had a dispute regarding whether we could use 2 gift cards we had been given. waitress said it is a common problem then referred us to the manager who also said it was common problem then referred me to the general manager. he was unwilling to accept both cards so i asked for a contact at Brinker to complain to later. he then stormed off and got into a heated discussion with our waitress, she came back and literally through the check folder at me across the table. I noticed they had also removed the recepit copy that had the code to submit a survey, i trioed to get the waitress, but she just glared and walked away. most pathetic management and customer service I have seen in a while.

A favorite here in Memphis for me. Good food, very good wine, excellent service, a good price. If anything negative, it can be a bit noisy on the weekend and usually a wait.

I should say at the outset that I am most emphatically NOT a fan of chain restaurants. In fact, I generally detest even the idea of chain restaurants...they represent everything abhorent to me about America's bland consumerist culture. However, if I was starving and absolutely had to pick one (as I did recently), it would probably be Macaroni Grill. The prices are reasonable and the food, for what it is, actually is not half bad, and I speak as someone who used to enjoy dining regularly on Mulberry Street in NY's Little Italy (back in the glory days before it became a generic tourist trap). I do wish they'd dispense with the practice of your waitress writing her name on the tablecloth in crayon, but I guess you can't have everything. Still, if I have my druthers (and enough money in my pocket) I always prefer going to an organic restaurant run by actual people as opposed to these corporate concoctions that proliferate at every strip mall across the country (Ruby Tuesday's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Bennigan's, etc....take your pick). "Restaurants" like these have sort of become America's high-end McDonald's.

I had a very bad experience last night at Macaroni Grill in South Tampa, FL. I was there with my husband, mother-in-law and 2 month old baby girl. The waitress (named Kathy) gushed about how good my baby was being, then proceded to say to me, "Honey, no offense, but you baby looks nothing like you. She looks like her daddy and grandma." I was shocked that this middle aged "bitter-I'm-a waitress at 50" woman would have the nerve to insult me!

An unpleasant experience on my third visit at the El Cerrito site.
We were given a dinner menu with dinner prices, understandable if the bill presented with their lunch price. That did not happen.
The Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni came in a huge soup bowl filled with pasta and a gummy sauce with bits of onions, but try as I could, even after eating this overcooked pasta and mediocre sauce, I could not find the chicken. I wanted to make a missing chicken report. LOL
A previous nasty incident in this particular restaurant occured on my second trip when I ordered a Boursin Filet and was served a bloody raw steak that was sent back, and returned extremely well done and rubberized. LOL

My host insisted in giving the wait person at least a 12 percent tip, saying that usually it is the supervisor or assistant manager that is responsible for implementing a national policy down at the local level. She explained that the front line staff usually have no authority to fix any problem. So I gave no grief to the staff, if fact I know they were trying their best, if the guys in the green shades have a different idea. I, how ever, need to rant. Thank you, I feel much better.
The coffee I get served at McDonalds is better.
So, a big thumbs down. There are better restaurants in El Cerrito, try those places as a comparison. Check the internet yellow pages. Or the reviews in the local newspaper, unless you're looking for something completely different and want to find out how much of a good Christian you and your buddies are when being actively discouraged.

As with any chain, the quality tends to vary from one location to another depending on the employees. Overall, this is actually a good italian chain. Yes, you can wait a long time when it's crowded or understaffed and yes, the food quality varies with the chefs, but if you can find a decent one, it's really a good restaurant. Try going at off peak times or try to get to know the manager and a few of the waiters. MG has one of the better Alfredo sauces. In anycase, this is a better restaurant chain than the Olive Garden.

Haven't eaten there in a couple of years so, I'm not sure if they are still as good as they used to be.

We went to Macaroni Grill in Milpitas,Ca on Sunday at around 04:00pm and were seated, that's just it, seated for more than 20 minutes. The couple next to us, got their meal, finished, leave, their table got cleaned and the next customer were seated, order their drink, served their drink and yet, we're sitting there drawing with crayon provided, no water, no bread, nobody say hi, no nothing, was promised that someone will help us, and nobody showed up, we decided to leave. very bad service, bad attitude, never will ever visit Macaroni Grill and its affiliates. A perception that Oriental folks are usually not a good tipper according to my 18 years old son, that's why we're just ignored. we're definitely will spread the story from now on.

Poor Service/Quality fair/Almost cold food - My husband and I dined at the Macaroni Grill in Torrance, CA last night. After a 25 minute wait on a Sunday at about 6PM, we were seated and then greeted by a waitress who acted like she did not want to be at work. We ordered the Mushroom Ravioli appetizer and soft drinks to start. Then, the waitress returned to take our order. Our Caesar salads (very average dressing), drinks and bread were served and no sign of the appetizer. The waitress had disappeared, so we could not even inquire about what happened. When she finally arrived with the appetizer (probably 20 to 25 mins. later) and a "thanks for being patient and waiting.."no sorry for the delay, the sauce was barely warm. I wanted to send the dish back, but again, she was not in sight. We did not complain. Our main dishes were brought over by another server. Again, not very warm and food was fair. We had to ask for seconds on our drinks. The original server did bring over the dessert tray at the end and described the options with no enthusiam. Well, we will not return to this location and can't recommend this chain. Just a warning for others..if there is a wait at a MG, I'd suggest finding another place for pasta or Italian. Our local pizza place has better food, prices... we were looking for good service and got the worst.

I was one of a party of 16 (yes, we had reservations) last night at the RMG in Monrovia, CA, on Jan. 19, 2006. It being a chain Italian restaurant, I honestly wasn't expecting much. Given that we were such a large party, I expected we would have to wait a long time for our food. Appetizers came fairly quickly, and our meals were served a long time later. My child was the only child in the group, and she was served next to last. Her food was cold. My meal was served last- a full 25 minutes *after* everyone else at the table had been served their main meals. Unacceptable. I had ordered the pork chop special, which was so incredibly salty I honestly could not taste the meat, nor its sauce. The well-cooked broccoli was also too salty. The garlic mashed potatoes were very good. When we complained about my meal being late (while we were still waiting for it), the manager (we had complained to our waiter, who then sent the manager over)apologized, and offered to comp the desserts (it was a birthday dinner)- but the desserts weren't the problem! Another diner in our party was served a side of meatbalss that were cold (oh yes, and bready and bland). Our host at this dinner party was handed his meal from the waiter from across the table (poor serving manners). This waiter had brought the dish out holding it with napkins becuase the plate was so hot, but then handed it across the table to its recipient, who had to reach for it, and then burned his hands. Not to mention (ok, so I am) my in-laws were offended that we were asked to hold onto our dirty silverware as the appetizers were being cleared away, and the waiter hassled them when they asked for fresh silverware with their main meals. Oh, and yes, I also recieved several paper cuts on my hand too from the paper tablecloth. In the end, my meal and the desserts were comped, which I felt was appropriate. However, I did find the 25-minute delay of my meal and the 2 cold meals (that I know of, anyway) entirely unacceptable. To be fair, most people in our group enjoyed their food, and I did think the chocolate cake dessert was very good. Yes, the portions are huge, but that's true for most American chain restaurants. Nobody says you have to eat it all. I was pleased that the staff was apologetic, and they tried to make amends, but for all the reasons mentioned I will not return to this, nor any, Macaroni Grill. This was my first and last trip to this chain restaurant.

Very average. Not bad... not that great either.

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The one in Indianapolis that I've been to has been quite decent, actually by far the best Italian food I've had here. Perhaps they vary greatly in quality from city to city?

TERRIBLE SERVICE!! My family went to the location at theNorth County (San Diego) Macaroni Grille the day after Christmas, 2005. We were worried about getting a table but arrived at 3:45 and pleased that restaurant was only half full. I asked for a table for seven. We were told we needed to wait for 30-40 minutes even though there were many open tables. I asked why and the hostess said they didn't have enough servers. We walked out since we were pressed for time and couldn't wait that long,but my 81 year old mother-in-law went back in and asked if there was a chance we could get in sooner. The rude hostes told her it would now take 45-60 minutes. When my mother asked if we sat at two tables (four at one and three in the other) the unsympathetic hostess said yes she could seat us but the tables would be on the opposite sides of the restaurant!! There had to be five or six spots with empty tables next to each other. This restaurant needs to train their hostesses' that customers are important. We eventually went over to Nordstroms and had a good meal with friendly service. Maybe the Macaroni Grille management team could go there to find out how customers should be treated! Needless to say we have scratched this restaurant off our list!! You might want to do the same!

My wife, 14-month old twins and I just had a bad experience at Macaroni Grill in Milpitas, CA on Saturday 10/29/2005. We arrived at 5:30 pm and asked for a table. The staff told us that the wait is 20-25 minutes. After 20 minutes, I asked them for an update, but I was told that the wait was still another 25 minutes. The hostess gave me this lame excuse that a reservation did actually check in so now they no longer had a table for us. In the mean time my twins were cranky, hungry and tired of waiting. The staff didn't try to accommodate us at all, or rectify their mistake. They didn't even apologize. We all left in disgust. Extremely poor service.

STOCKTON, CA 10/7/2005 I went to a lunch I had been looking forward to with one of my very good and long time friend in celebration of my birthday. We had a wonderful lunch. Then in plain view of several waitresses the lady at the table across from me asked what it was I was eating. I told her it was my birthday and it was my birthday cake. She said, "Oooo, how nice, may I use your fork and have a bite?" I said , "No you may not." With the waitresses and the hostess still watching (I was hoping they would come to my rescue) and to my utmost horror this lady reached out with her hand and dug her fingers into the cake and stuffed it in her mouth. I was horrified. My friend and I just sat there with our mouths open in shock. Then I got mad and told the lady to get away from us and our table. The waitress came over and told us she had seen the whole thing and did we want another piece of cake. Well by then I was so upset, my birthday ruined, I felt nauseous from having that woman's fingers in my food. All I wanted to do is leave. Do you think that the Macaroni Grill offered to compensate me in anyway? They didn't even apologize, watched the whole thing take place and did nothing. I went in there happy and carefree and left sad and disgusted. As far as Macaroni Grill is concerned they need some serious lessons in public relations. I doubt I will ever eat there again. And I don't mind suggesting to others that they might think twice before eating at the Stockton, CA Macaroni Grill.

Being a Mac Grill employee, I'm a little biased. However, just thought it would be helpful (and pleasing) to know that Mac Grill does not use microwaves. They are not allowed in the kitchen. Neat for a chain, huh?

mmmmmm. Good. Fabulous focaccia bread & olive oil. Also love the shrimp chicken and penne pasta. It's got some smoky type of cheese and I think some type of bacon in it. Delish!

One of my favorite chain restaurants.

Not worth waiting 45 minutes in line for! Wanted to try this restaurant since it had recently opened in our area (Harrisburg, PA). The service was good, the food was okay. The Penne Rustica was dried out on the top (too long under the broiler) and the Chicken Parmesan was dry (seemed overcooked) and the spaghetti served with it was overdone. We thought it was a little pricey for pasta dishes. We like Italian Oven better.

It was kind of disappointing, the food is good but not great and it is a little pricey. If you don't want a lot of soup order the cup because the bowl is huge. Service was good and the place was clean but it just lacked some thing and I am not sure what. Update; I made another trip to the Grill and once again I was not impressed. The place was packed and not only were there a lot of people but the tables were very close together. The noise was loud to say the least but the service was good. Food was not that great and it appears the portions have shrunk.

I took my family out here for Christmas eve, and didn't find it all that great. My husband works for the people who make their sauces and they use top notch ingredients, but one thing I have never heard of, is mustard in an Italian white sauce. Kind of threw me off when I ordered this chicken thing with the sauce on top.