TGI Friday’s

The service was awful. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone, and working in the service industry it really takes a lot to make me dissatisfied.
I was staying at the attached hotel for a wedding in July so I came in a couple of times to get some drinks and some food.
My final experience was when I sat down and ordered a frozen margarita. After 10 minutes I was brought a frozen strawberry margarita. I said «what’s this?» The answer: «margarita». «A red margarita?» I said. Yes. «What’s in it?» I inquired. «It’s a strawberry Margarita because we are trying to get rid of it. Is this okay?» «No it’s not.» It was on my bill.

After a 35 minute wait, we were escorted through a restaurant that was ¾ empty. Er, what? Perhaps there’s only one waiter? Nope, plenty of waiters. So why in the world were they only using 5 of the 30 tables?
Our waitress was fine, but the guy who I’m guessing was the owner or manager was super awkward. He didn’t acknowledge us, just refilled our waters and almost got his sleeves in mine. And when he spilled an ice cube on the floor, he, while still holding my water, slowly kicked the ice cube away, taking about a minute, and still holding onto my water, to kick the ice cube into a corner. What?! That was so weird and awkward and unprofessional.

Really excited employee: «WELCOME TO TGIFRIDAYS!!!»
Me: «umm. thanks. i’m just gonna have some beers on the patio.»
«THAT IS ONLY FOR DINING GUESTS!!!»
«beer doesn’t count as dining?»
«I’LL MAKE AN EXCEPTION THIS ONE TIME!!!»
«thank you. by the way, that’s a hell of a lot of flair you have there.»
«THANKS! I’LL BRING A MENU, IN CASE YOU WANT SOME FRIES! OH, YOU’RE A VEGAN, HERE IS AN ALLERGEN MENU!!! YEAH, NOTHING WE OFFER IS VEGAN!!!»
«the fries have six allergens, huh? guess i’ll stick with beer. thank you.»
«YOU cant smoke on our outdoor patio. YOU have to go sit at that table way off OUR property because YOU are such a a SHITTY person and YOU drink and smoke and won’t eat OUR food. YOU are an OUTCAST and we will treat you like the CRAPPY person you are!!!»
*last part was just what i heard in my head, when i was made to sit at the table where homeless people hang out.

The Spicy Craft Beer-​Cheese burger is definitely the way to go. If you like spicy, and just all around great food, this one will not disappoint. My only recommendation would be to put more of the breaded jalapenos on the burger. I felt it was a bit stingy when I only had 4. Everything else was on the standard I expected it to be. Service was quick. Drinks were good. Atmosphere was a little cold, but the restaurant was also a little empty when I got around to dinner. I will be back.

When we sat at our table we noticed there were two quarters left behind. Maybe the last table forgot it?
The patio is the ONLY reason why it gets two stars. You get a nice view of the river, and if you happen to be eating in the afternoon/​evening you get a really nice view of all the bats coming out.
Our server was horrible. It took her 15 minutes to greet us, and let’s just say after a whole day’s worth of walking around SXSW I was eager to get some H20.
When I asked her whether a certain dish was spicy, she responded «Ummm i dont know.» What do you mean you don’t know? It’s not like I asked you to list the ingredients alphabetically, I just asked you if the dish was spicy.
I should have just told her to forget that I asked because she then wandered around aimlessly trying to figure out if the dish was spicy. Kind of like a fairy floating around the patio.
When we finally got our food, it was def. below average food. I couldn’t even finish it.
Needless to say our server never once came back to our table. I’m guessing she took some ********* and had no idea why she was at TGI Fridays.
Now I know why the last table left 50 cents.

Our «local» watering hole while we attended a conference in Austin. It was in the hotel that we were staying at.
Friendly bartenders, classic Friday’s. No thrills here.

We had dinner here tonight. I ordered a ultimate Margarita which is suppose to have top shelf alcohol. Well it tasted like flavored water. I ordered chicken & shrimp. It was blah and overcooked. My daughters had chicken breasts which were dried out too. They really need to hire better chefs. On a good note, our waitress, Kim, was very nice

The food was great! I love Friday’s food!
Got that out of the way. Oliver the manager and Heather our server dipped into our account and robbed us. They have a scam going where they doctor your receipt and charge you a bit extra, hoping that you won’t notice. When this was brought to Oliver’s attention absolutely no reparations were attempted. All he had was hoops and zero solutions. Friday’s corporate has yet to get back with us.
BEWARE this Friday’s.

Look, it’s the hotel bar here, ok? Don’t judge. They give a good pour of wine, though, I’ll give ‘em that. Which you can then take up to your room, natch.
But it still gets 2 stars because it’s a TGIFridays, sorry.

They changed the bar it use to be an oak top now granite. Place was ok bartender nice, the sever on the other hand not so much. Food hot and fast, pricey for TGIFs but I guess you pay for the view!

Well me and Gregory do enjoy treating ourselves to a little bit of fine cuisine every second Friday of the month, and it just so happens that we have made it a special Friday night tradition to go to the T.G.I.Fridays (Thank Goodness It’s Friday’s) next to the Starbucks Raddison for the past 3 years or so.
Me and Gregory like to start off with some delectable potato skins as an appetizer.
Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘Glenda Raey Von. All that starch and dairy! are you bananas?‘
Well I may be. but, believe me, it’s worth a little indigestion every once and a while!
Then, me and my Gregory drink a couple cocktails, (ask for the Glenda Ravon. it’s a special cocktail that Michael makes, the most adorable TGIF bartender! It’s two parts gin, one part cognac, and three splashes of grape flavored vodka with a cucumber slice garnish!) They really get Gregory in the mood if you know what I mean!
After that, our recent favorite dish is the rib-​eye steak (well done of course) with the sweet and savory Evan Williams sauce.
After that we order two plates of spicy chicken wings and a couple more Glenda Ravons and sit on their amazing back patio and give each other sensual foot rubs as the sun sets. (so romantic!)
My only issue is that I just found out a week ago Monday from my couples yoga students Mary and Jessie, that they sell their meal dishes at local grocery stores (in the frozen meals section!).
I’m not one to complain, but the frozen appetizer meals taste a little better out of our own microwave!
However, the romantic ambiance, the wonderful bar tending (thanks Michael!), and the wonderful back porch seating keep me and Gregory coming back for seconds!
If you’re looking for a romantic afternoon with your sweetheart I definitely suggest going to TGI Friday’s for a treat you won’t forget!

This review is twofold. First, I’ll review the food and then the «bat experience».
I love potato skins, and I’ve discovered over the years that it is very hard to mess these up. Well, TGIF’s managed to do so. All I could taste was the salt, and the ranch dressing I asked for was kind of blah. I only ate them because I didn’t want to waste the $ 10 spent on them. Yes, $ 10 for potato skins!
Now the bats. We only went to this TGIF because it was listed that you could see the bats as they left the bridge. Maybe with binoculars. They looked like a swarm of bees from our vantage point. On top of that, they don’t have any pest control on the patio, so if you’re susceptible to bug bites, you won’t be happy. It was also hot and muggy, despite the misting fans they had on.
Overall, an expensive lesson learned. If we want to see the bats, stand on the bridge for free and wait!

This evening a couple of my lady friends and I decided to play tourist in our own back yard. So we went to TGIFridays to watch the bats while enjoying some beverages and snacks.
My three star rating is an ‘average’ for the chain restaurant experience. The food was up to standard and consistency of the well know brand. I have no gripe there what so ever… And to be honest, I have to say that is hard to find decent chicken wings… TGIFridays never disappoints! For maintaining their brand standards I give them a 4 star.
I give our server a 1. After waiting SEVERAL minutes a server who clearly came over from another section asked us is we had been helped. His name was Andrew and he was VERY friendly. If we had been able to keep him as a server I think that our experience would have been ideal. However, it was not his section and he was just being a team player. Our server is nameless because he never introduced himself. Of course they all wear name tags, and a name is usually on the guest check… however I was so unsettled from our bad experience that I had actually forgotten to put his name to memory. Our server was constantly absent, and it took him forever to bring items we may have requested. We had to ask for water THREE times. It took over five minutes to process our check.
If you read my blog and my reviews here, you know that I am NOT accustomed to write about my negative experiences. Therefor I guess that I just could not be bothered to put his name to memory. Fitting I suspect, as he just could not be bothered to do his job!
The service was not up to standard for any establishment. As a fellow server, I am embarrassed to have someone like this in my profession. This kind of service gives the rest of us a bad rap, and he should be ashamed.

Jack Daniels Ribeye: ⁴⁄₅ — The ribeye was cooked medium-​rare. It was sweet & tasty w/​the Jack Daniels sauce.
Service: ⁴⁄₅ — The server did a very good job serving the big table.
Ambiance: ³⁄₅

I really like the location. My only gripes are the standard ones for a chain of this ilk… they mix their margaritas with just a smidge of Tequila (for flavor?), and of course the menu can be a little tiresome.
However, when every other restaurant in town is booked and you want a quiet place overlooking the river, you can certainly dig up enough good food on the menu to make it worthwhile.
PS: Order your margaritas with a shot of tequila to sort out the liquor problem and everything else goes much more smoothly. :)

I would NOT recommend the breakfast buffet for $ 10.95.
Especially since it’s not a «buffet»… that word shouldn’t be thrown around so casually; just don’t go into it expecting a Las Vegas type buffet =(
It’s the usual fare: Eggs, Cereal, Potatoes, Yogurt, Toast, Grits, Oatmeal – just very limited in terms of selections.
— Brownie Obsession: Dessert should not leave me un-​satisfied. Then it’s not dessert! Brownie was not very chewy, which is the way I like it. I hate how I’m always left with a big chunk of brownie left with no more ice cream to go with it. Meh.

It’s a Friday’s. In a hotel. That’s cashing in on the bat business. I don’t think I need to elaborate more do I?
They have a kickass patio, though, with a great view of the Congress Ave bridge, where the supposed bats are. MmmHmmm. After the disappointment of not seeing the bats we stopped in to 1) get our parking card validated, and 2) to grab a drink. Our waiter was pretty slow, but then again we were in no hurry, so no biggie. It was nice enojoying the weather and booze. We stayed there until past 10pm and still never saw the bats.

A for ambiance.
We came on 4^th of July and although they were booked for the patio for weeks in advance (for the bats AND the fireworks) we got a spot inside right next to the patio. We had the same exact view but were in the AC and not being eaten by mosquitoes.
Out server (Tiffany?) was super nice and funny. Really cute and bubbly but not annoying in the least.
The food was actually good. I am never impressed by TGIF’s or most chain restaurants but that night was a success. Get the shrimp scampi and salmon. YUMMY
I would even think about eating here again.
OH, and the bats never came out… I guess they are flying late.

Having been to a few TGIF’s, this one was really alright overall. Food & service actually do vary considerably from one TGIF to another. Yes, TGIF is a chain casual dining restaurant & as such, even at its best, the food isn’t fabulously exceptional. The food at this TGIF in Austin was about as good as I’ve had at any TGIF & would be a 3 star rating, but a pair of other factors give it that extra star for me: service & convenience.
During this last SXSW stint, I ordered food here to go a number of times, as well as had a few drinks at the bar & service was always friendly, conversational & attentive though the kitchen was a little slow at sending the food out. Since this TGIF is inside the hotel I stayed at for SXSW, it was extremely convenient to get food on the occasions that the girlfriend & I were too tired/​drunk/​exhausted/​ill to go out for something to eat.
So this TGIF is better than the average TGIF with great service & can really be quite the blessing if you’re staying in the building.

They were open for Christmas Brunch, buffet was good, service was nice, parking was free for 3 hours. Nice view of the lake, suggest you try and get a window seat if you do go here.
Can’t provid any recommendation on their menu selection… since we had the buffet.