Chilis Restaurant

We decided to go out to a movie and dinner at our local theater in Homestead, FL. Right next to the theater is Chili's restaurant. For those of you who don't know, this is a casual/Mexican/grill restaurant chain. This location has just been built and has only been open a few months.

When we got out of our car, the parking lot was immaculate. There were no cigarette butts, no soda cups or cans. It was obvious it was important to the owners. We walked in to the restaurant and were immediately greeted by a warm, smiling host. In our experiences eating out this is rare. There are alot of restaurants that post some one at the host area but rarely are they friendly and more rarely are they warm.

We were sat immediately and were told about their appetizers, drinks, and entrees. The server seemed to really know there menu and answered our questions as if she really cared. We received our drinks very quickly. By the way 2 for 1 drinks every night of the week! The restaurant was busy but seemed well organized and the staff seemed to be in good spirits. You can tell alot about the owners and operators of a restaurant strictly by how the staff treats each other. When we ordered the waitress talked to us for a few minutes just welcoming us and asking about our kids. Of course anyone with children appreciates the attention. The kids were involved from the beginning and they normally help choose where we are going. She understood this clearly was fantastic in tailoring to their needs and making them feel like they were special.

Our food came out fresh and hot. I have to say that when food looks hot and fresh, smells fresh, and tastes fresh it is an experience that stands out. So few restaurants today can achieve such a simple but important goal. Our drinks were re-filled without asking. Almost everything about our entire experience made us feel that the dining experience was about us, our needs, our happiness. We really felt like the people working in this restaurant wanted to anticipate our needs.

The bathrooms were kept in great shape. Swept, mopped, neat, clean, and organized. Just based on the the way the outside of the restaurant and the cleanliness of the inside we knew they would be serving us safe, fresh food.

One other important point for us as a family is that the bar area was separate from the dining area. This is important when you have young children whom you don't want witnessing bad language or behaviors.

The manager dealt with an upset customer a few booths down with grace and empathy. The upset customer was more than happy when the manager left and it made us feel like we were at a mom and pop restaurant again, "like the old days when people knew how to take care of people" is what my grandfather would have said.

Overall it was an experience we don't find too often in the world anymore. People that care. Our waitress was named Yesenia. We appreciated that great experience and have made it our Tuesday night ritual. Great job To the Chili's Team in Homestead. I suggest you go visit as soon as you can!