Shelly A.
Yelp
My elderly father loved the Outback in Frederick, MD. The MD location off of Rt 40 was a regular spot for him until he moved to Sr Living in Virginia. As a surprise we decided to take him out to dinner at this newer location. I downloaded the app in order to be placed on the call ahead seating list early in the day. We planned to leave his place at 5 pm to get a jump on the Saturday night rush. When I attempted to book ahead, only the Sterling location would allow me to request seating through the app, first frustration. So, I call, and I am immediately placed on hold for FIVE minutes then when they answer, I am TRANSFERRED to the hostess stand, second frustration. We arrive, and they can't find my call ahead seating request, it takes two staff members to locate it, third frustration. Full disclosure: when we arrived, it was 5:36 pm on a Saturday (what I was trying to avoid). Note: the old BE waiting area was converted to a bar, and the only seat they have to wait is directly across from the hostess stand and is equivalent to one side of a booth. Knowing there is NO acceptable waiting area for anyone with any mobility limitations, they seated us immediately. To be fair, based on when I called, we were probably at the top of the list, but I am sure that left other people frustrated seeing that we were seated almost immediately upon finding the reservation.
The service was extremely slow. So much that my father said "let's not come back here again." It was also very loud and for hearing impared with hearing aids I am sure he probably wanted to turn them off. We finally recieved our dinner at 7pm (last frustration) and everything was cooked perfectly. The prime rib far surpassed the quality that was served at BRG the week earlier. In fact, it was the best Prime Rib that we found in Leesburg (ordered weekly for the last month, at three other restaurants in Leesburg). The filet mignon was perfectly cooked, and all of the sides were great. The food, I can't believe (I am saying this) 5 stars (celebrate this win), the support staff, and logistics 0 stars. I hope you improve this part of the experience. We will be back, but not on a Saturday night. If you have someone with mobility issues, avoid this location in the winter as the best waiting option is to bring your own chair and wait on the porch.
When I try to add my visit to the app, I am getting an error. I suspect there is a configuration issue with the app and this location.