Slow service but ok food at Ruby Tuesday in Athens, TN

When a friend found out we dined at the Ruby Tuesday in Athens, Tennessee her response was"I was told they were closed." I reassured her that they were open. But, if they continue giving the same quality service that we got last night I can't imagine that they'll remain open long.

To me, the best part of the dining experience was the immediate seating. Our server took our drink order and promptly delivered them. I ordered the barbecue chicken with potatoes and green beans. Hubby ordered the top sirloin with green beans and mashed potatoes.

I do have to say that my side dishes were good. The potatoes worked well with both flavor and texture. I thought that the green beans were on the crisp side but Hubby thought that his was perfect.

Ruby Tuesday has a special promotion going on right now. A sign on our table said that if our server didn't talk to us about the shrimp fondue that we could get one for free. He didn't. When we mentioned it he asked us not to 'pop' him on it.

He said that he really hoped we wouldn't ask for one and turn him in. The server didn't say it but he strongly hinted that it might get him into trouble if we called his hand on the appetizer issue. This played on our sympathy so we didn't ask for the appetizer. I noticed that this same tactic worked for him with the table next to us.

This was an example of the service we received at the Ruby Tuesday in Athens, TN. The restaurant was slow and so were our refills. I didn't like the chicken dish. It tasted sharp and was swimming in sauce. The server asked if everything was ok. I told him no and talked with him about the dish.

He said something along the lines of being sorry to hear that and walked off. Later on he came back and asked if I liked it any better. That conversation didn't go well either.

We had a $10 coupon to use on our dinner at the Ruby Tuesday in Athens. The coupon made me feel somewhat better about the service but not great. I guess you get what you pay for. This was my second visit to the Ruby Tuesday in Athens, TN and quite possibly my last.

My restaurant rating: 3 stars