Happy Hour! I'm a huge fan of happy hour and Gordon Biersch has a pretty good one. $5 Specialty cocktails (I'm partial to the Kentucky Peach Punch) $5 apps and $1 OFF GB brews. The seasonal right now is the Festbier. It's their version of Oktoberfest Beer. An amber with a "toasted maltiness and German Hersbrucker hops." It's pretty good at about 5% abv.
The veggie pizza is my favorite $5 appetizer but the tapas with flatbread and garlic fries are decent snack options too. The baja tacos with sauteed fish are a good, shareable choice as well. It's a serving of 4 tacos for $7 during happy hour.
The service in the bar area is usually great. If it gets crowded it can be a little slow but it's never been bad. I used to sit outside on the patio. I usually really enjoy dining alfresco but....I don't get very good service on the patio. It really shouldn't matter where you chose to sit but, I assure you, it does. I feel neglected when I'm out there so I tried sitting in the bar and it worked wonders.
As chain restaurants go, this one is a pretty good option. If I could throw in a half star for the brewery I'd give this location a solid 3.5.