When I came across this place on IG, what caught me was the crispy pepperoni. I am a sucker for it! So yesterday evening, my girlfriend and I drove from the West end to get some dinner!
We arrived, and it looked busy, but most people were delivery drivers waiting on their orders. Upon entering and approaching the counter, there were two girls working at the front and three guys working hard making pies. My first impression was that the girl working the register was very overwhelmed and didn't have a control on things. One of the guys came to the front and settled things quickly; it was evident he knew people were waiting to be served and not being served quick enough. So when the girl got to take my order, she told me they had run out of 16" dough for the Cold Drink/Hot Girl. I'm aware most pizza places have pre-cut dough, but if you know Friday and Saturday nights are your prime nights, maybe have some extra dough hanging around. You are in stiff competition with every other person who has a pizza place.
It was 8:30pm and we were told the pizza would be ready at 9:15pm. I was shocked because for a four slice pie, that's a long time. If I knew that, I would've called ahead. So just a heads up! Call ahead!
We went to the LCBO and hung out to pass the time.
When 9:10pm came, we went back inside and waited. While waiting that's when my girlfriend and I took notice of things.
1. The three guys, one in the pink hat prepping the dough, the guy with the round glasses and black hat, and the guy with the vintage Raptors hat, were working very hard and they were very focused! They weren't shooting the shit like the two girls at the front were. So kudos to them for working hard on a busy night and working well together.
2. The girls at the front weren't focused, they kept chatting with one another, often had their back towards the counter, and were working super slow. Didn't acknowledge us at any point. They weren't focused whatsoever. One girl started complaining about her wrist. If you're working at a pizza place, you may want to invest in a wrist brace or leave it to one of the guys you work with to handle hard work. That's not a comment towards her gender, it's towards her work ethic. If your front staff can't handle things at the front, then it makes it harder for the folks in the back to work well. But like I mentioned, the guys were holding the fort down.
3. I stood there waiting for my name to be called and yet a woman came in and got her pizza made in ten minutes. There was a woman who looked like she was called in to help. I kindly asked her about this. She gave me some story that didn't make sense because, I watched with my own eyes the customer come in and get served immediately after we had just waited a half hour.
4. We felt sorry for the guys making the pies, working hard and past closing, and they have to stand there all day listening to tacky, pop music. The music was like nails on a chalk board. Music makes people feel good, you may want to consider what your staff enjoys since they are the ones working all day having to listen to it.
5. Overall the cold pizza we ended up with was alright. Probably better if it was hot. The honey was a nice touch, pepperoni meat was fresh and the crust was crunchy and light.
I would only go back if I was in the area and I would call ahead so I can avoid getting myself annoyed at the counter staff working like they didn't give a rats tail and most importantly a hot pizza. Otherwise, there is way better pie, customer service, timing and work ethic in Toronto.
I would suggest the owners and their staff visit Banh Mi Boys for a lesson on how to work together, be focused, and how to handle busy nights so you can deliver your product better. Instagram can make things look way better than they actually are. read more