I previously regarded this Fortinos location as my preferred store. However, my recent experience reflects a noticeable decline in both service quality and food standards.
I visited the store specifically to purchase samosas from the hot food/kitchen section. The employee who assisted me appeared visibly annoyed and agitated from the outset. I asked two straightforward questions: when the samosas in the warming tray had been prepared and when the next batch would be ready. Despite the simplicity of the inquiry, her demeanor remained hostile.
I proceeded to purchase three samosas, though I noticed they were significantly larger than those I had previously purchased at another Fortinos location. The employee roughly selected three samosas and tossed them into a container. I politely requested to exchange one, as its shape was not presentable--I was purchasing them to serve visiting friends. In response, she agitatedly used the tongs to remove a samosa at random and threw it back into the tray without asking which one I wished to replace. Throughout the interaction, she displayed hostile facial expressions and an unprofessional attitude. The overall experience felt like a release of negative energy toward a customer making a routine purchase.
When a supervisor approached, the employee's demeanor noticeably improved, suggesting an awareness that her prior conduct was inappropriate and that she believed such behaviour was acceptable only in the absence of supervision.
Further concerns arose when a younger male employee handed me a boxed samosa that was already sealed with a price label. It appeared to be a previously prepared order that had not been picked up by another customer. The item was not taken from the heating tray, and it was unclear whether it had been stored at a safe temperature. More troubling, the employee looked directly at me and refused to provide samosas from the heating tray, insisting instead that the boxed ones were "fresher" and that the tray items were "older." This gave the clear impression that he was attempting to dispose of pre-packaged items whose holding time was uncertain. This interaction significantly damaged my trust in the food handling practices at this location.
Finally, the samosas themselves were of poor quality. The dough was excessively thick and uneven, and the filling lacked flavour, consisting largely of mashed tomato. The quality was far below what would reasonably be expected of a samosa. Ultimately, my friends and I discarded half of them, as it became clear that they did not meet acceptable standards. read more