What happened to MOD Pizza. I know, it's been a rough year. I know that being understanding and tolerant is crucial for the survival of our neighborhood restaurants. Having said that, for me to write a 1 star review during this time and be okay with it must tell you something.
Let's break down my last visit to MOD Pizza. My wife and I have been there many times, we live 5 minutes away. The first thing I noticed is that the crew is backed up. A large line of paper order slips is hanging over the pizza counter. Probably not the best time for me to order a couple of pizzas.
I notice that the crew is busy talking amongst themselves. No acknowledgement of myself or the other customers. A simple, "Somebody will be right with you," would go a long way right now. I'm thinking, maybe I'll try Mountain Mikes, but I wait. I figure there's going to be a line everywhere.
Finally, after about 10 minutes, a young man asks me, "What kind of pizza do you want?" Really! How about,"How's it going, sorry about the wait." I figure it's a maturity thing, so I tolerate and accept. I'll be accepting of other people's short comings.
I ask for two pizzas, one thick crust. I begin to notice that my pizza maker is distracted, indifferent, or simply not interested in my order, because I have to remind him several times that I want one with a thick crust. After the third time, I accept the fact that I am not going to get the thick (mega) crust that I want so badly. Ok, it's a bad year, just let it go.
I let him know that the thin crust is no meat. He's stumped by the no meat thing, distracted, indifferent, or not interested, I'm just not sure. At this point I know my pizzas are going to be less that optimum. You feel me. He just could not understand my order. There was a disconnect between the ingredients that I want and the ones he put on my pizza. It was frustrating. "Dude, ham is meat. No meat."
After enduring the long process of having "Mr. I'm Not Paying Attention" make my pizza, I had a seat. I noticed that of the seven people working, four appeared to be making pizzas and, of the four, one was helping the walk ins. Okay, they must be backed up. Cut them some slack right? But, what would have helped is if the crew was not engaged in a mindless banter that was going back and forth between themselves. (Ok, full disclosure, a non pc comment is coming.) There did not appear to be a manager or someone that appeared to know how to manage this busy restaurant. It was like playtime in a school yard. I've worked in very efficient work spaces where people are enjoying each others banter, but the work flows thru like a well oiled machine. This was not the case. It was like watching a train wreck.
I'm not done.
As is my habit, I ask for a bit of sriracha ranch on top of my pizza. "The meat one," I tell the young lady. For whatever reason, she can't identify which of my pizzas is the meat one. I have to show her which one is the meat one. I actually point to the ham slice on my pizza.
Here's the final straw. I get home and look at my pizza. It's drenched in sriracha ranch. My pizza was well covered in sriracha ranch. Well covered. I guess I should have specified a drizzle of the sauce. I ate it because I was hungry, but I wasn't happy. And yes, I paid for it later. Yes, that is what it means.
Am I wrong to write a one star review? No I'm not. I still feel strong disappointment days later when I think about it. I forgive you MOD pizza, because of the pandemic. but there's no chance I'm going back there for a while. read more