After that incredulously egregious interaction with an employee whom I'm certain is no longer affiliated with MOD Pizza*, amends were made, and I no longer have to fear getting ridiculed by any of their employees for any reason.
Following such a debacle in customer service, my visits to this MOD Pizza were much less frequent, and I started patronizing Rubio's Coastal Grill in Lakewood. The recent, sudden, and certainly unfortunate demise of the Mexican fast casual chain caused that location to permanently shutter sans proper farewell.
In spite of the rather high staff turnover rate where it seems an employee working one year wouldn't be working the next, the newer employees here have been holding down the fort quite well to stave off closure, a fate that was recently met by MOD's other Long Beach location in Bixby Knolls.
I came three times during the month of June, ordering a pizza each time. One was online and two were in person. The first pizza I ordered online was pretty flavorful, but the crust missed the mark in two aspects. The first was that some of the edges were burnt, and the second was that the underside had a pretty grainy texture akin to sandpaper. I suspect there were residues of other customers' pizzas that got stuck onto my pizza while they were being baked in the oven. Either that, or their equipment could have used a deep cleaning.
On my second visit, I asked for the crust to be well done, which makes the crust nice and crispy, but also close to burnt, though not necessarily dangerously. My grievances about the crust dissipated, but unfortunately, so did the flavor on this second pizza. Looking back, I don't recall being asked if I wanted some extra seasoning, but I would not chalk it up to that reasoning (yes, the rhyme was intended lol). However, it was enough for me to forgo the well done part on the third pizza.
Luckily, third time was a charm! This time, I added some extra seasoning and also some leafy greens, which were offered by the crew member who built my pizza. Well, if there isn't a rule against it, why not?! That pizza was really what I needed, especially since later that evening, I worked a 5-hour volunteer shift nearby. Not to mention the crew member in charge of the finishing touches even offered a second cup of sri-rancha on the side. My previous pizzas used drizzles on top, but I think having the sauce on the side is a better idea. They won't charge you for extra sauce, even ranch, so if you really need that extra sauce, ask for more! :)
I came once more earlier this month, but a couple things missed the mark. I ordered online, and the employee initially forgot to hand me my drink, which easily could have happened were I in a rush. Also, they kind of skimped on the toppings, so I didn't get as much compared to before. However, they more than made up for with sri-rancha. I had checked sri-rancha on my online order and said in the special instructions two cups of sri-rancha on the side. I was expecting sri-rancha to be on the side only, but they also included it as a drizzle. Not what I intended, but more for me I guess! lol
There's definitely more than enough to bump my rating from a 2 to a 3. In fact, I'd say it's closer to a 4 right now, but on review updates, I only upgrade by one star unless the original rating was a 1, which then I could upgrade by two stars.
Also, the new general manager, Amanda, is pretty cool and does whatever she can to provide a great meal to the customer with a side of hospitality.
With progress being progressive over the past two years, this is now my go to for BYO pizza. And that's even with Pieology being closer to me, but I have recently developed a grudge against Pieology that may never go away. Don't ask me why.
* The way I put it made it sound like she got fired. I can't confirm that was the case. What I can confirm is that she was a really good employee back then, but simply had a brain fart during my visit and didn't hesitate to admit fault to such a heinous act. I know her name, but out of respect, would not want to name drop, especially since it happened over 2 years ago. Extensive training was done to ensure that something like that wouldn't ever happen to another customer.