We took the day off specifically to visit Schmidt Winery, hoping for a relaxing afternoon of wine,…read morefood, and great hospitality. Unfortunately, it turned into one of the most disappointing winery experiences we've had.
The biggest issue wasn't just the food--it was the customer service and overall atmosphere.
The food service employees were unfriendly, impersonal, and appeared far more interested in their phones than interacting with customers. We ordered a full Caesar salad and one of the most expensive pizzas on the menu. The Caesar salad was surprisingly small, and even though we ordered the full size, it was a very disappointing portion for the price. The pizzas themselves are also quite small compared to what you'd expect from most pizzerias, making the price even harder to justify.
The pizza was completely unacceptable. Several slices had virtually no toppings at all--just cheese. For one of the highest-priced pizzas on the menu, the quality was nowhere near what we expected.
I brought the pizza back to the counter to show the employee that some slices had no toppings. He didn't apologize, ask what was wrong, or say a single word. He simply took the pizza and walked away. When my wife asked to speak with a manager, she was told, "We have no managers working here today." That response was just as disappointing as the food.
Hoping someone in the tasting room could help, I explained what had happened to one of the employees. Instead of apologizing or trying to make things right, the employee responded, "Yeah, we have to send our shit back there all the time because they don't get it right." Hearing an employee speak that way about a coworker and in front of customers was completely unprofessional and made the situation even worse.
To their credit, I did receive a refund for the pizza. However, by that point, the experience had already been ruined.
As we were leaving, I turned around and noticed the same employee from the tasting room and the employee who had taken back the pizza standing together, watching my wife and me leave while appearing to talk about us. Whether they were or not, that's the impression they gave, and it left us feeling even more unwelcome.
What really added insult to injury was seeing one of the employees sit down with a pizza for lunch as we were leaving. Their pizza looked loaded with toppings and looked far better than the one we had just been served. I obviously don't know whether it was made differently or not, but from what we saw, it certainly gave the impression that employees were getting pizzas prepared with far more care than the ones being served to paying customers.
What disappointed me most is that Schmidt Winery has so much potential. The property is beautiful, but the hospitality simply doesn't match the setting. The atmosphere felt forced rather than welcoming, and the lack of professionalism from several employees overshadowed everything else.
I sincerely hope the owners see this review because I don't believe they would want guests treated this way. Sometimes business owners don't realize the impression their staff is leaving on customers.
People may forget exactly what was said or what they ate, but they'll always remember how a place made them feel. Unfortunately, Schmidt Winery made us feel like our business didn't matter.
We won't be returning. Fortunately, there are several excellent wineries in the Grants Pass area where customers are treated with genuine hospitality and appreciation. I hope Schmidt Winery takes this feedback seriously, because experiences like ours don't encourage people to come back.
