DON'T GO THERE!!
This location has long been one of our favorite pizza stops, which is why this experience was so disappointing.
We came in knowing exactly what we wanted. There was no indecision, no special requests, and we were polite throughout the entire interaction. Unfortunately, the larger middle-aged woman who took our order--who appeared to be the manager--was immediately rude and dismissive. Rather than making an issue of it, we simply assumed she was having a bad day and moved on.
After placing our order, we sat at a table within clear sight of the counter. We intentionally chose that location because, in the past, employees would typically call out, "Sir, your pizza is ready," when an order was complete.
After approximately 25 minutes, we approached the counter with our receipt to check on the status of our order. The same manager looked at us and asked, "How can I help you?" despite the obvious fact that we were waiting for the pizza we had ordered. She continued performing cleaning tasks while we stood there waiting. Eventually, she walked to the back, retrieved our pizza, and handed it to us. It was already boxed and had clearly been sitting there for some time.
I opened the box to check the pizza and determine whether it was still hot. While it was not cold, it was noticeably less fresh and less warm than what I have come to expect from this location. At that point, I had no desire to argue or complain. In all honesty, I had already decided that I would simply stop patronizing that location and move on.
The situation became worse over a very simple request. We politely asked, "May we have some Parmesan and red pepper flakes, please?" Instead of simply providing them, the manager responded in a hostile tone, repeatedly stating, "I asked you. I asked you, and you didn't say anything. I asked you."
My response was, "What happened to this place? This place has changed, and not in a good way."
Rather than de-escalating the situation, she continued raising her voice and began explaining that she had to do everything herself and was handling the store alone. I respectfully reminded her that I was a customer, and that staffing issues, workload concerns, and management decisions were not matters for customers to absorb or solve. Those are concerns that should be addressed with ownership or management, not directed at paying guests.
After leaving, I decided to read some online reviews. To my surprise, the very first negative review described what appeared to be the exact same employee. As I continued reading, I found a consistent pattern. Review after review described the same rude, dismissive, and confrontational behavior. I then checked Google reviews and found much of the same.
At that point, my disappointment shifted away from the employee herself and toward ownership and management. One unpleasant interaction can happen anywhere. A pattern that appears repeatedly over an extended period suggests something very different. If numerous customers are describing the same individual and the same behavior, then this is no longer simply an employee issue--it is a leadership issue.
What concerns me most is that this individual appears to be in a position of leadership. In customer service, punctuality and work ethic are important, but attitude is equally important. Customers can be understanding of mistakes, delays, and even staffing shortages when they are treated with basic courtesy and respect. What is difficult to understand is how someone who consistently displays such abrasive and confrontational behavior remains in a leadership role while apparently generating the same complaints over and over again.
I am not writing this in hopes of receiving compensation or free food. I am writing because this used to be one of our favorite locations, and it is genuinely disappointing to watch a business lose its reputation through a problem that appears both obvious and correctable.
This experience was beyond disappointing. read more