My boyfriend and I stopped at the rest stop where this Sbarro is located (You can read his slightly inaccurate review as well). I'm keen on pizza and don't really eat any other sort of fast food, so I immediately convinced my boyfriend to get food from Sbarro with me. We walked over to the counter. There were two other customers there. There was no line formed; We all just were sort of standing around, and thus, we were were helped in no particular order. My boyfriend ordered a plain thin slice, and I ordered a plain thick slice. After ordering we walked towards the cash register, where I also picked up a parfait with fruit and granola. Just as it was our turn to pay, the food attendant brought our pizza from the oven to the counter. We ran back to grab the pizza and brought it the the cash register to pay. It was nearly $15 for the two slices, parfait and 1 drink. When we sat down, my boyfriend looked down at his slice and put on a face of disgust. His slice looked like it was old and had been heated up a few times. The top quarter of the slice was not edible; It was far too tough and overcooked. Rather than make a big deal, I told him to eat my slice, and I would eat the half of his crusty piece that was edible. Besides, I had the parfait with fresh fruit and granola to eat. I went up to the condiment and utensil station to grab a spoon, only to realize that there were no spoons. I went back to the Sbarro counter to ask for a spoon. At this time, there were two customers looking to order pizza and two customers approaching the register to pay. The attendant who had initially took our pizza order was now making pizza, and there was another attendant trying to help those waiting to order. When she realized that there were people that needed to pay, she asked the attendant making pizza to please help the customers while she worked the cash register. The attendant turned around, looked at the customers waiting to be helped, looked directly at me (I was standing right in front of her) and said, "This is ridiculous." All I wanted was a darn spoon to eat my parfait, and I really didn't deserve to be the subject of her snide remark. I worked at both a pizza place and a pretzel place as a teenager while in high school, and during the holiday season, we would have a line that winded down the mall corridor and around the corner. Never once did I let the customers feel like they were an inconvenience. I followed the attendant who was headed to the register and asked her for a spoon before she started ringing up customers. The spoons appeared to be housed next to the register, accessible only to the workers. I wondered why I hadn't been provided with a spoon when I purchased the parfait if they're kept in a place customers can't access. In any event, I sat down and started to eat my parfait, which was of lesser quality than a parfait from McDonald's. The fruit was mushy and slimy. The only thing that saved the parfait was the granola that masked the taste of the yogurt and fruit.
I totally understand the pressure of working in an environment like Sbarro where there is a requirement to continuously maintain inventory and simultaneously attend to customers. It's so admirable when you encounter someone who is able to maintain control in that sort of scenario... Someone who provides first rate customer service with a smile and professional attitude. That is not what we encountered at Sbarro. And coupled with the less than spectacular, overpriced pizza and parfait, I doubt we'll be running to another Sbarro regardless of its location. Apparently, after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2012, Sbarro's new president intended to introduce a new culture of hospitality and revamped pizza for all of its locations (company owned and franchised). Perhaps this small, travel plaza location was completely overlooked? read more
