This is a casual restaurant. They serve authentic Neapolitan pizza. Great atmosphere. They serve fantastic italian drinks: italian red wine, italian beer, all the flavors of San Pelligrino... (drinks prices are not casual ) Never had to wait more than 10 mins from time of order to food being served. Last couple times we went, the wait time has been 40-60 min. Would you wait? Yes, no, someting else?
David's favorite pizza place is like that and has always been like that. I have no idea how they stay in business. The pizza is amazing, though. So yes, I have and would wait because he loves it but have to calculate the wait time into our plans and it's a PITA. There's like 3 poke stops there so now I drop him and his friend off so I don't have to go and he still gets his pizza.
How did they handle the wait? If they were transparent about it and kept me updated, I’d probably keep going. For example, I’d hope that when I arrived they said something like “we had a few people call in sick today so they kitchen is a little slower than usual” or if the server said something like “thanks for your patience, your order is in, but as you can see we’re really busy tonight and running a bit behind, can I get some more wine or breadsticks while you wait?” If there was no mention of the wait, or no acknowledgement of the inconvenience to me, I might wait a while before going back and trying again.
The restaurant business is tough, but 40-60 minutes at a place that usually takes 10 is a really long time to wait.
Pizza takes a certain amount of time to cook. I think you were lucky to only have a 10 minute wait. I’d expect 20-35 mins, depending on how busy they were.
Pizza takes a certain amount of time to cook. I think you were lucky to only have a 10 minute wait. I’d expect 20-35 mins, depending on how busy they were.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on May 13, 2024 10:01:40 GMT -5
I would wait if already ordered, but at that point I might check in with the server and ask if there was an issue with our food since it had been so long. Depending on their response and other factors (is it an especially busy time? Has this happened before? Are they rude about us asking on the status of our food, or do they try to be helpful (wouldn't expect to be comp'd for anything unless there was an actual issue causing the delay, would very much appreciate being brought a free appetizer, esp. if we have kids waiting)). If that is just the way it's going to be at that place currently, I'd only go back if I knew I was willing to wait.
How did they handle the wait? If they were transparent about it and kept me updated, I’d probably keep going. For example, I’d hope that when I arrived they said something like “we had a few people call in sick today so they kitchen is a little slower than usual” or if the server said something like “thanks for your patience, your order is in, but as you can see we’re really busy tonight and running a bit behind, can I get some more wine or breadsticks while you wait?” If there was no mention of the wait, or no acknowledgement of the inconvenience to me, I might wait a while before going back and trying again.
The restaurant business is tough, but 40-60 minutes at a place that usually takes 10 is a really long time to wait.
They now have a sign that tells you the wait time but it's inaccurate. Last time we went the sign said 23 minutes. When we arrived at the counter to order, they told us it would be at least 40 minutes. We left. They only serve pizzas. No appetizers. They do have a salad but last time I had to ask them to give us the salad so we could eat it while waiting for our pizzas. Which I understand is not how they do it. The salad comes with a pizza with no toppings, just olive oil and rosemary. It only takes 4-6 min to cook but there is a queue as they can only have 6 pizzas total in the wood burning oven.
I probably wouldn't go back for dine in service. I might try take out and see if they can get that ready for pick up on time.
We said we might just order online and then eat in the restaurant. They have special pizza plates though. The plate prevents condensation so the crust isn't too soggy.
If this was a date with friends, the pizza was world-class and there was something to eat or drink, I might wait. I live near Philly, so I have a lot of options. There's a place DH and I go in the city once in a while that's like this-- you order dough and a time. They do a massive neighborhood take-out business, so busy in the restaurant isn't indicative of how busy they are. They have something like 3 guys who make pizzas (never all at once) and are limited by the size of the oven. I've waited an hour and maybe a little more but we usually meet friends and bring wine, so it doesn't matter.
The two places near where I live where this could be an issue, we go earlier to avoid this and the noise level from larger groups who get noisy.
I know a lot of restaurants are having staffing issues; could that be the reason for the change? If it was a place we really liked and we didn't mind hanging over drinks while we waited (I often prefer to have a drink or two before eating with friends and am irked on the other side where I feel like I want more time to talk and the restaurant wants to turn the table over), I would be unbothered. If it's someplace you want to get in and out of with kids or something, I'd probably not put it at the top of my list.
I have waited more than 30 minutes to be seated at some of the more hip and trendy places in London or brunch spots in Victoria. I would not be happy to wait more than 30 minutes to eat once seated - especially when pizzas only take 6 minutes to cook.
Depending on the size of the restaurant, I would assume they are either short staffed or taking on more takeout orders than they should.
Pizza takes a certain amount of time to cook. I think you were lucky to only have a 10 minute wait. I’d expect 20-35 mins, depending on how busy they were.
The pizzas take 4-6 min to cook.
Ok, so I was off on my 12 min guess. But you also have to prep the dough and add toppings. 15 mins for a pizza if you’re the only one waiting is not unrealistic. And if anyone else ordered, 20-35 mins.
How did they handle the wait? If they were transparent about it and kept me updated, I’d probably keep going. For example, I’d hope that when I arrived they said something like “we had a few people call in sick today so they kitchen is a little slower than usual” or if the server said something like “thanks for your patience, your order is in, but as you can see we’re really busy tonight and running a bit behind, can I get some more wine or breadsticks while you wait?” If there was no mention of the wait, or no acknowledgement of the inconvenience to me, I might wait a while before going back and trying again.
The restaurant business is tough, but 40-60 minutes at a place that usually takes 10 is a really long time to wait.
They now have a sign that tells you the wait time but it's inaccurate. Last time we went the sign said 23 minutes. When we arrived at the counter to order, they told us it would be at least 40 minutes. We left. They only serve pizzas. No appetizers. They do have a salad but last time I had to ask them to give us the salad so we could eat it while waiting for our pizzas. Which I understand is not how they do it. The salad comes with a pizza with no toppings, just olive oil and rosemary. It only takes 4-6 min to cook but there is a queue as they can only have 6 pizzas total in the wood burning oven.
I would have left too in this situation. I wouldn't walk out if I were already sitting and waiting, but I would ask what was going on after probably 30 min and be annoyed by the long wait. If it were our favorite neighborhood place that changed, I'd be likely to bring it up to see if it's just been bad luck or is the new normal. If it's just some random restaurant I like but where the staff doesn't know me, I'd probably just stop going.
I don't think 30 minutes is that bad, so I'd probably be fine with that if I liked the place. 60 minutes is probably too long.
We have a lot of places to eat in this area so in general if I am annoyed by a place, I probably won't be going back. So if you have other options and you're at the point of wondering about it, I would say you may be happier just moving on!
Post by donutsmakemegonuts on May 13, 2024 10:53:29 GMT -5
I originally read this as wait time meaning waiting for a table, so I picked something else. I see now that it means AFTER you have already ordered you are waiting that long. That seems excessive, especially if they aren't letting you know. I would probably not go back for awhile or just order take out if I really really liked the food.
I originally read this as wait time meaning waiting for a table, so I picked something else. I see now that it means AFTER you have already ordered you are waiting that long. That seems excessive, especially if they aren't letting you know. I would probably not go back for awhile or just order take out if I really really liked the food.
We would typically not want to wait 40-60 minutes for food. We have had luck with some places ordering the food right away with the drinks. It helps get us in front of other tables and shortens the wait time by maybe 15 minutes putting us in the range we would like to be in. If that doesn't work we would stop going or do take out only.
Post by picksthemusic on May 13, 2024 11:30:04 GMT -5
Meh - it depends on the pizza, atmosphere, and if they have appetizers as well. We used to frequent Tutta Bella when we lived close to one, and we planned on being there at least an hour or more because we liked the place and the food is excellent.
If it was mediocre food, then it would annoy me to wait that long, especially multiple times. 20-25 minutes? Sure. 40 or more? No.