Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Forget Fazoli’s
Jeff’s frequent comments have finally convinced me. With the exception of massive convenience and majority group consensus, Fazoli’s has lost me as a customer. The stores—at least the ones I (used to) frequent—have slid downhill at breakneck speeds in terms of quality, cleanliness, and friendliness.
The food is getting near disgusting nowadays. This twice-baked lasagna replacement for the original recipe is only a notch above a steaming pile of dog poo. The breadsticks often (not always, but often) are only a notch above a hard, dry, stick of dog poo. The new “My Pizza” offering is a pathetic excuse for offering choice instead of something like, taste! Most of the pasta items are often well beyond al dente.
Many of the stores exhibit an enormous “eww” factor. Be it messy drink/flatware/condiment counters, icky slick sliminess covering just about every salt, pepper, parmesan, and crushed red pepper shaker, or the unmistakable dumpster aroma that violates your sinuses from the moment you open your car door all the way until you’re well inside the restaurant.
Service and the people who are hired are getting appalling, as well. You’d think a cashier might be appreciative that I would hand over a ten and a one dollar bill for a $5-and-change order. I used to work restaurant registers and I know the stash of $1 bills runs low pretty often. Today, the cashier reminded me that my order only came to five dollars and some-odd cents, to which I had to reply, “Yes, and wouldn’t it be nice if more customers were smart enough with math to allow you to give me just a $5 bill and change instead of four $1 bills and change?”
But nevermind the individual personalities—or lack, thereof. What about frequently observing workers on a cigarette break who are standing outside behind the restaurant with the back door wide open so all their carcinogens can waft straight into the kitchen—not to mention into the windows of cars at the drive thru menu that is only a 15-20 feet away?
What about the shift from never being in want of breadsticks (which actually used to be delicious when Fazoli’s first arrived in Florida) to now no longer being offered some if you have to wait a moment for your order to be prepared. Or, there’s often not receiving any on your plate when your order is given to you, so you have to ask for them. Also, there’s seeing someone finally come around with a basket of breadsticks about the time you’re ready to leave, only to have them run out just as they reach your table, then take their time refilling and returning—or not remembering where they left off and skipping your table entirely. All this assumes you even want some of the aforementioned sticks of dog poo in the first place.
And just what is with these stoopid “your order is ready” buzzers? Jeez, this is not a “your table is ready” restaurant. Most items, amazingly enough, are prepared fast enough that you barely get several steps away from the counter before they buzz it. Before the buzzers, the orders that did take a moment to prepare (i.e. the prior style of pizza that tasted good) they would bring to you instead of making you get scared to death by a buzzer rattling the entire table then have to walk up and get your own food.
Yet, there’s always a huge line during the lunch hour, so maybe I’m just crazy for thinking there’s a problem. It seems not even the fact that you can get fantastic food and treatment at Olive Garden for only a couple dollars more and in about the same amount of time is enough to sway people into visiting Fazoli’s less frequently.
Who’s with me?
As always, RSS readers can flip over to the web rendering to participate in the poop—er, I mean poll!
» Posted by ALBj at 10:14 PM (ET)
Category: Polls, Rant
Comments
Having never partaken of Fazoli’s, I can, however, offer a similar tale. There used to be this hole-in-the-wall Italian joint in our little town, by the name of Bari’s. Bari’s was actually a small chain, and you could find one in the outlying towns of the DFW metroplex. The place was small, you could watch them make your pizza behind a large glass window, the service was outstanding, the prices very good, and the food delicious. They didn’t have a liquor license, but you were free to bring your own wine and they would provide the proper glasses.
Then the owners decided to build a larger facility on a new piece of property. They were previously in the end of a small strip mall. The restaurant ended up closing down entirely for four months, two months longer than they had hoped, because they had to essentially tear out the walls of the old storefront to get the ovens out and in to the new property before those walls went up.
The new restaurant has a bar, because they went out and finally secured a liquor license. The food prices remained stable, which was good. Unfortunately, the service took a nose dive. Most people in the food service industry can’t afford to be out of work for four months. All of the wait staff at the old Bari’s were college or high school students who moved on to other things. The new wait staff is an older crowd, and we generally don’t see too many smiles.
Within the past year, the food quality has taken a serious nose dive, too. Our last visit—and I do mean last, as in ever—the tomato sauce had a somewhat bitter taste to it. The wife was violently ill later that night. They won’t get any more of our business. I’d rather drive the extra 10 minutes in to the neighboring city for Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden. It’s a real shame, because I like going to the mom-and-pop or very small chain places over the nationals, but in this case, the nationals win out.
» Posted by chris
October 26, 2004 11:42 PM
The Fazoli’s in my area is pretty good compared to most, there’s lot of business since it’s by my university so the food is always fresh. the breadsticks are always burnt though.
» Posted by Branille
October 27, 2004 04:36 PM
the fazoli’s where i work is nothing like the one you describe.
i’m sorry that yours is of such low quality.
i’ve worked every position & i’ve always noticed the cleanliness of our restaraunt.
i’ve hardly had to work the dining area but when i have worked it, i’ve felt as if i’m being annoying when i ask people if they want breadsticks.
some jackasses will be rude & talk to me like i’m disturbing their eating patterns by asking if they’d like some free food.
i’ve even made tips when i’ve worked the dining room.
which is rare, since we’re not a tipping restaraunt, really.
i’ve also never seen any of our breadsticks that were hard at all.
normally, whenever i have to use tongs to put them on the plates, they always rip & i have to throw them away.
we rotate our bread stock in the back to make sure we never have any older bread back there.
& i’ve never seen a box of bread back there from the stack we take off of first, that’s older than 3 days.
the one thing i have to say you’re right about in our restaraunt that i’ve noticed, is the greasy feeling on some things.
but i’ve never, ever noticed it on anything customers would have to touch or come in contact with at all.
the only thing i noticed was greasy feeling, was the trays we cook breadsticks on, & the buckets we use to make tea in.
the trays i can understand because butter is constantly being poured on them, & water & our dishwashing soap might not get all the oil off.
& i think the only reason the buckets are greasy is because some dumb kid washing dishes washed them with the breadstick trays, which caused the butter to get onto the buckets.
only on the outside though, cause i’ve had to clean the inside of the tea buckets & it’s completely dry & not greasy at all.
if you’re ever in tennessee, you should stop by a fazoli’s, because i’ve been to almost all of them on the eastern side of tennessee & they’ve all been very good.
& if you like oreo’s or mocha flavored drinks, we’re getting in oreo cheesecakes soon & we already have the mocha freezies.
plus, we’re starting this new thing where you can build your own pasta.
choosing from 5 different kinds of pasta noodles, i think 5 sauces, 4 meats (including shrimp), & 4 vegetables.
-chelsey
» Posted by chelsey.
May 21, 2005 03:42 PM
Sorry, due to comment spam abuse, new comments on this entry are closed until I find time to upgrade Movable Type and enable registration and moderation.
It’s interesting you should say that. I’ve noticed distinct state-by-state differences in the quality of Fazoli’s breadsticks and service. Back in Michigan, they’re both great, although ordering any sandwich is a guarantee that your food will take longer to get out to you (though we haven’t had any of the annoying buzzers yet). The service in Kentucky is good, but the breadsticks are more like Florida’s. Tennessee is much the same way.
And just as an aside, the breadsticks at that Fazoli’s by Orlando Executive were absolutely the *worst* I’ve ever had. I understand why you didn’t want another round. ;)
cl
» Posted by Chris Lawson
October 26, 2004 11:12 PM