Burnt Pizza Fiasco
Maybe ten years back, a new Mountain Mike’s Pizzeria opened in my town. Since it’s a really small town, my family got excited for a new restaurant, so we went in just a few days after they opened.
The four of us sat down and were helped right away. Ordered a large pepperoni pizza and drinks, pretty simple. Our drinks come in a timely fashion. Our pizza did not.
We waited (we’re generally all pretty patient and understanding) for an hour before we snagged a server to ask about our pizza. (There were very few people in the restaurant, and most of the servers were sort of milling around, sweeping and wiping clean tables and other busy work).
The guy apologized for the wait and said he’d go check on it for us. He came back out and said they were very sorry but it would be another 30 minutes on the pizza. No explanation, but we figured maybe they’d forgotten to put it in. We gave them the benefit of the doubt since they’d just opened.
We waited another 45 minutes and no pizza came. Called a server again. He told us he was very sorry and he would go check on that for us. He came back out with a black disc that wasn’t even recognizable as a pizza. It was a giant charcoal brick. Parts of it were actually smoking.
He put it on the table and told us to enjoy our pizza, and that they were sorry again about the wait, but that they forgot it in the oven. The first time we ordered it.
So my dad finally had enough and very politely told the guy thanks but no thanks, we wouldn’t be eating this pizza and we would probably not be returning unless we heard that their service had improved. We stood up to leave and the guy bolted for the back room.
Out came the manager. He asked us what the problem was. My dad told him that we waited nearly two hours to be served a pizza that had been in the oven for just as long. He showed it to the manager. It was literally inedible.
The manager shrugged and said “I don’t see anything wrong here, Sir, except that you’re trying to leave without paying for your meal.” The manager ordered employees to stand at every exit to ensure that we couldn’t leave. My dad still refused to pay and suggested that the manager let us leave or he would call the police.
So the manager called the cops, saying there was an indignant customer in the restaurant. The cops showed up and ask what the problem is.
Manager said we won’t pay for our pizza. My dad said the manager wouldn’t let us leave, but the guy denied it. Cops scoffed at the manager, walked us out of the restaurant, and we’ve never eaten there since.