Order a Pizza or Get Out!!

[Pete-zza]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23994637-order-pizza-or-leave-my-restaurant.do.

Peter

[buceriasdon]

Finally!! A pizza nazi! I'm sure most people remember the Sienfeld "Soup Nazi" episode. Too funny.
Don

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23994637-order-pizza-or-leave-my-restaurant.do.

Peter

[Tman1]

His restaurant, his rules I guess.

[TXCraig1]

Funny.

We have a place down here called King Burger. Something to this effect is weitten on the wall inside the front door:

'This is King Burger not Burger King. You do not get it your way. You get it how we want to make it.'

[scott123]

Here's a simple solution that will prevent many irate customers:  Stop selling salads 

[BrickStoneOven]

He is 100% correct. If you go to a pizzeria and order a salad or on a diet why did you go in the first place. I like what Craig said in an other thread, that the customer isn't always right, but you have to create the illusion that they are(or something like that)

I don't see how she is complaining about the prices of his pizzas anyways. The margherita is $8.50USD, which is super cheap if you compare it to anything you'd get in the US. With pizzerias here charging $14-$15 for a margherita. Even their most expensive pies are only $13. I've seen places charge $11-$12($6.50 at SMP) for a marinara which is nuts.

[chickenparm]

Im on the fence here.When I lived in NY,there was a pizza place that sold alot of salads,along with all their pizzas too.A lot of women would come in and just order salads.They never got "tossed" out of the place.
 

Back to the article,I understand where the guy is coming from,but he forgets,he is only in Business because of his customers paying his bills.I'm sure his customer base is large enough that he can afford to be cocky and rude to anyone he wants.Must be nice.
 

[Essen1]

Im on the fence here.When I lived in NY,there was a pizza place that sold alot of salads,along with all their pizzas too.A lot of women would come in and just order salads.They never got "tossed" out of the place.
 

Back to the article,I understand where the guy is coming from,but he forgets,he is only in Business because of his customers paying his bills.I'm sure his customer base is large enough that he can afford to be cocky and rude to anyone he wants.Must be nice.
 

Bill,

His customers may pay his bills but why go to a pizza place if you're not ordering pizza or wanting salad? If your car needs a new battery would you go to a shoemaker? 

[RoadPizza]

Mike, I see your point and agree that you should eat the restaurant's specialty.  But if there were a group of friends or a family going out, they might not all want the same thing for dinner.  It might not be their specialty, but at least the salad might at least convince some people to eat there.  It's the same reason some steakhouses will also have fish on the menu.

[Essen1]

Mike, I see your point and agree that you should eat the restaurant's specialty.  But if there were a group of friends or a family going out, they might not all want the same thing for dinner.  It might not be their specialty, but at least the salad might at least convince some people to eat there.  It's the same reason some steakhouses will also have fish on the menu.

Well, then the guy should take everything else off the menu. Problem solved, no?

[Jackie Tran]

Does being passionate about one's pizza include pissing customers off?  They are less likely to return to try his pizza now that he's made them leave.  They waited for an hour to get in, let them have their salad!  Absolutely no respect for paying customers who keep his doors open.  One upset customer is likely to tell many more about the poor service/food than one happy cutomer.  He has no sense of business whatsoever.   

Also what a waste of time and energy.  Everytime someone doesn't want pizza, he now has to take 5 minutes just to explain why he wants them to have pizza.  Some people just enjoy being douchebags I guess. 

[chickenparm]

Bill,

His customers may pay his bills but why go to a pizza place if you're not ordering pizza or wanting salad? If your car needs a new battery would you go to a shoemaker? 

Ahh,a car battery and shoes,2 very different things though.I do see your point though.

That said,If I went to a shoemaker,bought only shoe laces,not a more expensive new pair of shoes,and he threw me out,that would be hilarious as well.What if I go to the gas station,buy a bottle of soda or cigs,and the owner throws me out for not buying any gas?
 
We could go on all day with silly examples.

Now with food,If a pizza maker also sells salads,a food item,on the MENU,whats the problem?Why sell a salad if you're gonna cry about it being the only sale?

That said,if I had a shoemaker,and he sold salads on the side for profit,I don't think I would order one from him either.Shoe Salad of the day,doesn't sound appealing.
 

[Essen1]

Chau,

Try to order a pie at UPN with meat (pepperoni or sausage) on it and you'll get personally escorted out the door. He still has lines out the door and can afford the occasional disgruntled client. I'm sure the guy in England is in a similar situation.

'Nuff said.

[Essen1]

Ahh,a car battery and shoes,2 very different things though.I do see your point though.

That said,If I went to a shoemaker,bought only shoe laces,not a more expensive new pair of shoes,and he threw me out,that would be hilarious as well.What if I go to the gas station,buy a bottle of soda or cigs,and the owner throws me out for not buying any gas?
 
We could go on all day with silly examples.

Now with food,If a pizza maker also sells salads,a food item,on the MENU,whats the problem?Why sell a salad if you're gonna cry about it being the only sale?

That said,if I had a shoemaker,and he sold salads on the side for profit,I don't think I would order one from him either.Shoe Salad of the day,doesn't sound appealing.
 

Bill,

Two different things...that's why I used that analogy.

If you want salad, go to a salad bar or a vegetarian place. If you need shoelaces, a shoemaker or shoe repair shop will not make you leave. It's an accessory. But I have never heard that salads and sodas are necessary requirements/accessories to go along with pizza. It's common, yes, but not necessary.

Shoelaces in a salad? Make sure they're pickled!

[petef]

Here's a simple solution that will prevent many irate customers:  Stop selling salads 

I like your solution.    

To me it seems wrong for a restaurant to be so demanding on their customers forcing them to buy a pizza. Sure I understand the reasoning, but it's short sighted thinking if it causes them to lose customers in the long run. On the other hand, if his pizza shop is in such high demand that there is rarely a free seat available and his business is so good that he doesn't need to advertise for new customers, then he is in good position to make such demands on his customers and not have to worry about the few that not put up with it. 

---pete---

[c0mpl3x]

I like your solution.    

To me it seems wrong for a restaurant to be so demanding on their customers forcing them to buy a pizza. Sure I understand the reasoning, but it's short sighted thinking if it causes them to lose customers in the long run. On the other hand, if his pizza shop is in such high demand that there is rarely a free seat available and his business is so good that he doesn't need to advertise for new customers, then he is in good position to make such demands on his customers and not have to worry about the few that not put up with it. 

---pete---

there is a pizza shop a few blocks up at one of the places i worked at, where if you placed an order, even if a $500 dollar catering order, your order would not be delivered unless there was pizza within the order

[The Dough Doctor]

When I worked in Chicago, Illinois, we used to visit a local deli called Jerry's Deli, as you entered the store Jerry would point at you and say "what you want?" At that moment your lips had better be moving and you had better be ordering, because if you were not, he would say "next!" and he was pointing at someone else and taking their order, and trust me, it could take some time for him to get back to you, and you had better be playing the game when he did! The deli was ALWAYS packed, I guess that was just the ambiance of the store, and those who went there either liked to be abused or watch it happen to others (a lot like the Soup Nazi, but dated 1970).
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[Pete-zza]

Our good and respected member Brian Spangler of Apizza Scholls is sometimes criticized by reviewers (e.g., http://rongrandia.blogspot.com/2011/04/life-lessons-from-pizza-nazi.html) for being a "pizza Nazi" because of wording like the following on his pizza menu:

*No more than three (3) ingredients per pie, including no more than two (2) meats per pie *
(http://apizzascholls.com/styled/index.html)

Also, I believe that Brian does not do takeout pizza, which has irritated some people.

Knowing how meticulous Brian is, I am sure that he has figured out the limitations of his product and pizzeria. But it is amusing how many hits you will get if you do a search of Brian's place using the terms "pizza Nazi".

BTW, over the weekend I caught a part of a TV series called America's Best Bites that featured several pizza operators, including Brian. It was a very nice and interesting segment. Brian came across as non-pizza-Nazi like--he was thoughtful and considerate.

Peter

 

[patdakat345]

My brother-in-law was raised and trained as a french chef in France. When he opened a restaurant here in the USA it got rave reviews and all the restaurant crowd flocked there.
If somebody called and said they had a dietary problem and could they for instance make a sauce without salt, he would say "this is a french restaurant".
When the new restaurants got good reviews, the customers flocked to the new in-restaurant.
I can"t help feeling that if he had used reasonable accommodation, that he would still be in business today.
Over the years I have cooked for my family. and when they were sensitive or allergic to certain foods or vegetarians (thank goodness it was temporary), I always  made provisions for their diets.
I for one wouldn't go to any of these places, where a customer isn't treated with respect. Iwonder how long they will last?

pat

[Jackie Tran]

Chau,

Try to order a pie at UPN with meat (pepperoni or sausage) on it and you'll get personally escorted out the door. He still has lines out the door and can afford the occasional disgruntled client. I'm sure the guy in England is in a similar situation.

'Nuff said.

Mike, I wouldn't do that.  You know why?  Cuz it's not on the menu.  If you're gonna have salad on the menu, then it's rediculous to not let a paying customer order a salad.  Like you said, take the salad off the menu or have in bold print, "Salads only available with order of a pizza".  Or hang up a big sign that says "Everyone must order a pizza".  At least this way people know what they are in for. But to have someone wait an hour to get in only to be told they have to eat pizza or leave is poor customer service.

Now it's his shop so he can do whatever he wants.  Bad decisions lose money for the business while good ones are profitable.  IMO, it's a terrible way to go about doing business.

I also happen to agree that you should order pizza if you go to a pizzeria, but there are other methods of going about getting that point across, rather than have people wait in line and then making a big production out of it.  Let's face it, it's impossible to cater to every whim of every customer and some folks won't be happy no matter what.   But to not have a sign or make it clear ahead of time after an hour wait is inexcusable.

Chau