| rev:text
| - If I could give this place no stars, I would.
My boyfriend and I made a reservation at this place a week in advance after several recommendations from or friends. We arrived early to our time and were seated promptly by the owner, who acted as the host.
Unfortunately, our table for two was buried between the wall and three other larger-party tables. At first, it didn't seem too bad, comical even, to have other people shift around to let us shimmy into our seats. However, as the night wore on, our patience grew thinner as even the waiter could not walk over to our table. The staff had to pass dishes through the other table of 8 to ours. My boyfriend had to stand and walk over to the blocked space between two tables where the waiter met him and took our order. I did not speak a single word to the waiter the whole evening.
The food itself was decent. We ordered the bruschetta and the spinach and ricotta ravioli. The ravioli came with what appeared to be tomato soup, nothing too extraordinary. I was too turned off by the poor seating arrangement and lack of care to appreciate the dishes for what they were.
At the end of our meal, after the large party had left, we asked the waiter to speak to the manager. The host from the front came over and we began to voice our complaints. Before I could even finish my first sentence about the horrible service, Mr. Gerasole interrupted me to brag about his restaurant having operated for 17 years. He went on, saying that his face on the waiter's shirts, he wasn't going to "win" with us, and how we shouldn't have any complaints with the food. When we tried to speak up again, he stopped us again, shaking his head condescendingly and sighing exasperatedly. My boyfriend, who doesn't usually voice his concerns, began to argue with him, begging him to please listen to and understand our concerns. All we got in response was his laughter. I told him this was no laughing matter and he got upset and forceful with his words. He told me that if I had had a problem with the table, I should've said something in the beginning rather than waiting the entire meal to speak up. I had placed a reservation a week in advance, showed up early to my allotted time, was hungry and did not want to wait for another table. What would even be the point in making a reservation? When we asked whether he was blaming us for the poor service, he denied vehemently. Then, he asked us what he could do and I said you could pick up our check. He responded with laughter again, saying that it would be useless since it would do nothing for his establishment. I lost all respect for this man at this point. He offered to buy us a drink or a dessert when we no longer had the appetite nor wanted to spend another minute sitting there in his restaurant.
The absolute worst cherry on top of the whole damned experience was his racist commentary at the end of the night. As we were waiting for the gift certificate he so graciously offered after refusing to cover our check, he started smiling and saying that Indians were good negotiators. This was obviously directed at my boyfriend, who didn't react. I spoke up, saying that I disagreed and did not feel his comment was appropriate. Immediately, Mr. Gerasole rolled his eyes, let out a huge sigh, and said "here we go again". He then bent over and said to me "This is going to be tough, but I bet you I can guess your nationality". I couldn't take it anymore. My boyfriend stopped him there and as soon as we got the certificate, we walked out.
Mr. Gerasole, a word of advice. Listen to your customers, treat them with respect, and show some humility. Not only did you ruin my date night, but you also imparted an unnecessary burden on that unfortunate middle table as well. I hope no other customer has to tolerate the treatment that we experienced. You're right. I will not be back.
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