I have been waiting to write this review for a year. I actually intended to send the owner a letter. We used to get Rotelli's for takeout and meals quite often but I will never set foot in there again. I feel sorry for the owners... this is a case of a bad manager and a terrible server.
My wife cut a coupon and we took the family to Rotelli's. The food was good although the server (a "rode hard and put up wet" attractive late 20 something) was surly for having to wait on a family. She might have been trying to get out of there so she could still catch "Ladies Night" at the Epicentre. The manager/bartender spent all his time schmoozing the server so it was obvious he was trying to woo her. Anyway, we have a pretty decent meal and they present the bill. My wife remembers the coupon and kindly gives it to the server with apologies that she forgot earlier.
I am a notoriously high tipper but I also get very pissed off when a server makes a conclusion about serving a family. Anyway, she stomps off and I see her and pathetic "manager-boy" peeking around the corner. He comes to her "rescue" and adds an 18% gratuity on the original "pre coupon" amount. Now I know to tip the original amount and I am a very good tipper since I run a large private club in Charlotte. I just signed it and left. I hope she took care of him later that night and it was worth it. I assure you it's only the owners who will suffer.
This is a great example of how one bad person can sink an entire restaurant. I will never go there again and the ten to one hundred people I have spoken with will never go there in the first place since I... 1. Tell them NOT to go to Rotelli's and 2. tell them to go to Riccio's just down the road. Riccio's food is OK... but to be treated with that much disrespect is simply unforgivable.