Laurienzo Brick Oven Cafe

Great food & service. My family has been there 3 times, now (whenever we're in Mt Airy).

We arrived, we walked through the outdoor seating area and observed that although full, most tables looked like they were near the end of their meal. We were pleasantly surprised to see that we were the only ones on the waiting list, so we asked to sit outside. A table of four left, and I anticipated that our party of 3 would be seated at that table. To my dismay, the owner of the restaurant instructed his crew to break that table into two table of two rather than seating us. I informed the hostess that I was not happy that we were not being seated. It was at this time that the owner came over and "jokingly" told me not to yell at "his girl". I was not yelling, and let him know that I was telling her I was not happy about the seating process. This is where he informed me that " he had to do what was right for his business" and that by breaking that table down and giving me the next available table, "everyone was happy". I WAS NOT, and sarcastically gave him props for doing what was best for him, and not the client. A few minutes later we were seated at a different table, and after two other groups that came in after us, and we enjoyed our meal. Since I am a local, and have had good experiences at this restaurant in the past, I went in afterward to shake the owner's hand and say "I love this place, but want you to know that the way the seating was handled was a serious strike against the restaurant." Instead, this is where I was told that I should have apologized for "disrespecting a successful business owner by questioning his decision" and should be grateful for "the lesson in restaurant management" that I had received. He went on to say that I "had just had a perfect meal and had no reason to complain." Apparently he doesn't realized that the dining experience begins the moment you enter the restaurant, because my perfect experience does not include being told that I have no right to any particular table and that makes more sense for the business to make me wait and seat to other parties.







If you are looking for a restaurant management lesson, then this may be your place, although I do not think you will learn anything about client relations. But if you are looking for a good dining experience where you are treated as a person, other than as another dollar of profit, I would recommend that you choose another restaurant ... I know that I will.