Pizza Hut, Hamilton, ON

Steve and I had a client seminar to conduct in Hamilton today and we met at Pizza Hut on Main Street W for lunch.

I arrived first and was "greeted" by L, the manager of this location. By way of greeting, she said that the buffet was closed at 1:30 (it was just after that) and we'd have to order from the menu. No hello or anything ... just that.

I wandered over to look at the buffet as I was curious as to what a Pizza Hut buffet would have (I love pizza and pasta). L yelled over at me, "Ma'am, I told you the buffet was closed." So welcoming ... NOT!

When my colleague arrived, we both ordered calzones. When they arrived, they were mostly dough, burnt, extremely dry and had hardly any ingredients (mine was meat and his was pepperoni) ... just a bit in the middle. We didn't have time to reorder or go elsewhere so we ate them, laughing hysterically because they were so bad and our server was even worse.

We ate the middle part of the calzones and left most of the crust. When we left 20 minutes later and had paid the bill, our plates hadn't been removed.

L was extremely disinterested in her job. And it wasn't like the place was busy ... there were only three tables.

Given the nature of my job, I travel a lot so eat out quite often. This was the worst dining experience I have had in a long long long time. It was such a waste of $30. I'll never go back to this location again. With a manager like L, I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way.



November 1 update: I rarely write to a company to complain about poor service and food but I did about this experience. I left a comment on the Pizza Hut homepage. I got this email today from Customer Communications Representative, Yum! Restaurants International (Canada) Company:

Hi Teena,

Thank-you for your e-mail and we do apologize for the experience you had with a Pizza Hut Restaurant.

Please be advised that we have forwarded your concerns to the Franchise Group that owns and operates the restaurant. They will be in contact with you to review your experience at the restaurant and identify ways to address these challenges.

We sincerely appreciate being informed of this incident and thank-you once again for taking the time to contact us.

Have a lovely day ahead!

November 7 update: I got this email today from the Area Coach, Franchise Management Inc.:

Hello Teena,

I want to thank you for taking the time to contact us with your concerns. I am sorry that your experience with our Pizza Hut was not an enjoyable one.

At Pizza Hut, we pride ourselves on serving a great product and providing a memorable experience. Since we were unable to do this on your last visit, I would like to invite you back to give us a try again. I will mail some vouchers to the address you have listed. They are honoured at multiple locations listed on the back.

We are looking forward to serving you again soon!

November 21 update: I received $30 in Pizza Hut coupons today which expire on December 31, 2011. They can be used in many locations ... alas, none in Toronto so I'll give them to Steve so he can use them when he visits his in-laws.