Pino's Get Fresh — Local services in Sault Ste. Marie

I have been going to Pinos for years even before my highschool years when we would go there for lunch and split a pizza and wedges between friends. Unfortunately it seems that quality has gone down.

Food hot food counter 5/10 wedges are something the quality has gone down. Almost every time I order this there is always one wedge that I bite into and it tastes like mould. Not sure about their quality control there for the cleaning/ cutting process. The fried chicken is good. Wish they cooked some past 7pm though. Even though the counter is open until 9 they stop making any at 7. bakery 7/10 the selection/ quality is good for baked items. Not sure if it’s just a timing issue but the sandwich buns I like are never in stock. Pastries are good and a fair price. raw skinless/ boneless chicken 2/10 I am not sure why but the chicken is different here in taste as well as the butchering. Ive had cheap Walmart chicken that needs less trimming than this. sausages & meats 9/10 the Pinos sausage are always something we grab when I go here. Amazing taste and quality. The beef selection is also great and the ground beef is a good quality and price. fresh produce 3/10 although they sometimes have good selection and prices the quality could be better. I know it’s hard when it’s fresh but I’ve pulled products with mould out of here. Also their fresh made salads I don’t know why it’s assumed everyone likes onions. Maybe because I’m not the biggest fan I just find most store made things contain onions so either I’m removing them or just avoiding the product. The lettuce in these salads is terrible quality and seems like they only use the stem of the lettuce. Not sure where any of the leaves actually end up. pizza 3/10 although the pizza taste at first seems good I have gotten sick a couple times from eating here. Always ask for them to cook it a little longer. Also silly that they won’t let me buy a full pizza they have ready under the warmers. I have to order one and wait 10-15 minutes or pay “by the slice” the for ready made one which would cost over double. deli counter 8/10 aside from them not having stock all the time or possibly the staff not wanting to cut some it is a good selection. dry foods 6/10 the selection is good but this is where you want to watch the flyers. I’ve noticed that these prices seem to be higher than other stores. frozen foods 7/10 the selection could be better and prices are not always the best. other things I’ve noticed are a lack of selection of basic medicine/ first aid supplies as well as throat lozenges. I know it’s not a pharmacy but in my opinion they could have a bit better selection.

You can also get beer, wine and flowers here as well.

Service 8/10 Their staff is always friendly and helpful. The cashiers are always great to deal with and a nod to them for buying little stickers to hand out to the kids. These little details can really boost the customer experience. My kid always loves to go to pinos and gets excited when he gets a sticker. You will also find the owner around almost every visit. He is a very nice, personable hardworking man.

Overall this store seems geared to people who don’t flyer shop and simply don’t want to waste the time going to another store so they are willing to pay the higher price to save on gas/ the trip. They are opening another store on Great Northern road across from Walmart so we will see how that store is set up. Hopefully there will be more space at the hot foods counter so it doesn’t crowd up the entrance for people walking in/ trying to get a cart. Could definitely be more organized...

Went there today for the first time to get some food items as we are visiting from out of town. Good selection of food. When I went to the bakery to get some cannolis, the older lady who served me was very nice. When I went over to the deli, the blonde lady with the short hair was completely rude and arrogant from the very get go. She saw me, walked over and then said “hang on” but seemed very rude in her tone. Her colleague told me we was going to get gloves, fine. Then she comes back over all irritated that she has to serve me. I ask for 100 grams of a deli meat and she grabs a pile. She weighs it and it’s over and puts half back. I ask her if she can add it back as I said it’s ok I would like some more and she looks completely irritated and grabs it. Then I ask for salami one of which is not labeled. I asked her if it was mild and she rudely says in a condensing tone “they’re all mild” like I have no clue. Actually lady, they are NOT ALL MILD. Some are spicy and since it was not labelled I wanted to be sure. Can’t even ask ask a simple question with a rude response from this piece of work. What a nasty attitude rude woman. She clearly doesn’t want to serve customers, stay home then, no one should have to be on the receiving end of your entitled your garbage attitude. The other girl at the deli who told me she was going to get gloves seemed embarrassed with her behaviour, so it must happen often. Hopefully she gets her poor attitude in check after the management sees...

Switched from Rome's to Pino's because their produce is so much fresher! (We also bought a truck this summer lol) Their bakery selection is incredible, and you just can't beat their chicken and wedge meals. They even carry some things that other stores here stopped selling, I was pleased to find out! We go to Pino's a few times a month now, because we love to get fruit wheels and meats&cheeses to snack on for movie nights. Knocked a star off because this evening we were followed by a staff member (possibly from the Deli section as he had green gloves on for handling meats/produce!), probably because we had a reusable bag with us for our groceries, and we dress "alternatively" (I was in some bright coloured jeans and a sweater with a cartoon character on it) and I have coloured hair; I wonder if they'll still follow me when I'm wearing this stuff with dyed greys at 80 rather than 32? haha. I've even personally stopped carrying bags, because my autistic brain&anxiety disorders cannot handle being constantly profiled, but alas. Constantly profiled lol. Great place to shop aside from this! And this was the only negative event so far, for us. Will update in the future if anything...