Pasta Forever — Local services in Toronto

I've been a big fan of Pasta Forever since they opened, so it's sad to see the difference between what it was, to what it is now. I feel like with the opening of their restaurant, this store has been semi-forgotten about.

The online ordering tends to not be updated at all, so a lot of the items listed on their actually aren't in store. For example, their online ordering says that their mini focaccia is 'pepponcini sesame and honey' but it's said that for almost a year now, anytime I go in based on what was listed i'm left dissapointed as it's not correct.

I feel like the food itself also has increased in prices, but decreased in quality.

Lastly, most egregious thing i've been noticing is the lack of basic food service skills. Every time I go in, it seems that there is an issue with the register and POS machine. The person working fiddles around with it for a few minutes, then goes and grabs my order.

The issue is the fact that i've seen numerous times that the person working ends up grabbing items from the display with their bare hands, and doesn't use the tongs provided in front of them. Or, they don't have any at all.

I do understand that pasta is made by hand, but NO one should be touching food with their hands after touching a POS machine that all of Dundas West has put their hands on for the day. If you are expecting me to pay 7 dollars for a mini focaccia, you better be handling it with the same...

As a pasta lover, I was really excited to try this place. They sell fresh pasta made in house, as well as prepared foods (fresh and frozen) and a cooked pasta special of the week. Bucatini and Chanterelles spoke to my heart (and belly) that day so I ordered one to go. It’s made to order and the aroma from the kitchen of melted butter and chives definitely smelled delicious. For $18, the portion was perfect for one. The pasta had a nice consistency, a little bit chewy and al dente. It looked amazing on the surface. However, the sauce/taste was on the bland side. I wish it was way more wet, as most of the sauce/seasoning did not even touch the bucatini (under that top layer) so it stuck together and was quite dry. My walk home was only 5 mins so that should not have affected the quality. Luckily I had some accoutrements at home to jazz it up. Maybe it would have been better had I eaten it on the spot, but I highly doubt it. Better...

I attended Pasta Forever for a family style meal. The fixed menu ($130/person) was extremely overpriced given the experience and quality.  An auto-service/gratuity charge was added on top of the bill at 23.5% - when it was previously noted on their website to be a 20% charge.  I can appreciate the inclusion of an auto-gratuity given the party size (12 people) and preparation of the meal, but was hoping to have some sort of service experience (i.e. taking initiative to re-fill water, offering wine service, re-filling glasses of wine, and serving individuals their entrees if presenting family style).  The dining set up was shockingly underwhelming; paper towels from the bathroom were our napkins, we sat on creeky lawn chairs, reused cutlery for every course, and were crammed into a space not suitable for our group size. I would not recommend this restaurant for a...