Il Fornetto — Restaurant in Montreal

CRUEL and UNCARING My wife and I have been going to this restaurant since 1988, the year we started dating. It quickly became 'our special place'. Despite our very modest income, it was a special treat to go there. We brought friends there, we had small gatherings, and it was the last restaurant my grandmother attended (an 89 year Lachine, Qc resident) prior to her passing. In 1993 I asked my wife to marry me in Il Fornetto. Yesterday, August 27, 2022 we went to Il Fornetto from Ottawa (we moved from Montreal years earlier, but returned when we could), our 28th wedding anniversary. It was roughly 1pm and we told the greeter/waiter that we wished to have a quick coffee and dessert as time was somewhat pressing, and that it was our anniversary. There were several tables available inside, and most tables outside were empty. I asked the waiter if it would be possible to sit by a window inside the restaurant, and he replied "Just a minute, I'll see if there are any reservations". We then waited 15 to 20 minutes next to the counter with a lady who was waiting to purchase gift certificates. Other patrons took notice of our protracted wait, and made eye contact with us while glancing at their watches. It was a bit umcomfortable, but we thought it was worth the wait. The waiter came and went through the restaurant several times, and finally approached us to say "I'm sorry, but the manager says that we can't serve only dessert, there's a gelato place down the street... I'm really very sorry, I'm just an employee here..." In his defence, the waiter did seem uncomfortable and embarrassed. His embarrassment was but a shadow of that which we felt in front of everyone else. We cannot understand why we would be made to wait under the false pretense of looking for reservations. There was never any suggestion that there was a problem with our request, we were made to wait out of pure disregard for our time and dignity. My wife and I were stunned, practically speechless. Calmly and and in a low voice we expressed our dismay and surprise. I repeated the important role Il Fornetto held in our courtship, all the the waiter could do was to apologize again. We left the restaurant feeling dazed, sad, and embarrassed. It ruined our entire weekend. As we walked to our car, the lady who had been waiting to pay for gift certificates approached us and said "I can't believe that they didn't seat you! You know, that would not have happened if you were Italian... I hope that you have a nice anniversary anyway..." Certainly, that we are not Italian did not have any bearing in our treatment, but the fact remains that we WERE treated like trash. At no time did the manager approach us to personally explain or even to discuss - the way it's done in professional establishments. You know, places where the owners actually care about their patrons. As far as we could gather, the manager remained on the restaurant's upper floor. We understand full well the realities of COVID's effect on restaurants, but we question the wisdom of turning anyone away after such a destabilizing period for the food service industry. It truly boggles the mind. I've been in law enforcement for well over three decades. In all of those years, dealing with every possible type of person, I have never treated anyone with such outright disdain and disrespect. Imagine, after our 30 plus year relationship with Il Fornetto, the unmittigated audacity at being told to go down the street to be served. What a sad, shameful, and disrespectful way to end something, well,...

We used to go a lot in the Summer to sit on terrace and we used to love it but our last visit in Dec 2023 turned us off SO MUCH that we will never again step foot there and we tell all our friends to avoid this restaurant. Reasons why below. Prices incredibly expensive for what they serve. Portions kid-sized. They did not bring us any bread and butter at the beginning (though we saw some on other tables) and had known what was in store for us, I would have asked for some! I ordered some Australian fish fillet. It was so thin, it was almost transparent and so small in size that it was done in about 6 big bites. The side was only half a cup of veggies, mainly bell peppers. This alone cost $42 from the table d'hote. I asked to substitute the Minestrone for Straciatella instead (I said I was fine to pay a little extra to get the soup I wanted - in the end they charged the full $12 for my Straciatella and full $42 table d'hote price for the plate) So for a soup and miniature fish fillet and mini portion of veggies, we are already at $54 + my gin martini $18 = $72. And I am still starving. When the others were ordering dessert, I told the waiter that it may sound weird to ask the following, but can he bring out some bread and butter please. The thought of leaving still a little hungry after having spent almost $100 after tax and tip without even coffee and dessert was too much for me. I knew I would go home and start foraging for food within an hour, thus the request for bread. Hubby also had one drink, soup and stuffed pasta meal (also kid portion) with a regular coffee and dessert. Total of our bill before tip = $154 and still leave a little hungry. Weeks later we went to DA MANGIONE in Dorval and left VERY full and paid A LOT less for the same type of meal + we had excellent service there. HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GO THERE INSTEAD! Last point and this is not about the waiter, he was great, it is more about the owner/kitchen staff. Our friend ordered the meat lasagna and the guy asked for just a few pepperonis thrown on top of it, if possible, was willing to pay for it. Weird, but hey, that is how he likes his food! We go out to ENJOY a meal when we choose to eat at a resto. The waiter said we would check with the kitchen and comes back to advise that it was NOT possible. They serve pizza so we know that there is a bowl of sliced pepperonis in that kitchen! What would it have changed to grab a few and throw it on top of the lasagna before serving it?? He was going to pay extra for it. So, not a very accommodating resto....... It ruined it for our friend as well who now also tells his people to stay away from Il Fornetto.

This resto left a sour taste...

This restaurant has the worst customer service. Several back when I was there I found a few strings of hair in my pasta so I did not touch it. I didn't even ask for another one because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it and wasn't even that hungry. Later the waitress came and asked me why I didn't touch my food so I nicely explained to her. What she said was: "I think it's YOUR hair" ??? I couldn't believe what I heard. All I did was to stir it once with a fork. She made it seem like I was making a huge big deal and should have eaten the pasta! I am sorry but isn't it normal to at least apologize to the customer (who didn't even bring up before she did by the way) and offer to bring another instead of accusing her of dirtying up the dish? I left her $0 tips as that was what she deserved. I told her I was a regular in this restaurant(I used to go there 2-3 times a month) and was not coming back. Her reply: "OK good!" The manager was standing right beside her. Please, PLEASE go somewhere else and spend your hard-earned money at a restaurant who knows how to treat customers. The food isn't that great and is over-priced. There are literally hundreds of great Italian restaurants in the city. Please do NOT come here. I write this based on my true experience. I am actually going to leave a review of this place on Tripadvisor, Urbanspoon, and Restomontreal. Manager or owner, if you read this, why don't you focus on how to treat customers instead of...