East Side Mario's — Restaurant in Sarnia

I am honestly really upset to be writing this review. I have been bringing my grandma to East Side Mario’s for years, but today she left upset after being made to feel like a burden by the supervisor/manager who hosted us. My grandmother is a wheelchair user and has been for years. Every time that I have brought her while the restaurant is busy and we’ve had to wait for a table, the host has written down my number so that I can wait in the car with my grandmother until our table is ready (because the waiting area is extremely small and her wheelchair cannot fit without blocking a walk way). I am not sure why, but the host (who we were told was the “boss”) would not take my number. I was told that it would be a 15-minute wait, so we decided to bring my grandmother in her wheelchair for the short wait. The restaurant was very busy and had an event set up that was occupying almost all of the short tables (the only type of table that is wheelchair accessible). There were other people waiting, and we could not fit into the waiting area, so we had to wait outside the restaurant in the entryway in -4 degree weather. We could literally see our breath; it was so cold. I should mention that out of all the seating, there were only 3 tables that were wheelchair accessible (because the party was taking up the rest of the short tables). And out of those 3 tables, they would only seat us at 1 because the other 2 were meant for 6 people. There were around 15 booths, several high-top tables, and bar seating, but only 1 single table that was accessible to my grandmother. After 10 minutes of waiting, that 1 singular table became available. She refused to seat us there because there were 4 groups ahead of us and it wouldn’t be fair to skip them. We then proceeded to wait 52 minutes to be seated. We waited outside for 52 minutes, freezing cold, while 15-20 groups 'skipped’ us. All after being told that we would only have a 15-minute wait. Not only were we upset, cold, and hungry, but also embarrassed. We had to stand in the doorway as staff made comments about us looking cold but did not make space for us inside. We stood there while other customers got upset and complained on our behalf, while other customers left because of how long they watched us wait, while other customers refused to sit until we got a table. Honestly, the supportive customers around us were the only thing that made my grandmother feel better. The staff did not do anything to make her feel better, other than giving her a free appetizer that she didn’t even get to choose and that she was not planning on ordering. So yes, if you are an able-bodied group, this is a fine place to eat. The food is decent, although pricey, and the servers are kind. But no one should ever have to wait in the cold for almost an hour because they are disabled. I really hope management takes this seriously and can figure out a proper way to handle a situation like this. The teenage hosts have never struggled to treat us with kindness and respect before, so it is really upsetting that a member of management struggles so much with it. I was also quite upset seeing the advertisement for 5-star reviews getting $10 off. An honest business asks for feedback, not blind 5-star reviews to inflate their rating. But then again, an honest business wouldn’t leave an elderly and disabled woman in the cold for an hour. Your customers knew what you were doing was wrong....

They promote all you can eat soup, salad and bread. Budda Boom Budda Bing / Mangia Mangia. But when you go to eat there they drop everything on your table all at once. We were not even done our soup yet and was never even offered salad yet and they were dropping the main dish/ entree on our table. The problem was that when we gave our order we asked specifically to not put in our main dish order till we enjoyed the soup and salad first. When we received everything at once we asked to speak to a manager. When the manager came over and we explained what had happened all he was concerned about was getting us out of the restaurant and filling the seat with new customers. He needs to go back to school and learn how to be a GOOD manager. Because his skill set is greatly lacking professionalism. They are more concerned with moving people in and out for profit than offering people a nice Italian dinner out. That’s what they promote but do not deliver at all. SHAME ON EASTSIDE MARIO’s They run a fast food business not an eat in Italian style dinner. Go to Olive Garden and learn how to run a good business. Being a border city you better hope Olive Garden never comes to Sarnia Ontario cause you guys will GO DOWN!!!!!!! Olive Garden does not rush there people through like cattle to make a profit. CANADIANS we have to start demanding better service and product from the industries out there. We payed $80 for this meal plus tip. That is a lot of money these days for a supper that we did not enjoy or able to enjoy all of it because of rotten service and greed on there part. DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE!!!!!!! They are a greedy corporate business. With no respect for...

Just awful. My experience was a couple months ago, but a friend happened to mention their own story to me and it prompted me to write this.

Ordered pizza, seafood pasta and some Mario bread bites.

Got home with order and realised it was missing a small extra item. Called the customer service line who said I had to go to restaurant, I just wanted my dollar refunded not to trudge all the way back to store for a dipping sauce. First fail, but whatever, I used a gift card no big deal.

Pizza was barely warm, cheese was starting to congeal when I got home. I live near the YMCA so not exactly far. Sauce was gross, straight from a bottle or can or tupperware or maybe even an old grocery bag they have filled with ultra cheap, overly sweet, weirdly seasoned tomato ketchup slop.

Bread bites were super awful. Even my kids, who perceive Little Caesar’s breadsticks to be the pinnacle of culinary achievement, stopped eating them after a couple of bites. Tasted like tangy fake plastic cheese and creeping resentment.

Finally, the seafood pasta. At first this looked the most promising. Decent size, fairly warm, okish sauce. But, after a few bites you quickly realise it’s more like a soup really. Oodles of noodles, hiding a shameful pool of briny oily liquid much like if the Deepwater Horizon had collided with a Kraft Parmesan factory.

The shrimp were happily bathing in a tepid bath of salty water, and their final resting place was certainly more enjoyable for them than it was for us.

We gave our crustacean friends a salutary send off by taking the whole meal and chucking it in...