255 By Alta Rossa Ristorante — Restaurant in Vaughan

Be careful because you may be treated as though you aren't a priority. So I called the restaurant beforehand to make a reservation and was told that the inside portion of the restaurant was full but they had the patio available on a first come first serve basis. I also made sure to ask if they had high chairs available, I was told yes. My family arrived shortly after my friend's family had arrived, they were seated with a high chair but we were told there were no more high chairs available, luckily I had a portable one in my car so I set this up. About 30 minutes into our seating, the host, a man in his 50s or 60s, oddly came over and asked if he could take the high chair as it was needed inside, we responded saying we are using it so unfortunately no we can't give it up, he left showing his frustration. At the table, we discussed how this was a very strange request seeing as he saw we were using the high chair. I even mentioned to my friends that it would be crazy if the host came out and asked for the highchair again. If you can believe this, he did come out and more forcefully ask that we give up the high chair. He said, "can't you put the baby in the stroller, I need the high chair for a baby inside the restaurant." At this point, I was furious, I actually had to ask him if he was serious and if he thought this was appropriate behaviour as a restaurant host. He forcefully claimed the people inside had made a reservation. So I asked him, are you saying that the people inside who made a reservation take priority over your walk-ins? He said yes, because they've made reservations you haven't. We were absolutely shocked that someone in the hospitality industry would actually say this, as if certain customers are more important than others. I then asked to speak to the manager, this host claimed he was the manager, so I was forced to continue expressing my displeasure to the very person who had caused it. (Side note: we later found out he is not the manager but rather the owner's brother pretending to be the manager.) I then told him that I tried to make a reservation and upon doing so I informed the girl who answered the phones that I needed high chairs. The host believed that I was lying so I asked him to get the girl who answers the phone, he confidently did thinking he would catch me in my lie. When the girl arrived, I asked her if she recalled me calling and trying to make a reservation and also asking about high chairs, she remembered me and confirmed both, you could tell she felt very awkward that the restaurant host had put her in this situation. Seeing that I was telling the truth, the host stomped off letting us keep the high chair. By this point, obviously our evening had been seriously affected by this experience. We contemplated leaving but our server Nick assured us that he would do his best to make the rest of the evening enjoyable, so we stayed. When the bill came, we did find it puzzling that nothing was done in an attempt to apologize or rectify the situation, it was the full bill. Only after asking did the restaurant hesitantly remove 15% from the bill. What's sad is that on numerous occasions I asked to speak to the owner/manager yet she never came out to acknowledge the situation and apologize. Rather, she sent out her brother, the host, the one who created the issue to give us the bill and tell us that 15% had been removed. At no point did he apologize for his inappropriate and offensive behavior, clearly showing he felt he had done nothing wrong.

The food is pretty good at 255 but the host's behaviour is completely unacceptable and this isn't a 20 year old boy, it is the owners brother, a grown man who should know the basic rules within the hospitality industry. The fact that the owner chooses to employ her unprofessional brother who has no sense of proper hospitality etiquette is a problem as this in all likelihood is not an isolated incident. Simply because of this experience, I would not recommend...

After accepting a recommendation from a friend my wife and I along with another couple thought we would give this establishment a try. Reservations we made for a Saturday night. We arrived exactly on time to find a busy dining room. No one approached as we stood in the doorway. After finally getting the hostess' attention we were told that the restaurant is full. Once it was verified that we had reservations she became visibly uncomfortable, mumbled something about 'coming right back' and disappeared for 10 minutes. Only after repeated inquires were we told that 'Walter will speak to you'. After a further wait the mythical Walter appeared only to smugly inform us that he does not have a table available because we were 3 people and not 4 as per the notes. This was easily the dumbest explanation I've heard as the table configuration was the same. But I did explain that our friend's husband was on his way and was running a few minutes late after a shift at the emergency room, and we were ready to sit and order. Walter's tune then changed to 'Yes you have a reservation but I don't have a table and may not have one for a while. And frankly even if I did the kitchen would not be able to serve you' was his comment. We were shocked....I have never heard such drivel in my life. I asked what are we supposed to think after making a reservation over a week in advance and the restaurant being recommended. 'It's nice to hear but I have nothing for you' was Walter's final reply with a smug smile.

These people clearly have absolutely NO idea on how to run a service oriented business. They made NO effort to honor their own reservation! No apology, no 'let me see how I can make this right'. We simply walked out.

Judging from read reviews, others have had similar experiences. There are too many options in the area to waste your time with indifference, poor attitude and non caring. The restaurant business is tough and finicky and places with even the best of service and food start to struggle after a the shine has worn off. This place may have been full that Saturday night but given how they handle their clients, they wont be for long. Maybe the owners will remember this when they're hanging the 'Out of Business' sign in the window.

PS. The owner of the restaurant has posted a 'response' by giving themselves a 5 star rating (instead of responding directly to the review). The response is not only full of excuses and incorrect info. but nowhere is responsibility taken for the basic failures that evening. No apology or promise to do better. This simply underlines our experience that evening and the establishement's lack of understanding of what a client service...

Food here is pretty good. My partner and I went a few months back and enjoyed only the food aspect of our experience, or at least the amount we were able to eat/drink. Each item we ordered would quickly be taken away from us when we still had a few bites or sips of wine left. I know it was nowhere near closing, yet it heavily felt like our server wanted us out of there. I remember calling to book the reservation and the male host I spoke with over the phone hung up on me when I was mentioning that it was my partners birthday dinner so I was wondering if they could do something to help us celebrate. I didn’t bother calling back and thought I’d get a chance to just mention it when we came in for dinner. Never got a chance to as our server only popped by to quickly grab our items from us and leave, it would happen each time while my partner and I were mid conversation so the reality wouldn’t hit us till she was gone already with our items. I’ve served for a little over five years and have bussed before then, and each time I was about to take a plate from a table, I’d first ask if the customers were done with their item before just reaching for it. It did not feel great being rushed, and before I didn’t really think to leave a review, however this is something my partner and I still talk about whenever we think of his birthday celebration or when we think of which restaurant we’d like to go to for dinner in Vaughn. Because of my experience in the restaurant world, I heavily think that great service enhances your dining experience. That being said, even though the food was pretty good, we give this place a 2/5 due to the service we experienced. With how the menu is priced, I’d expect to enjoy every last bite and sip of my order before it’s so...