PizzaExpress — Restaurant in South Oxfordshire

Review of Pizza Express at Oxford Services - 1/5 stars

Date Visited: July 21st, 2023

I visited Pizza Express at Oxford Services yesterday with my family of four, hoping to enjoy a pleasant meal together. However, what we experienced was far from the warm and welcoming atmosphere we expected. From the moment we walked in, it was clear that something was amiss.

Upon entering the establishment, we waited patiently near the "Please Wait to be Seated" sign, expecting to be greeted and seated promptly. However, to our disappointment, the three key staff members we could see completely ignored our presence. There was no welcome, no acknowledgment of us waiting, just a blank and indifferent look. This lack of basic courtesy was truly disheartening.

To make matters worse, there was a free table available, and we observed two staff members discussing it among themselves. Despite this, they did nothing to attend to us or lead us to the available table. As minutes ticked by, we began to feel increasingly uncomfortable as other diners stared at us with pity.

After enduring this inhumane treatment for about 10 minutes, we decided enough was enough and chose to leave. It was a painful and embarrassing experience that left a lasting impression on all of us. I can honestly say that I have never felt so unwelcome in a restaurant before.

As a result of this dismal encounter, I cannot see myself ever visiting a Pizza Express restaurant again. The sheer lack of respect and courtesy shown by the staff at Oxford Services Pizza Express is completely unacceptable. It is disappointing to witness such behavior from a company that claims to prioritize customer satisfaction.

In conclusion, I strongly advise against dining at Pizza Express at Oxford Services. Unless there are significant changes in the staff's attitude and customer service, I cannot recommend this establishment to anyone. It's truly regrettable that our family outing turned into a distressing ordeal, and I hope this review serves as a cautionary tale for others seeking a pleasant...

I am totally shocked and disgusted at the poor service at the Oxford services branch . As we sat down a family of six got up and left as they had been sitting for half an hour and still hadn’t had their food order taken . We had to wait about ten minutes for ours to be taken but that was after one of the waiters had finished his conversation with his friend from Starbucks ! When ordering we asked for our salad to come the same time as our mains , this didn’t happen , the salad came almost straight away and then we had to call over to the waiter to ask for our drinks after another ten minutes . During the time spent in the restaurant , the two waiting staff were in deep conversation with each other , complete oblivious to their customers waiting and to the calls from the chefs shouting “service” . At one point they were both stood in the back room chatting while the chefs had to serve the pizzas , we even seen one of the chefs go into the back room to bring them out to serve their customers !! I have honestly never seen anything like this in my life , I don’t know how anyone can think this is acceptable behaviour . To be fair to the chefs , they were holding the place together , cooking , serving and chasing up the shocking awful waiters to get out and do their...

The manager on duty this evening was abismal to say the least. We arrived and waited to be seated and rather than showing us to a seat he just pointed. We then waited while he seated 2 other sets of diners before he came back with a menu. The waitress who took our order was very polite, as was the other waitress working this evening. The restaurant became very busy when a group of tourists came in and one particular waitress was left to hold the fort whilst the manager appeared to preoccupy himself (as did the other waitress) with smaller tasks like stacking glasses. My partner and I watched our starter sit for over 5 minutes on the service hatch after 'service' was called. Our plates were then not cleared away before our mains came out. To top it all off, despite having caught the managers eye on several occasions I was left waiting to pay, with the only communication from him being 'card?'. My partner and I have eaten in several Pizza Express restaurants and never had such an appalling experience as...