Mama D's Pizza & More — Restaurant in Abita Springs

I believe I have eaten here, some years ago, and I believe I had pizza. This time I had their spaghetti and meatballs. Although the menu states "All pastas are individually made to order & are served with garlic cheese bread & Caesar salad." I firmly believe their pasta is premade, possibly by some other entity, which Moma D's probably buys from Sysco. The spaghetti is served in an aluminum bowl which is obviously for premade entrees, and I am sure has a cardboard lid, which is removed prior to reheating and serving. The results of that process of being prepared somewhere else, Lord knows when, and then reheated at the restaurant resulted in my being served a bowl of pasta mush. How they have never been called on serving such disgusting meal, I have no clue. But I must say that I did not say anything in the restaurant, and personally, I am rather appreciative the girl who waited on me did not ask how the meal was. The meatballs are not spicy as claimed, and are made of such a fine ground meat, I am quite sure it can also be used to form salisbury steak, like in the old TV dinners. The sauce is on par with that in a can of ravioli. And that garlic cheese bread you are supposed to get with your meal. Well, that is a piece of premade pizza crust with some cheese and garlic powder on it, at the most. It is horrible in its own right. There were two couples that were obvious repeat customers, and they were waiting to order, and I believe after an extensive description, had I given one, they would have reconsidered their patronage, if not refrain from ordering. I cannot say with certainty that their pizzas are primarily obtained from a food service company, such as Sysco, but it would not surprise me in the least. One can more than likely purchase anything they have for less, and get a meal of higher quality. If you wish to have a more elaborate mix of toppings on a pizza, buy them at the store and add as much as you want, and be guaranteed your product is fresher than what you were...

I am really disappointed with this place because I heard how good it used to be. I ordered a pizza for pick-up & they said it would take about 20 minutes to be ready. I got to the restaurant with a few minutes to spare however the pizza was not ready, but I didn’t mind waiting. Another 25 minutes passed while I waited inside the place for my food. I’m not sure what was going on with the hold up because there were no other tables at the time I was there so they didn’t appear to be busy. I finally got my pizza & took it out to the car. I always check my food for accuracy before I leave a place & the pizza looked over cooked & like it had been sitting out for awhile. Definitely didn’t look like a pizza fresh out the oven. I walked it back inside to show them the pizza & the owner Mama D came out from the back to see what was wrong. She argued with me & said it was fresh. I tried asking for my money back but she refused. I wish I had read some of these other reviews beforehand. I don’t think Mama D sets a very good example for her much younger staff on how to provide good customer service. I won’t be back or recommend this place to anyone. There are many better pizza places on the Northshore & I look forward to giving them my future business.

*Follow-up to the Owner of Mama D’s response to my review: “Mama D” you were not at all concerned about my issue at the restaurant until I posted the Google review which leads me to believe you’re a liar & only trying to save face. You (as the owner of the business) should have addressed my issue when I went back into the restaurant & not try to make amends only after...

First, let me say they make good pizzas. But, as with most businesses who have "unusual" practices - oh, let me be blunt, "stupid" practices - I end up dropping them and going elsewhere with my money. I am always astounded how businesses with superior products will allow their business to be ruined with idiotic business practices.

Point in case. Mama's has a 2 large pizza special (with 1 topping) for like $18. But, it's easier to climb the summit of Mt. Everest than to get them to understand we're more than willing to pay the extra cost to add a topping to one or both of the pies. I've had friends in the pizza business and they ALL tell me where they make the profit is when people add on toppings. The profit ratio is phenomenal. Thus, Mama's is breaking the ancient business rule No. 1 - give the customer want he wants - especially if he's willing to pay for it!!

The only defense Mama might have is what another friend of mine (who owns a McDonald's) has told me. He said "we don't have PhDs working in the restaurant business." It's quite possible the she has to stoop to hire help so illiterate or brainless that to make them have to think about altering a "set special" could cause their brain to overload. If that is in fact the reason, then maybe I can cut Mama some slack on this.

Anyways, Mellow Mushroom has no problem at all altering their specials. We'll just go there next time. Mellow Mushroom actually wants additional money from my wallet.

So, 4 stars on the pizza, but they lose at least one star for the stupid...