MOD Pizza — Restaurant in Alameda

Because encouraging potential is preferred to seeing restaurants close, I'm rounding my 3.5 to a 4.

Having grown up eating New York pie, grazing on pizza - thin and thick - across Rome, and tasting local variants in London, Reykjavîk, Gran Canaria, across Germany, Canada, and now the SF Bay Area, I'd like to think I have some perspective on this most contentious of foods.

MOD is a success in its own niche; you're offered a multitude of cheeses (ricotta, mozzarella, asiago, parmesan, and gorgonzola), a great variety of fresh toppings, a no-stress one-price-for-all-toppings policy, fast cook time, clean seating area, and huge parking area.

Be aware: the crust is very thin, too many veggie ingredients result in a soggy pool of moisture after cooking, and the fishy pungency of the anchovies are brought out by the baking oven, so go lightly.

Critiques: (1) at the beginning of the assembly line it took a bit of cajoling to get more than a little sauce applied to the dough, and (2) the staff on duty today made a concerted effort to keep the toppings and cheeses far away from the dough edge, presumably because management got all yell-y about things falling onto the baking oven. Whatever the reason, it's wrong. It made the middle of my pizza overloaded with ingredients, and the outer THIRD of my pie was a sad no-mans land of dry crust and stray tomato sauce: a terrific fail.

Usually, that'd be enough to write a pizzeria off, but it's an easy enough thing to be mindful of (and influence) while you're constructing your pizza, and there's so much fresh and interesting to MOD that I really want it to thrive, continue feeding us, and to entertain us with ever-expanding food adventures (unlike the Pasta Pomodoro of old, which peaked at winter brasato, and then spiraled into inconsequence in an orgy of bean-counting contraction).

Come to MOD. Realize it's not Zachary's deep dish, or a traditional New York pie, and enjoy what it is. Be assertive with your pizza assemblers, and you'll have a very satisfying meal that's a huge step up from fast...

This location is always hit or miss. Either the pizza is poorly put together and the staff on duties are exceptionally friendly, or the staff are ice cold with customer service and the pizza is on point! For the most part, the staff are usually friendly.

However, I’ve frequently observed tension between the employees.

On my last visit (10/7/18 )Tiff, the manager on duty displayed an outrageously RUDE demeanor with staff and a customer. I witness her engage in an argument with a co-worker while attempting to explain the flow of the pizza prep line. Following Tiff’s instructions the young lady appeared as if she wanted to cry. As Tiff transitioned to the pizza prep station to resume the young ladies place with making pizzas, she approach the customers with a very unfriendly time be and facial expression.

Secondly, she argued with a customer that made a special request for their pizza. Tiff repeatedly interrupted the customer while the customer politely stated that the pricing was not an issues. The tention was so thick I wanted to walked out. Instead, I asked for her name and decided to publicly make a comment.

I felt embarrassed for the staff and upset for the customer. If it were me, I don’t think I could have been so...

I usually come to this MOD Pizza location around noon, and it’s always a great experience. Manager Paris is consistently friendly, welcoming, and makes my pizza perfectly every time. Today, I stopped by later than usual after a busy day and was really disappointed. I noticed a staff member wiping the pizza press with the same rag used to wipe the walls, which was off-putting. The restaurant had an unpleasant smell, flies were around, and the staff didn’t seem welcoming—I honestly felt like I wasn’t wanted there. There’s also a new employee who seemed unenthusiastic, and I saw trash left on multiple tables, oily plates, and a slippery floor. It wasn’t busy, but the team seemed more focused on playing around than cleaning up. I still like this location and appreciate the positive experiences I’ve had with Paris and the lunch crew, but the evening shift really needs to step up on cleanliness, food safety, and...