Antonio's Pizza — Restaurant in Amherst

I have been a patron of Antonio’s since its earliest days here in Amherst. I have always appreciated the energy of the establishment, the late-night convenience, and the sense of place it offers to the local community. It is out of genuine concern for that community, and for the integrity of the business itself, that I share this experience from the evening of Thursday, April 24.

I stopped by Antonio’s briefly that night, intending to purchase a slice of pizza to bring to a homeless man and his dog down the street. While there, I found myself in an engaging conversation with a woman whom I’ve met before in town. During our exchange, she shared some personal circumstances that made it clear she was in an emotionally vulnerable state. This was a heartfelt and human conversation between two people in a public space.

While we spoke, another male patron was hovering nearby, repeatedly pressing her to accept a ride home; behavior that I found concerning given the circumstances she had just described. One of the individuals working the door that night, who referred to this male patron as a friend, physically inserted himself between me and the woman, deliberately obstructing our conversation and preventing us from continuing it. Instead of standing down, the employee chose to physically block the space between me and the woman, preventing the conversation from continuing as we moved onto the public sidewalk — a space where business employees have no jurisdiction.

When I stepped outside and attempted to re-enter the restaurant to fulfill my original intent of purchasing food for the homeless man and his dog, I was denied entry because of the bias and partiality of the individuals working the door.

This kind of subjective enforcement, influenced by personal relationships or emotional bias, is unacceptable in any professional setting, but particularly so in an environment where the safety of patrons may be at risk. Even the best-run organizations can face moments where individual behavior falls short of professional standards; how leadership responds to those moments defines the culture.

This experience highlights the importance of strong oversight and clear accountability in any organization. Whether this was the action of a few rogue employees or reflective of deeper cultural issues within the organization, such failures tend to thrive where clear standards and consistent enforcement are lacking.

In the hospitality industry, where trust and safety are essential, these lapses can have very real consequences for the people who walk through their doors. Ideally, Antonio’s management will reflect on what occurred that evening and consider what steps must be taken to ensure that this does not happen again, for the sake of the integrity of the establishment and the...

Went there around 645 pm on 7/7 for a slice theplace was not busy at all this cashier with the pink hair and glasses Olivia announces “ if anyone hasn’t ordered I’ll take you at the counter” I go to the counter she asks me what I want, I pay with a 5 she gives me my change. So now I’m noticing people coming in ordering after me getting their food so I tell her I’ll be right back I gotta go to cvs. I go there come back new people are sitting down eating my slice isn’t ready. So after a couple more people get their food I ask for a refund now she’s “so sorry and says for future reference you have to order by the glass window” I told her I know because I’ve been multiple times and reminded her she specifically told me to order bat the counter and I watched 5 people who came after me order AT the counter and get their food before me. She immediately gets defensive and starts arguing with me saying she would never tell me that etc. so Ramon, who I later was told is manager, comes over and says he’ll “toss a slice in real quick.” Olivia is still trying to argue so I just laugh and told her w.e just give me my money I’m not gonna argue. She tells me “yelling at her won’t make he get my money any faster” (I was 100% not yelling) and said she was trying to calculate what I got. While she’s doing that Ramon puts the slice he warmed up for like 30 seconds on the counter between us so I told her it was a single slice of pepperoni and I paid with a 5 so she tries to hand me $1.06. I told her I wanted my full refund because I lost my appetite and was kinda upset now. So she gives me my money stil defending herself under breath shaking her head. Idk if it was because I was the only black person in there or if it was too hot in there with no a/c or what but it was terrible customer service. Not to mention they don’t take good care of the place I noticed flies, dirty tables, no a/c,can barely turn around in the place without hitting a chair, I get it’s a college town but school has been out for months and they are...

Just went in today to get an extra large beef taco pizza for my family I visit often when my fiancé was Enrolled at UMass about a few years back Always good vibes the workers was always friendly but this guy I think he totally ignored me and my daughter in the store Mind you I placed an online order so my food was already ready to watch the workers behind him bring up multiple boxes of pizza and sat them down so I know one of them had to be mine He dealt with his other customers which was only two of them in the store and then after that he still proceeded to ask them do they need anything or do they want anything never address me and my daughter for about a few moments or so after a awkward silence Then he proceeded to act oblivious like he didn’t know if there was any orders there for me and it was sitting right by him and then he said oh here you go. Its been a while since I went to Antonio since my fiancé graduated but this was the worst experience I’ve ever had definite didn’t feel comfortable and don’t know if I would want to go back there again And this is crazy because I never experienced nothing like this in Amherst...