Brick Oven Bistro — Restaurant in Ashland

On January 1st, we decided to have our dinner at brick oven for the first time. We had been looking forward to trying this place out and had heard great things. However, it was an uninspiring visit and slightly disappointing. We had Jamie as our server, and please let me say she is a five-star waitress. As someone who's been in the service industry for 15 plus years as a waitress, I can assure you that Jamie is very focused on customer service and being a team member. That being said, the older lady that also worked on the shift is the exact opposite. I could hear her at any corner of the dining room complaining about her workload. I could also tell her resentment at needing to run our food to us. She was a little rude and demanding that we pull out the rack for the pizza tray and kept on complaining of how hot it was on her bare hands (get a mit). However, the pizza was not really that hot at all which was surprising after all the fuse she made. I don't like to go on and bash businesses, and I could see myself maybe giving it another try again, but I really don't plan on going on a Sunday night again. As to what I understand that is her normal night to work. When I have to do my job, I don't let my client tell know about my frustrations or my heavy workload, as to be quite honest they don't care, and it's also none of their business. Negativity in a dining room can affect your co-worker's tips. It didn't affect Miss Jamie's, we took care of her. I can say from experience working in the food industry, that that kind of person would make busy nights so extremely unbearable. I would mention her by name but I never caught it. There was also another young man working the floor, he was very attentive to his tables and actively helping his co-workers pre-bus. I just know that it feels very uncomfortable to hear another team member being negative and complaining when everyone is busy. And as a guest in your establishment, it makes me feel bad to ask for things that I may need, ie napkins, refill, etc. Please just know that Jamie is your shining star in that restaurant, and she shows leadership and teamwork. She's got upper management written all over her, and I hope you don't always make her weight tables forever. She's a huge asset to...

AGAIN AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN, I have eaten lunches here with friends and co-worker surveyors over the past 20 years. This establishment seems to stay the same, and it was a very good Italian joint when we first began to go there. Today, the power had been off almost all morning and the juice had just come back on at around 12:10, and I got the best table in the house, in the far back near the drink station, where all of us would have no problem getting quick and good service from the sole waitress. She told us that the boss had called all of the waitresses and told them to not come in until....well, she was alone and doing very well working 4 tables, with about 9 people, for half-an-hour, until one other lady came in at 12:40. See, the most appealing and best thing about this restaurant is the LACK OF DRAMA that makes many eateries in Central Virginia more of a Politics Adventure than a Dining Experience. The staff during the day and night is always going to be 3 to 4 women who split up a pool of tips at the end of the shift; so they DO NOT walk past your table with a water pitcher and ALL of the people there obviously NEED more water...none of that mess here. So, you may find yourself placing your order with Lady No. 1. and the food coming to your table with Lady No. 2, and your drinks being topped off by Lady No. 3. DontWorryAboutIt ! ! Give a generous tip at the end your stay and they will all be happy to see you again one day. The food is usually very good. A small chef salad with grilled chicken strips was more than I could eat. My friends got two similar Alfredo dishes and we shared garlic knots with a tasty Marinara sauce; and we all needed to ask for boxes to take food home. You cannot find a better restaurant in Ashland, and Train-Town has some pretty good food...

With a party of 7, we ordered three pizzas and chicken tenders along with drinks. The third pizza was a Supreme that allows for 5 of your favorite toppings, or you can use their standard supreme toppings. I asked to hold the onions, and add beef in it's place (along with the rest of the toppings - pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, and mushrooms). Five minutes after taking the order, the waitress returned and asked if I requested holding the beef and adding onions; no - hold the onions and add beef. Everyone else's food came out and they started eating; 10 minutes later the "supreme" pizza comes out with only 4 toppings; no onions and no beef. I asked the waitress "where's the beef" and she just point to the sliced sausage and said "maybe that's it." Instead of complaining, I decided to eat the pizza and make the best of it. That was a second mistake. The pizza was sorely missing sauce, making it taste like cheese on cardboard. I choked down three pizzas, but decided to say something because my meal was ruined. I told the waitress that I was not happy with the meal. My pizza was wrong, it came out when almost everyone else was finished, and didn't taste good. I didn't ask for a deduction or anything else; their response was to deduct $4 from the total check. $4 from a $13 pizza... Instead of coming to the table and finding out what happened with the meal, the manager blindly deducts $4. That was the most insulting action the manager could take. I didn't care about reducing the bill; but my meal was ruined and it was worth $4 from a $50+ check at the restaurant. If you want to enjoy a decent meal, you're better off going to Little Caesars; better quality, better price, and someone who will appreciate...