Pizza Hut — Restaurant in Carlsbad

DISCLAIMER Photo provided is NOT a picture of the Hut pie that was ordered. It is the nasty take-and-bake that I had to practically force myself to consume after my actual order never arrived.

Traveling through Carlsbad on our way to Texas for our seasonal Park Service assignment, we stopped for a few nights at a local RV campground so that we could hang out and visit the caverns since we had never been before.

It was a very cold and dismal Sunday afternoon. We decided just to rest for the day and hang out in front of the television watching Hallmark Christmas movies. We had no desire to go out into the nasty, misty, frigid weather, so we figured that ordering from The Hut would be a safe bet. As a matter of fact, I ordered through their app THREE HOURS early and requested a 6 pm delivery, just to be sure dinner would be there by the time we normally eat dinner.

5:45 p.m. rolls around and I look at the order tracker in the app. In the oven. Perfect. Get a text message from DoorDash shortly thereafter saying that my driver is waiting at the store for my order. The store is just under 10 minutes from the campground. Again, perfect.

Just to be sure that the driver could find us, I went and stood outside in that aforementioned inclement weather to wait. 15 minutes later, nothing. I went back inside to get my phone and look at the DoorDash order tracker again. Driver still waiting at the store. What??? Called the store to find out whether or not they were going to get my order out anytime soon. No answer. Call back. Still no answer. Waited a few more minutes. Order tracker still says driver waiting for order. So I called the number for the driver that door dash gave me. The driver put a Pizza Hut employee on the phone who apologized profusely saying that they were so far behind. I get it. The service industry is hard. Reliable help is really hard to find these days. But here's a suggestion... Prioritize your online early orders like other restaurants prioritize the drive-thru. I ordered that pizza to be delivered at a particular time using a feature of your app that allows me to do so. Those orders should be prioritized so that they are completed first. Otherwise, the ability to order early is moot.

I do expect more from the Pizza Hut name. Pizza Hut is the first pizza chain restaurant in my small little town when I was growing up. I hold a lot of memories of sitting and playing Pac-Man and begging my parents for quarters. I have never, ever had an issue with an order at a Pizza Hut...

I went to this pizza hut, walked in, and placed my order for a medium pepperoni with olives and ham for carry-out. A gentleman took my order and said that it would be about 20 minutes. After the receipt printed out, he asked me if I wanted my copy. I told him "No".. I sat and waited and waited, and waited, watching other people come in, get their food, and leave. Some female employee came in the front door and took over working the front counter register. After about 10 minutes, she asked me if I was waiting for an order, and I replied with "yes", and gave her my name. She looked at her computer and asked me for a receipt. I told her that the guy who took my order asked me if i wanted my receipt after ringing me up, and i told him "No". Then never said anything else to me. I waited even longer totaling almost an hour. So, frustrated I approached the counter and asked the female for a refund because my pizza was taking too long. She told me that she didn't see my name in the system. So, I asked her to give me the little garbage can by her feet and I would look for the receipt myself, because I watched the gentleman throw it in there after I said that I didn't want the receipt after he asked if I wasted to keep it. She then ran to the back and fetched the guy who took my order. After I told HIM too that I wanted a refund, he opened the door to the little heating oven behind them that keeps the pizzas warm, and there my pizza was. Just sitting there for God knows how long. I asked "Since this was a walk-in & carry-out order, why did I have to come walk up and check on my order after this long? Could nobody holler out that there was a carry-out order ready for [My Name]? And why did the female employee not look into it further seeing that I was sitting there waiting. Why did she just blow it off when she said that she couldn't find my name? I was obviously waiting for my food. I don't go into restaurants to just sit there for fun. This was a horrible and shitty experience here at...

I should have read the reviews before ever ordering from this place!

Deborah, working the front counter, was hustling and the only bright spot in our visit to this Pizza Hut. Apparently short staffed? We watched our pizza come out of the oven and sit along with MANY cooked pizzas out on a counter for well over 15 minutes. The issue? One worker, whose job it was to cut the pizzas, place them in a box, and load them into a warmer before they were handed to the customer. There seemed to be this line between the cooking side and the counter side that could not be crossed! We could all see this completely apathetic employee working so slowly that it HAD to be some type of rebellion or work slow down. But NO ONE intervened and the cooked pizzas just piled up behind her! It was like watching an SNL skit! I, and the customers standing with me, watched and commented that we couldn't believe what we were seeing. And not ONE employee in the place addressed it, helped her, or stepped in to correct it! I understand that it's a challenge to get good help, but allowing this person to cripple your business makes zero sense. There is a screen that shows the names of the people waiting for their pizzas. 6 names, all showed 'complete' sat behind the counter for 15+ minutes while we all watched this mess play out. I have no idea who is managing this location but dang! Pizza Hut? I hope you're listening because this is how you lost me (and I would assume others)...