DiBella's Subs — Restaurant in City of Albany

The reason why this is a 2 star because of how the manager took care of the situation--- other wise I wish I could give zero stars for my visit. THIS IS THE WORST EXPERINCE I EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!

I visited the store on 5/13/2019. I placed my order on Grubhub about 20 mins before I walked in, when I arrived, the cashier said it was being made and there were a lot of orders, which I understand and waited. During my wait, the cashier kept checking on the empty bag to make sure my name and order, but that is all she did for the next 20 mins. By then I already placed the order for about 40 minutes. The person by the grill (One with yellow hair) kept saying to the cashier “I do not have the order” “I don’t know who took the order” instead of starting to make my order. Meanwhile they never came to me letting me know they actually didn’t make it at all, I only know this because I overheard them taking in front of me. So I then asked the cashier “Is anyone going to start making it or should I keep waiting?” because all they been doing is pushing responsibilities around. I DO NOT CARE WHO TOOK THE ORDER, I AM NOT SUPPOSE TO WAIT 40 MINS FOR SOMETHING I ORDERED IN ADVANCE, WHEN EVERYONE ORDERED AFTER ME ALREADY LEFT!! When I said that, the cashier said “ I AM SORRY BUT I ONLY HAVE ONE PERSON COOKING” and kept repeating it no matter what I said. The problem is I’ve been waiting for so long and it does not matter how many cooks you have, it should be done by now. And even when she was arguing with me about how “busy” they were, my order is still not being made, and the girl by the grill was so annoyed by how I asked? Well, should I just keep waiting until whenever there is no costumers so you can start working on it?

Anyway, the manager asked to refund me, I said it is not about the money, it is how the service was so TERRIBLE and even when it is their fault that they did not make it and lied saying it was being made, they still try to tell me they are busy, only have one cook and it is not their fault and I should just keep waiting and I should not be asking them where is my order. When I was about the leave after the manager made my order, the cashier lady sarcastically said :HAVE A GOOD DAY! Which just worsen my experience at this location even more. I will be reaching out to the corporate office regarding this visit and the employees involved because it is just absolutely terrible and I am pretty sure no other costumers will want this to happen to them. Again, this is only two stars because the manager handled it...

Di’Bella’s is an institution in Albany - and for good reason. Di’Bella’s began in Rochester in 1918. Their bread is baked in house, their ingredients are fresh, and their meat is of a higher quality. The atmosphere is dripping in their storied history and dining in feels like dining in a working museum. The downfall of Di’Bellas is the price point for their +7 inch subs and their artificially retro vibe.

The only meal deal they had at the time of my visit was a mini meal with a 5 inch sub, 20oz drink, and chips, cookie or pickle for $9.99. For the price point, it’s a valid deal. If you want any sub bigger than that, however, it’s somewhat costly. I ordered conservatively and had the 7 inch Di’Bella Cheesesteak with a large drink and a pickle. Cheesesteak: $9.79, drink $2.99 and a pickle is $1.49. All together my meal cost about $14.27. For a more casual, laid back restaurant without wait staff, $14.27 seemed excessive. I recognize they use fresher ingredients and bake their bread in-house but there are certainly cheaper options in Albany with similar qualities.

The other compliant I have is the interior of the restaurant which was the artificial retro vibe of the tables and benches. The tables and benches need a serious upgrade. It took away from the down-home vibe they were hoping to achieve with Di’Bella’s story written on the walls. With the aggressive 2010s harsh coloring, bright lighting, and artificial retro tables and benches it seems as though the restaurant can’t decide which era or genre it is hoping to emulate.

Having said all of that, Di’Bella’s flavor is worth the visit alone. They take care of every quality of the sandwich and it shows. If you like high quality subs and exploring time honored restaurants, this...

I AM GIVING THIS PLACE ONE STAR ONLY BECAUSE REVIEWERS CAN'T LEAVE NO STARS. Not sure how this place is still open - Stopped in last Friday at 8:pm on way to a meeting. My first time here so the "wait here for service" sign made no sense since you can't see menu board from there. I stood at counter looking at menu while one staff made sandwich for lone customer in shop. Three or four other staff were roaming around behind counter chatting, wiping down counter and basically doing nothing. After lone customer got sandwich and paid, that staff member walked away even though she looked at me a number of times. Eventually one staff member asked me if I was being helped (it was obvious I wasn't) so I ordered. She made sandwich and gave it to me and then walked away to continue her discussion. I went to cash register while the staff continue to mill around behind counter doing nothing. I did not want to yell as I was at register at far end of counter so raised my hand a few times and got looks from staff but no attention. After 5 minutes my choices seemed to be (a) walk out with a free sub or (b) leave it on the counter. I eventually chose the latter since I needed to get to my meeting. The staff paid me no mind as I left. I agree with other recent reviews here....the staff are disinterested and don't deserve whatever they're being paid. Management is lax, and I can't comment on the food since I never got to eat it...but I warn everyone to stay away from this failing business - how good could the food be with that kind of staff attention...