Rastrelli's — Restaurant in Clinton

I have never been treated with such disrespect by a hostess in all of my years. Our family has always loved Rastrelli's and have no problem spending hundreds of dollars every time we dine there because we can appreciate supporting a local, family owned business. We had a reservation made for 8 adults and one child. Our hostess, Amberly, had led us to our table and upon reaching it, there were 8 chairs that were placed so closely together that seating 8 adults, let alone a high chair, would be impossible to dine at. The chairs were touching one another and still hanging just past the edge of the two small tables that were pushed together. After realizing that the tables were so small and had yet to have a highchair added, I had went and tracked down the hostess and asked if we could add another small table or sit somewhere else, to which she replied "there's no way we can do that, we have nowhere else you can sit" I replied that we had made a reservation for this reason and her response was "we have lots of reservations." Mind you, half of the booths were empty. I told her, if we can't, then we may have to cancel our reservation because it just wouldn't work. She said nothing and walked away. We decided, before the remainder of the party showed up, that we had no choice but to go somewhere that could accommodate our party size. As the hostess, Amberly, was passing by, I had politely told her thank you, but we are going to have to go somewhere else because there just wouldn't be enough room. She then rolled her eyes at me and said nothing and walked passed me. I said "Ma'am did you hear me? She exclaimed loudly "Yes, I heard you!" I responded, "I was just making sure." I then asked her her name and she basically yelled it at me... "Amberly!" I said thank you and left. She simply rolled her eyes and ignored me rather than acknowledge my politely letting her know we were leaving. She obviously was bothered by our presence and business from the start. Her disrespect was so obvious that others in our party were absolutely speechless. I have never left a restaurant due to poor service...EVER. I am not one to complain, but I have NEVER been treated so poorly by waitstaff, in my life. Especially by a hostess, whose job it is to be friendly and inviting. They are, after all, the first and last interaction customers receive at a business. It is a shame to let employees treat customers this way. We were treated as if we were an inconvenience and to top that off, I was down right insulted by her short tone and physical gestures on multiple occasions. I would never let an employee treat a customer that way because I, myself, would never treat someone that way. We left and went to a different establishment, which, ironically enough, without having to say a single word, had offered to grab an extra table after seating us if we wanted them to. I can say though, as long as there are employees there that treat customers so rudely, I will not be back and business will eventually decline if it continues. When employees treat customers as an inconvenience, rather than the reason they are able to make their living, they are detrimental to the businesses that they work at and represent, and will inevitably cause a decline in customers and in turn, revenue. Allowing such behavior is unacceptable. Manners and common coutesy was definitely lacking from the moment we walked through the door. I expected so much more from this establishment. Hopefully, the proper measures will be taken to assure that other customers don't have to have such a...

I am writing to share some concerns regarding a recent dining experience at your establishment, which was notably disappointing and fell short of the standards I have previously associated with Rosrellis.

Service Issues:

Order Time: It took over 30 minutes for someone to take our order. This delay is unacceptable and significantly impacted our dining experience. Order Handling: A guest had to physically take orders to your staff. This lack of efficiency and organization is concerning. Billing Issues: Another group in our party was accused of attempting to avoid paying their bill due to a malfunction with your payment system. This accusation was unfounded and inappropriate. Group Handling: It is evident that your team is currently unable to accommodate large groups (30+), resulting in substantial delays and poor service. Food Quality Concerns:

Taste Testing: It appears that no one is taste-testing the food before it is served. This fundamental oversight needs immediate attention to ensure quality. Chicken: The chicken served was dry and lacked seasoning. Noodles: The noodles in the fettuccine Alfredo were overcooked and mushy. The sauce was more akin to a paste and lacked any seasoning with herbs, salt, or pepper. Menu Pricing: The prices were not listed on the menu, and we were not informed in advance that all food would be consolidated onto one bill. It is disheartening to witness the decline in quality and service at Rosrellis, an establishment I have enjoyed for many years. Fourteen years ago, you were known for making fresh butter from scratch and delivering exceptional dining experiences. Unfortunately, it appears there has been a shift towards cost-cutting at the expense of quality.

Additionally, it is concerning that there seems to be a tendency to blame others for these issues, when it is clear that the responsibility lies solely with the management. Effective leadership and management are crucial to the success of any establishment, and it is imperative that these issues are addressed at the management level.

Despite these issues, there were a few positives. The shrimp was perfectly seasoned, and the pizza was reminiscent of Manny’s Pizza, which we enjoyed.

I believe Rosrellis has the potential to return to its former glory. I strongly urge you to address these concerns and provide feedback on how you plan to rectify the issues we experienced. I am hopeful that you will take this feedback seriously and implement the necessary changes to restore the high standards Rosrellis was once known for.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to...

There are several entrances, we didn't know about the side entrance so we parked on the street and went in the front. We were there kind of early for dinner so they were not busy at all, however they sat us in a small room up a couple steps next to a very loud family. I understand putting the customers close make it easy on the servers however it made for a very unpleasant dining experience for us. That family asked to be seated on ground level to avoid the older lady with a cane having to navigate the steps but the hostess told them loud enough for us to hear the 2 steps should be ok for her to go up. The restaurant was decorated beautifully and appeared clean. They had a sign up with the soup of the day however that soup was not available the server said they ran out of that earlier. Our server was very nice but not attentive at all. I asked about their wine options to which she said she was sorry she was not old enough to serve alcohol so she was ask a coworker but nerver had anyone come talk to us about it. Our daughter ordered an appitizer and a soup but they were brought out after our meals were served. The dirty salad, bread plates and empty bread basket sat on our table the whole time we ate our entrees. The salad bar was very nice with a wide variety from fruits and vegetables to prepared salads. There was a friendly lady making sure it was kept clean, fresh and full. I would have felt better had she been masked and had on gloves but that was not how she was. I understand masks are not mandatory in Iowa however with Covid being on the rise masks for servers would be a good idea, however none of them wore them. The pasta was very fresh and cooked perfectly, it was fresh hot and very balanced. The soup was warm and ok. The cheese sticks were fresh and house made they were very good, they were hot and had a nice cheese pull, the marinara they were served with was very good and paired well. The chicken was house made, it was hot and crunchy but the crust was very salty. The mashed potatoes and gravy were not good at all, they both appeared to be your average instant so I would suggest maybe sticking to the...