Trattoria di Montaluce — Restaurant in Dahlonega

The drive along the property to the was beautiful. The dining experience was forgettable at best. Our anniversary celebration experience was lousy. While the meals were a bit pricey, we had no real issue with the cost. Actually, we walked away from dinner with a 12% discount. We didn't ask for it. A restaurant shouldn't have to offer that as an apology for more serious underlying problems.

What we hoped for and reasonably expected was a solid meal with comparable service. What we got from the outset was a pleasant, but clueless and poorly trained wait staff; and with the exception of the bread, uninspired meals. The mistakes were numerous. Our server made multiple ones about items on the menu.

After ordering and receiving our first course, my wife and I stared at our just-delivered salad bowl and bread plate, while sitting and pondering about how long it might take to get accompanying plates. The restaurant wasn't that busy. Still, I had to go ask for them. The sourdough bread loaf was excellent, but it was scored rather than sliced. The butter knife provided wasn't up to the task. Fortunately, a well-dressed staff member (management or otherwise, we knew not) came to the rescue, but in a unique way. He spirited the loaf of bread away only to return a few minutes later with it sliced and chunked. Huh? We figured that he would be returning with a fully sliced loaf, not butchered. Was it ageism. Did we look that infirm?

We were barely half-way through our salad and bread when another server showed up with our main courses. Way too soon! I did my best and in the nicest way possible to tell her that we weren't done with our first course, but I might have just as well have been talking to a stump. She walked off with no comment. I might just as well have been invisible. That's a staff coordination, communication and kitchen issue plain and simple.

We decided to request a moment with the manager. She came, she listened, she offered lame excuses for just about everything, then she offered us a discount. Shouldn't have to walk out of a restaurant with a price break. That ain't gonna take care of an obvious training issue. That will lose a restaurant money in the long run.

That maybe an ownership issue. My wife and I have a son long in the restaurant business. We also have a friend who owns Floriana, one of the top Italian restaurants in the D.C area, a second one in Wilmington, North Carolina. We know quality food and quality service, be it a white table cloth restaurant or a more casual Italian one. Both are in serious need of a makeover at Trattoria di Montaluce.

I could name other issues, but you get my drift. A shout out to the ownership, you have a stunning property worthy of destination status. Don't know about your fine-dining restaurant up the hill, but the Trattoria isn't in any manner destination-worthy. I assume you want both to be equally successful regardless the fine-dining, casual atmosphere...

: Trattoria di Montaluce has the potential to be a great restaurant, but unfortunately, their recent performance has been disappointing. The service is slow and inattentive, and the food is inconsistent. Despite these issues, there are some positive aspects to the restaurant, such as the beautiful location and the great salads. I hope that the restaurant can make some changes to improve their service and food quality, so that I can become a fan again. Here are some of the specific issues I experienced: Long wait times: I tried to make a reservation online, but there were many available options, so I didn't think it was necessary. However, when we arrived 45 minutes later, we were told there was an hour-long wait. We decided to wait at the bar, but it took about 15 minutes for previous seats to be cleaned and for us to be acknowledged. Inattentive service: The staff seemed more interested in talking to each other than paying attention to the customers. Our original server never apologized for the slow service, the wrong pizza, or the general lack of attention. Inconsistent food quality: The salad was great, but the pizza was terrible. It was covered in anchovies, which I had specifically asked to be held. When we asked for a replacement pizza, it took another 20 minutes to arrive. Understaffing: The restaurant was clearly understaffed, which is contributing to the long wait times and inattentive service. There were many staff members visible, but they seemed to be more focused on tasks that didn't involve directly interacting with customers, such as washing glasses, stocking wine bottles, and chatting with each other. Overall, I was very disappointed with my recent experience at Trattoria di Montaluce. I hope that the restaurant can make some changes to improve their service and food quality, so that I can become a fan again. Here are some suggestions for the restaurant: Address the staffing shortage: Hire more staff to adequately serve the number of customers the restaurant can accommodate. Encourage staff interaction with customers: Train staff to be more aware of the customers' needs and to be more proactive in providing service. Improve the quality control of the food: Ensure that food is cooked to order and served hot to maintain consistency in quality. Reevaluate staff priorities: Ensure that staff members are focusing on tasks that directly impact customer experience, such as taking orders, promptly serving food and drinks, and addressing customer requests. Implement a feedback system: Create a system for customers to provide feedback on their dining experiences. This will help the restaurant identify areas for improvement and track...

My family and I went to Trattoria di Montaluce for dinner as we spent a few days at one of the villas, and this restaurant was the closest to where we staying.

We were seated right away and never having been before, I noted that this restaurant was huge! Lots of wood, and wood accents with good lighting and an upscale vibe. It took a while for our server to appear, but once he did, he was friendly. He took our drink order and then disappeared…this was the beginning of the end.

It took about 10 minutes for our server to return with our drinks. I could see fairly quickly that he was waiting several tables with 6-10 people at each. He returned about 10 minutes later and took our appetizer order. We got the big meatball($18) and calamari ($17).

The meatballs, while nice and hot, was just average. The calamari was overcooked and hard in some bites, and was overly salty. We waited a long time for the server to return to take our dinner order. I’m not gonna lie, normally I would have been pissed that service was so slow, but I soon could see the number of tables he was waiting, and the number of people at each.

We waited 10-15 for him to return to take our order. (Pizzas take 8-10 minutes, and NOTE: they WON’T do half and half pizzas).. I mean..WHUT?!?

We placed our order for one THIN CRUST Classica ($22) and one THIN CRUST Montaluce ($22) and we waited and waited, and while we waited a family got seated right next to us, placed their order, and their pizza came out about 10 minutes before ours. When our first pizza arrived at the table, it was incorrect. By incorrect, I mean the WRONG pizza. He apologized and said, “I don’t know what happened to the ticket.” And he apologized again. Another 15 minutes went by and the family next to us who came AFTER us was finishing their pizza.

By now, we’ve been waiting over an hour, even tho pizzas take 8-10 minutes. (I asked).😡 The pizzas FINALLY came out and the server said, “I’m really sorry about the mixup. It was totally my fault, and I’m gonna ask the manager if he’ll take something off the bill.” I told him that we’d appreciate that.

About 5 minutes later, he returned to say that manger will offer 1 free dessert. Huh… for 5 people I thought myself. “I’ll Pass on that” I said. Our son, however decided that he’d take it since my husband and I passed on it. He got the Tiramisu (which he didn’t finish. He said it was light on the coffee, and meh on flavor).

I felt like our business wasn’t appreciated despite the fact that we spent well over $100 when include the drinks. The night was a complete failure and the pizza, just so-so; the manager clearly didn’t care. Not to worry tho, We...