Fazoli's — Restaurant in Eau Claire

Updated below. Decent menu, great portions given pricey side. Would rate higher if food wasn't cold when eating in. Also, dirty dish stations near tables is not appealing while eating. Food is great though. Maybe to-go next time. Free drink refills inside-- self serve.

Edit: 3 to 1 stars after additional visit (original review replied to): No changes made to areas of concern (same experience). I don't always look back that too many reviews, but if you look back, the issues I addressed seem to have been experienced by others for some time (cold food, messy tables and dirty dishes, etc.) The staff can be wonderful, but compliments on staff do not reflect on an overall experience. I take those compliments directly to management when someone is extraordinary. When the normal operation is not good (cold food, messy), someone's kindness does not negate lack of execution. I was kind on 3 stars, because of the staff, portions, and food (even cold). Most reviews aren't helpful without explanation of all detail. Seeing that my issues have been posted at least as far back as 6 mos without correcting, I think this shows lack of follow up and ensuring more positive experience. Make sure you truly read helpful information in reviews, which should be honest and straightforward. I have respect for operations that take time to respond to reviews, positive and negative. I've worked in the industry, and feedback is paramount. I've also been used to eating cold food because the hustle working in food. You don't always have the small "luxuries" that customers get when working. That doesn't mean I am ok with getting cold food as a customer as much as I will tolerate it. But customers can be lost when legitimate concerns aren't fixed, especially patterns. Perhaps another location is not the same, but my experiences don't make me confident in the franchise as a whole. I've been to similar competitor's locations prior to doing reviews. They excell in the areas this one lacks (hot food, cleanliness, etc.), and do not in areas this chain does (menu is easy to understand for ordering, staff friendliness). So I guess it all depends on your priorities. I know I like to go to a restaurant that is clean and my food eating in isn't truly cold. The next time I visit a similar competitor, I'll post a fair review of theirs, too. Seeing this issue has changed how I will post more informative reviews...

I am so bummed to be writing this review. I love Fazoli's quick and tasty pasta. My husband and I were so excited to find a Fazoli's here since the one in our town closed down last year. We were here to visit a friend we have not seen for a long time so we were busy chatting and catching up. We were there for ~2 hours including the time we took to order and eat. In the middle of conversation, one of the male employees rudely and impatiently stated: "you guys have been here for the past few hours," indicating that we needed to leave although we had already paid for our meal and were not making a ruckus. This completely ruined the time we had and thus led to my 1 star rating for this particular Eau Claire location.

For context, this occurred around 1pm and there was a rush so it was quite busy. HOWEVER, there were tons of open tables and open chairs all around. We only took up one 4 person table. The employee made the whole situation so embarrassing and awkward. Even the one family of 4 sitting at the table across from us felt awkward and outspokenly said: "that was rude. There are so many other tables available. I guess we need to eat faster or we'll get kicked out too." We really appreciated the family's sentiments considering this is a predominantly White town and we are minorities.

I am very much understanding that busy hours may be stressful. However, that is no excuse for the rude customer service that we received from this employee. He could have relayed his message in a much more service friendly way. I wish I would have caught his name to post on here, but that is just a blessing on his part. We will not be recommending or visiting this Fazoli's...

Fast food Italian? I was unsure at first, but I was totally surprised. Eating spaghetti in the car on a road trip is an adventure on its own, but the breadsticks were awesome enough to bring me back tonight.

This time I dined in and brought some friends. We ordered a bunch of stuff to try and we all put on our judging hats before really digging in. Here are is the summary of our discussions:

If you were to transport this food into a different establishment that has a vibe striving to copy Tuscany Italy, with wine samples and never-ending salad, you would be paying 2-3 times the price and you would compliment the staff on their greatly improved breadsticks. 😉

In other words, the food execution is as good as, sometimes better, than the Darden owned Italian we found ourselves comparing it to. The dining room is fine and feels exactly like an unpretentious, clean quick serve restaurant. The menu is unpretentious too, which is refreshing in its own way compared to other Italian restaurants nearby. We didn't have pizza, but I have a feeling that it's better than the afterthought pepperoni pie on a Darden's kids menu.

The staff was excellent, and in truth what motivated me to leave a 5-star review.

Thanks for a great...