Pompeii Pizzeria — Restaurant in Elk River

Overall, I had an underwhelming experience. A few things to note:

Customer service: the young man at the register seemed stressed as hell, and I can’t blame him. There’s four or five people in his immediate vicinity and most of them seem to be doing nothing… who’s in charge here and what’s their goal?

Environment: the place was PACKED—which means people like something about the joint! Very tight space, hard to maneuver, especially to the fountain soda (which, per a previous review, seems out of place for a spot that could otherwise be a mid level dining establishment).

I sat outside and the table next to me sat full of dirty dishes the whole time I was there (an hour). Patio furniture is not well kept, and the AC on the roof ensures water drips down the gutter and runs down the patio.

They also have a television playing local ads which, to be honest, just feels out of place and extremely tacky. Who’s looking at this while they’re in line? Don’t we all have smartphones?

Speed/Promptness: slow as ever. Waited exactly 29 minutes for one pizza.

Food quality: pizza was fine but very wet? Moisture content on some of the ingredients seems a bit high, or the temp they’re cooking at needs to be lowered for a longer cook time. Crispy crust on the bottom, and soft and wet under the crispy toppings. Maybe it’s the moisture in their cheese? Edit: crust was fine. Seems borderline flavorless and was thicker than I’d expect for this style of pizza. Curious about the gluten content on the flour as the crust doesn’t have much stretch or pull apart, it tears very cleanly, unlike other Neapolitan pizza’s I’ve had

This place seems like it holds a lot of promise, and I’d love to see a few things update the space, and maintain it. Currently seems like it lacks intention and isn’t respected and taken care of. LET US TIP YOUR EMPLOYEES WITH CARDS!!! Money is a great incentive for improving work place behavior and attitudes. Ditch your old POS and move to Toast or Clover, hell, use a handheld clover and start doing table service? hire and pay a charismatic adult or two pare down your wine options to two reds, two white, and one sparkler. Give people fewer, better options. better tap beer options

I’d love to see this place be good cause this region is primed and ready for improved dining...

Where's the pepperoni?

I ordered two traditional pizzas that you really can't mess up. I wanted to get a good taste for their brick oven pizza.

I saw people's reviews so I tried calling them to place an order. After connecting with their answering machine four times, I waited a few more minutes to call back. Wow, they must be so busy that they can't get to the phone, I thought. This place must be great.

Again, I was excited to try a traditional pepperoni pizza and a sausage and onion pizza. I was surprised when the guy said that they would be ready in ten minutes. Maybe they are not that busy, I thought.

I waited at the counter to have my pizzas boxed up. The guy kept reinserting them into the oven, which I thought was strange. I watched him poor some wine for a lady at the til. And, then repoored it again before he stepped away and told another employee my name and asked him to take care of my order. This guy walks up, diggs his hand into the tip jar and removes all of its contents right in front of me. I'm thinking, that is tacky, and please don't touch my food now. He returns to the counter and asks me if he can take my order for here or to go. I pointed to my two pizzas and told him those are mine.

Finally, I get home and look forward to some 4Plus star pizza. I'm looking at them and thinking "not very appitizing." There was very little toppings on the pepperoni and I was not sure what to think of the mound of onions on the other with some very pale looking sausage placed around.

I grabbed a slice of the sausage/onion and the edge was fine, but the center was a soggy, floppy mess. All of the topping slid off of the slimy, drooping slice.

Next, I searched the pepperoni pizza for a piece that I could actually find a slice of pepperoni on it. This pizza was not as soggy and would have scored higher if there was a slice of pepperoni on each piece.

I don't think I will make an effort to try this establishment...

Unfortunately, I am only left with the option to rate Pompeii one star; otherwise, I must say that my experience is nothing more than a zero star. My family and I grew to be a fan of Pompeii until our terrible experience on 6.27.17 by the Manager Brianna. We definitely will never go back.

They made a simple mistake by giving my daughters pizza to a different table. That's absolutely fine- mistakes happen, we are human! When we mentioned the mistake to the front staff (two high school boys I believe), their response was rude and unapologetic. Then the manager, Brianna, interfered and raised her voice at my husband saying "well what do you want me to do? We don't have your pizza" along with other nonsense comments. Then when I approached Brianna and told her that I didn't appreciate her tone, she began yelling at me in front of other customers and my 3 year old daughter. At one point she even asked me to shut up and sit down. It was the most unprofessional demeanor I have ever witnessed at any establishment. I left everything and walked out with a headache. This could have been easily prevented by an "I'm sorry for the mistake, we'll have your pizza soon".

Ultimately, the point of a restaurant review is to simply advise people where to eat. As pivotal as food is to a restaurant/dining/fast food experience; times like this shows us that in the end, it's not about the food, it's about how you as a customer are treated. I am a huge fan of family owned businesses. I'm confident that the owners are passionately committed in their business, and would want to know how it's managed without their presence. Hopefully, the owners become aware that their staff are not as passionate and committed in providing a good customer experience as...