Are-Pitas — Restaurant in Florida

I have been coming to this palace since they opened. I have never had a bad experience or disappointment with the food other than a few items being over priced.

The service however has been different. Every time I have walked into this place to eat there is either no one at the counter or there have been people standing around in the restaurant staring and (often speaking in another language while they do so) making me so uncomfortable I took my food to go. When there is someone at the counter they are often curt and rude as if I am bothering them.

I have overlooked these things because I really do enjoy the food and no one behaved so egregiously that I felt I could not eat there.

Until this weekend.

There was a Spanish speaking family in line in front of me and my partner who was being helped by another employee. I waited, the polite thing to do; the othe woman behind the counter whom I have seen very often in my time coming here. Told use to come forward and was rude an dismissive of the costumers before me, saying “I can’t help them, I don’t speak Spanish”.

We ordered. She came out with the heated portion of our meal and began to serve us at which point I complemented the food quality. She began to talk about the food and how she loved eating and love made the food taste better. At this point the light conversation took a turn.

She began to talk about covid and how people were acting ridiculous (she is not wearing a mask only a face shield) I mention that I am a teacher and that I deal with these things on a regular basis. She then insults me telling me that teachers are lazy and “how dare they ask for a raise” I polite mention that student have a choice and that I am grateful that students are I school and wearing masks. I pay I even tip (again the polite thing to do).

I was not here to be insulted or cause a scene. So I paid, when home, and ate my dinner. I have never been treated with such disrespect in my life by an employee at any company. This was inexcusable and I will not be coming back. I have eaten here since the place was a pitas republic. And I’m sorry to say there was no love in...

(March 2024) UPDATE: I brought another group to BG today and decided to see if anything had changed (10 months ago I wrote my last review).

Well it hadn't, the Mgr came out took my order and money then went back to her office, after waiting for someone to make my meal I went to her office where she was talking with another employee and when I asked when was someone going to make my meal, 1 employee got an attitude with me and asked if I ordered yet, I replied well course, I ordered. Then the Mgr (female) came out, went in the back, and got a few ppl to make our meals.

The food was bland, I only ate half and only because there were not many places where I could go with a bus (I was hungry). The soda/ice tasted horrible they did give me a canned soda.

IDK why this place has changed for the worse, but I will no longer come back. I tried it again almost a year later (I was actually hoping it was under new management, but it wasn't).

(May 2023) Today is my last time coming here. For the last 20+ years that I've been bringing groups to Busch Gardens for the day I ALWAYS come here for lunch (it has changed ownership a few times in 20 years) but the food has always remained DELICIOUS.

Today, almost EVERYTHING was HORRIBLE!!

The young lady behind the counter was very nice & made my food (she did keep my change without asking - it wasn't much, so I let it slide).

The food was HORRIBLE! The lamb was dry & hard, the salad was not good, but the Hummus was ok.

There was an employee sitting near the Soda machine on her phone, not a big deal except when she started face timing someone, she put it on speakerphone & had the LOUDEST conversation ever! I looked over at her a few times, but she only got louder. Needless to say, I was done at that point.

When I brought it up to the young lady behind the counter, all she did was shrug her shoulders.

Then, as I was leaving, the lady on the phone then proceeded to come outside where I was, to continue having her LOUD a$$ conversation (like she was taunting me). I just walked away. Smh.

VERY...

ok when I came in there was a strange smell but I didn't pay attention to it because I was looking for a Venezuelan place near my house and I had to try it, then the girl at the checkout while I was talking to my father about what we were eating, she basically looking anywhere but was taken everything we were talking about without even deciding, that happened with the juices first, my father talking to me said Pasonfruit and she automatically put it on without even looking at us and realizing that we were talking all about ourselves so when I saw I told her that and then she changed the drink to which my dad ordered, after that I had to assume that she would do something like that again but I did not pay attention to what she was placing (serious mistake) at the end when we are already eating they bring another plate to the table and I tell her that we didn't ask for that (which was uncomfortable because the girl who brought it had a bad mood and even made faces with her face) followed by that the cashier comes with her arrogant attitude to tell me that I I asked for that and that she already charged it and that nothing can be done (I did not understand anything about all these because she did not even come close to explaining to me slowly what was happening, in my mind I thought that they had brought a wrong dish to the table, so I I told her I didn't ask you for that, I was talking to my dad about what to eat and I didn't ask you for that and she continued with her attitude that I asked her for it and that I couldn't return it so at that point I wasn't going to lose anymore my time with a person who from the beginning arrived with an attitude towards me and I simply told her to leave it like that) after that my lunch was damaged by the awkwardness of the situation and by the fact that such unhelpful people are working in a place that supposedly It's so good. In short, the food was good but not the...