Frankie's Italian Deli Tpa — Restaurant in Florida

HORRIBLE RUDE MANAGER/OWNER, we ordered, the cashier seemed new, so owner came over to help, she was kinda snippy but whatever maybe she was in a rush. We got our sandwiches, we saw a viral TikTok and were super excited, my mom ordered the Buratta be kiddin me, she doesn’t like prosciutto so she took that off (guess that was an astronomically HUGE mistake), she also asked if her chicken could be warm even tho it’s advertised as a cold sandwich, they said yes they would cook it fresh (they didn’t), we ordered 3 subs, they’re big subs don’t get me wrong but it’s mostly just bread, not fresh bread either, and they’re pricey but if they’re good it would’ve been worth it. My mom was a little disappointed as we all were and left a review on yelp, 3.5 stars, the owner or manager, middle age and curly brown hair, found this to be a horrible offense and very loudly came over to us and asked how it was. We said okay, because it was just okay, and we didn’t want to complain, have them remake anything we just didn’t really enjoy our food, not really their fault it just wasn’t good and not what we thought. Well she said “WELL YOU GUYS JUST LEFT US A YELP REVIEW AND ITS NOT WHAT YOU EXPECTED BECAUSE YOU TOOK HALF OF THE SANDWICH OFF” referring to the prosciutto, let’s keep in mind there’s also chicken on this sub and it’s TINY, like not even a full breast on the entire sub, my mom told her her sub was also cold when she asked if the chicken could be warm, and the owner said “ YOU SHOULDVE TOLD US, THANKS FOR THE FALSE REVIEW” and walked away, keep in mind this interaction was LOUD. The entire store was staring at us, mostly her because she was being extremely agressive and rude. We were still going to order dessert, as they looked good, and possibly give them another try. That will definitely not be happening now. In her response to my moms review she said she came over to try to make things right. She did not do that. You could ask anyone in that store including her embarrassed employees and they could tell you not once did she say “can we fix anything, is there anything we can do to help or make things right” she attacked us for a 3.5 star review and walked away, she should be embarrassed for the way she acted, and yeah we laughed when the employees told us to have a good day when we walked out after she yelled at us, but we didn’t laugh in their faces. Her review is on yelp under Angela L. If you want to look up her original review, the response and our update. Beside lackluster subs, you can also have the owner yell at you for the low low price of $45+ tip if you come here!

UPDATE: yes I agree you do get what you give, i agree i feel sad for you knowing the karma you have coming your way especially with all the lies in your responses. Again you never did ask to make anything right, so please don’t lie, we didn't ask you too but you certainly didn't offer. I said to your employees YOU TOO GUYS YOU TOO, while laughing after they told us to have a good day, I didn't curse, if i was going to it would've definitely been directed at you not them, they didn't do anything YOU DID! We literally just got up and left after YOU mad a scene. **I encourage anyone still reading this to look at her responses to other reviews and their "opinions" on the business and her customer service. You should be embarrassed your lack of professionalism is going to ruin your business. I also did ask for a create your own sub, you made it into a little Italy. It actually hilarious that you said treat everyone with kindness but it didn’t seem like you knew what that way, but like as you said you get what you give and girl I'm...

Odd establishment. We tried 4 sandwiches. The GodFather was good - would have been great if the bread didn’t have such a hard chew to it. The others weren’t memorable. Bland cutlets. Juicy but bland. No oregano/parsley etc in the breading. Upon entering you see slices of cake thrown into a display case every which way. Then a 1/4 mile long display of ice cream with a depressing grey backdrop. On the right side is an Italian flag colored theme cartoon wrap or painting. No idea. Straight ahead is a rinky dink counter to order sandwiches. Rolls and loaves of bread advertised for sale - yet they had none to sell on a Monday during lunch. In front of the counter is a small cold display of bowls of octopus, olive salad, chicken salad etc. Keep in mind there is ice cream a foot away. Strange layout. I could only imagine what the buildout cost was and this is the best they came up with? 🤔 P.S. This is not a deli typical of up North. Employees are phony friendly here as well. There is no “hello, how can I help you or thank you or have a nice day.” Just the deer in the headlight look. Ask where they are from - given the NY theme - and you’ll get a look as if you asked for their credit card number. Also, yelling the customer’s name AND each sandwich ordered as if we are at a Yankees/Mets game is obnoxious and unprofessional. Just call the name. No need to yell loudly with 3 other people trying to enjoy a lunch break. Not to mention, this isn’t a bar with loud music in the background. While waiting I noticed a customer not happy with his Italian sandwich. I agreed. Cold cuts were cut much too thick, his hero wasn’t fresh and only had a drizzle of balsamic. That sandwich requires olive oil and vinegar. Keep bread in a thick plastic food bag or a closed display case to prevent air from drying it out. This way you grab a fresh loaf for every order instead of having your product exposed all day. I realize you have bread delivered daily but given there are no preservatives- they must be kept in an air tight container of some sort. Miss Australia - do not text & scroll through your phone during work. She couldn’t put it down even when a customer had a question about the menu. Very rude. Check your phone when you are not working. 🙄. And, bagging sandwiches - bag cold separately. You don’t bag a cold sandwich in the same bag as 3 hot sandwiches. 🤦‍♀️ No locks on bathroom door. When I asked the employee she acted as if I was wrong for questioning the fact that you’re actually supposed to take the key out of the front lock, take it with you into the bathroom, then pop it back into the lock. Seriously? Stupidity 101 right there. Buy normal locks. No one needs to be consistently passing bathroom germs in and out of a toilet that is right near the kitchen & deli counter. Gross.

I’m now told they communicate by text and scrolling. 😂. As if this were a Catering Hall for 500 people. So they have no problem yelling customer’s names and orders loudly within an approximate 15 ft space but they communicate via text with each other??? Ha. ...

Disappointing.... I visit this location for the 1st time today. I saw the name and saw the deli and admit I got a little excited because since leaving NY in 2015 I have missed NYC foods and mostly the authentic Italian deli's I grew up knowing. I knew I shouldn't get to excited because many establishments here try to play on "we are NY style" and there version of :NY Italian style is usually a sad replica of "not evening trying to pretend to make some passionate effort to be truly NYC style". Its just branding to try and sell but customers, especially NYC customers, aren't fooled. So I already set my expectations to maybe I can get something basic and it will come close. Well firstly all I saw and heard was a bunch of female workers definitely seeming to be busy but busy behind the counter filling orders but no sense of awareness of customers waiting around for help or direction or even a "welcome, we will be right with you". So I read the menu and looked around for a bit and still no help in sight. So I had to excuse their conversation by the deli counter and asked where do I place my order? The girl seemed annoyed that she had to stop and answer customer questions so gave me a response that I basically confused by her answer. I heard her say at the counter so I just went to the counter to place my order. The person taking my order barely even looked at me. They took my order, I paid out and no thank you or anything. My order was called out and the girl hands me my sandwich, not in a bag just hands me the tin foiled paper rapped sandwich, no thank you, barely any eye contact and that was it. The seating area was awful, cramped and not inviting at all. The "paesano" sandwich I got was mediocre at best. I saw some turnover pastries that looked good sitting on the counter out in the open and it looked good until the flies landed on it. After leaving I was disappointed and thought, I'll try and give it another try on another day, really wanting to believe we might have found a special NY style place we have been desiring for a long time now but I read through the reviews and people pretty much explaining the same experience. The staff was just unfriendly and borderline rude without saying much at all. This place has potential but its obvious they are just another fast food establishment interested in quantity and not quality like every other place in the area, nothing setting them apart. It a façade once again. I have yet to experience true authentic NY style anything in the Tampa surrounding areas. I might change my star review if my next try is better but honestly not setting my hopes high for this place right now since management isn't interested in improving. Maybe hiring some real friendly and welcoming NYC customer service works kind of workers that will give it something special. Customer service, welcoming, clean and friendly atmosphere would be...