Verri's Italian Ristorante — Restaurant in Hendersonville

We are locals in Hendersonville, NC, where Verri's Italian Ristorante is located. Aside from one inferior meal (veal piccata, which was tough and dry, inferior qualities also cited in another customer's Google review), we enjoy Verri's quite a lot, just as we enjoyed its predecessor at the same location (an Italian restaurant which was called Mona Lisa).

We stopped in at Verri's on Valentine's night to celebrate with a beverage and a bite to eat. All good. The lasagna did not disappoint.

But what did disappoint was that our bill reflected several fees that were neither food nor beverage: the fees were just house fees. The first fee was a "split fee," charging us $5 simply because we decided to split a $24 entree. Sometimes, diners split dishes (entrees, salads, desserts, etc.) so as not to overindulge. We are in that group of diners. I think a restaurant that penalizes diners for doing this engages in a predatory practice that erodes customer trust. It's alienating to loyal and new customers alike.

Regardless of whether a guest wants to eat smaller portions or dine more frugally, this split fee restaurant practice is simply offensive. Let's consider a few reasons why this might offend customers. Does Verri's really need $5 extra in order to serve customers one dish of lasagna, along with two sets of flatware and a couple of side plates? Our lasagna was NOT split by kitchen staff onto two plates; it was simply passed to us in the single oval baking dish in which it was cooked. Two stacked plates were set down for us as an option, which we did not utilize at all. Honestly, does this warrant a $5 surcharge? If so, for what, exactly? Moreover, if customers split a salad and a tiramisu, would they faced mounting split fees for those, too? I expect they would.

The second hidden fee was a surcharge of 2.9% for using our credit card (listed as 2.5% on Verri's printed menu), which most every diner does nowadays, and has been doing for years. Let's see, if 50 transactions occurred at Verri's on Valentine's night (a conservative estimate), the 2.9% surcharge on 50 transactions adds up to quite a nice sum for the restaurant. As a credit cardholder, my fees include up to 19% on balances due and in some cases, an annual card fee of $60 and up. Why do I have to pay my user fees, and now, Verri's as well? Why can't the restaurant cover its own individual transaction fees? Why am I paying the convenience fee assessed to the business by the card company? Adopting a surcharge practice (or any other practice, for that matter) "because other businesses do" is a poor excuse and has no bearing on Verri's specifically as a business. If you want to treat your customers like other businesses do, without forethought or reason, then you will.

At Verri's, it's not sufficient for us to spend $32 on wine and $24 on an entree. Our bill, before tax and tip, was $28 per person. The restaurant added non-food, non-beverage fees for its own benefit. Customers drive to Verri's (sometimes having made a reservation), park, spend time there, and, of course, tip on top of the bill's total, then drive home. We select Verri's and come to Verri's with our wallet open. But for Verri's, all of that from the customer is not enough.

This practice, of surcharging, fine-printing, and split-feeing is petty. No other...

A party of 4, we arrived right at opening time 4:00PM and stood outside waiting for them to open. The one waitress unlocked the door and walked away...AWKWARD?? No welcome or anything except for" do you have reservations?" We did not, so she said " you'll have to sit in the front"..which was ok with all of us, but again " awkward". Our waitress was very nice. The salad was regular iceburg lettuce which was brown on the edges. Not good at all, very bland. The food was hot but not a good red italian sauce. Tasted like it came out of a jar. The lamb was just ok. The fettucine with shrimp was ok. Regular italian type bread, nothing special. Will not be back. Mona Lisa's was SO much better!! Response to Owners Reply: Very petty for you to call out the previous owners place " a dive"... Yes it needed a facelift and you gave it a nice touch but in my opinion your food quality it not as good. As far as referring me to a local pizzeria in Hendersonville is another nasty comment from an owner....by the way, you serve pizza as well, and we have tried it as take out and it did not pass our expectatations either. If this is how you dismiss your customers, you willnot survive very long. Take a lesson from Vinnie's in Asheville...great food and a warm welcome..good luck! A bit of advice..quit calling your restaurant fine dining...you may have put some lipstick on tbe pig, but the location and outside building reflect no changes. Also, last night and this morning, we experienced not so great stomach issues from your food! PS...I have lived here since 2006 and have tried all the restaurants in the area..the only fine dining I saw was white tableclothes, fake flowers and battery operated candles and your...

O M Gosh, what a hidden gem. We had friends come in town from FL and picked Verri's Italian Ristorante because they could walk there from The Waverly Inn. Verri’s was perfect in every way. First and foremost, number one on my list for great restaurants is the atmosphere. My husband and I are so tired of going to restaurants playing the music to loud or to disturbing. I am constantly asking restaurants all the time to turn the music down. We want to talk to our partners, friends, fellow works, not scream at them. Verri’s nailed it in atmosphere! The music was soft and mellow with a flair of smooth jazz and kept to a very in the background level. We never raised our voices and at times we felt like we were the only ones there. All tables were set with a nice distance between them. Second the food. Frist, they bring you out fresh baked bread with seasoned oil for dipping. The bread was warm and soft and to die for. Our guests had the Chicken Piccata and Chicken with Mushrooms, my husband had the Lasagna and I had the Pasta Bolognese. The portions were more than enough however, since it was all sooo good the plates were near empty. And third, the staff. Delightful, charming and never made us feel rushed. We arrived at 7 and did not leave until 9 p.m. We enjoyed some wine before we even ordered, ate and then sat and enjoyed catching up even more. The only bad thing about my review is it “lets the cat out of the bag”. I hope they never change their style. I highly recommend if you are in Hendersonville, leave the main strip and eat at Verri’s Italian Ristorante where you can do what they do in Europe…Enjoy Your Meal as an...