Crust Pizza Co. - Houston Heights — Restaurant in Houston

A friend of mine brought me here because he knows I will give an honest review and wanted me to review this place.

The bad, I don't like how I order, pay, and tip before I get my food so there's no server. We ordered two beers with the order but did not get them with the food. I had to go to the bar and track me beers down which they couldn't find a ticket for either. Lack of communication from the front of the house to the bar. I'm naturally a big tipper but this makes me regret my tip but it's not the workers fault that the owner decided to go with this very unlikeable business model. When I first arrived I felt blindsided as my buddy knows I strongly dislikes a pay and tip before you eat model. Come to find out so does he and he describes it as "a business model that gives me tip PTSD" which I can relate to. Granted he agrees that it's not the workers fault but the service was bad as well. I blame the leadership here as they are not making sure their staff is giving the proper level of service even though the whole point of the model is to reduce service. I've seen a review that said "this is a place that is primarily for drinking" which I disagree because the bar area was small and completely full so even if you want to sit at a bar and drink you have to get there at the right time. If you're not at the bar you have to walk to the bar for every beer since you're your own server which I tipped over 45% to become. Full disclosure I did not buy a second beer as I had paid enough for less already. Basically this place is for someone who decides to make mid pizza and self serve themselves beer outside of the comfort of their own home and overpay for the privilege. Parking was OK we found a spot but the construction is annoying but eventually will be good. Has plenty of TVs so if you want to watch a game there like you're at home but not be at home at the same time. Didn't stay long enough to see the restroom so I can't speak on how that is. I imagine they have the lever kind since they make me pay to do everything myself but if they do have the auto flush toilets it would be a surprise. Had to ask for napkins because the table was just that, a table. Nothing on it at all which was quite odd but fitting. So when we were served our food it came with a spoon wrapped in one napkin. It's obvious at this point that the business owner wants to make their money back ASAP. With high rent, loan interests, and inflationary pressures on the supply side I can only imagine how much money this place is losing every day. I kind of feel bad for doing them this bad so I'll stop with the bad and end with the good.

The good: there was parking, they have a lot of TVs, the food was a 5.4/10, and the lighting wasn't too bright or too dim. They had the college football game on but then changed the channel when one team was beating the other very badly. As someone who watches college ball religiously you never change a college football game early purely because college football can switch up on a dime and a comeback can happen.

Just to recap. If you just want to get out of the house but still want to get your own beers, set your own table, and eat some mid grade food this is your place. Please, still tip good these employees don't deserve to be punished just because the business is apparently struggling. Don't even say it's not because owners are not this tight with expenses if they aren't.

I really hope the owner/manager sees this and changes their business model to a wait staff and not a pay + tip first model. I know good help is hard to find but I'm confident you can figure it out. A server and this is a 4 out of 4 place which will get more of my business. Until then I'm a one and done...

SKIP CRUST PIZZA ON HALF-PRICE TUESDAY NIGHTS UNLESS YOU HAVE TIME TO BURN.

I've been by Crust on three previous occasions, usually late on a Saturday night after 10pm. I've been pleased with their taste and the service. But this past Tuesday, curious, I decided to try their half-off promotional night. Never again.

I arrived at 7:30pm to find a lot with no available parking. The adjacent lots have ominous "patrons only parking, we tow" type signs, so the only safe alternative I identified was parking on the east side of N Shepherd on W 20th Street, having to step across a hacked-up, uneven corner mix of broken asphalt and concrete.

Once inside, after dealing with a short line at the register, I sat down and waited, hoping to surf my smartphone. But for some odd reason, they must be in a black hole for coverage, because connection was uneven - on again, mostly off. That, of course, made the wait seem longer.

Until I looked at the time and realized I'd been sitting for 30 minutes with no pizza. There were probably about 35 to 40 customers in total in the place at the time I was there, but it's a big seating area - dining room plus a bar, with flat-screen TVs everywhere. I watched servers emerge from the kitchen, carrying pie after pie to everyone else but me.

I asked a server about my particular order number and, maybe predictably, he said with a slightly dumb grin that they were "backed up." Well, yes, I could figure that out.

Around the 40th minute, my pie came out - a stuffed crust, two-topping flat pizza. It was good, but it wasn't worth the wait. Star Pizza - a venerated, long-time, local place off Washington Avenue - could have brought my order out in under 25 minutes. Even Pizza Hut could have outdone these guys, and they have an I-10 at Heights Blvd. location.

Stick to late-night visits to Crust and you'll be okay. Go when they're busy and...bring a...

Dear Crust Pizza Management,

I am writing to express my deep disappointment and frustration with the recent experience I had at your establishment. My visit to your pizza restaurant was marred by the disrespectful behavior of your staff member Orlando, who not only refused to assist me with my dietary requirements but also provided me with incorrect information regarding the freshness of the ingredients used in my pizza.

When I asked your staff if they could confirm whether an item on your menu was dairy-free, they were unable to provide me with a definitive answer and refused to assist me in any way. This left me feeling frustrated and disappointed, as I had come to your restaurant with the expectation that your staff would be knowledgeable and helpful in accommodating my dietary requirements.

Furthermore, when I asked if your restaurant had fresh jalapeño, your staff confirmed that you did. However, when my pizza was served, I discovered that the jalapeños were not fresh. When I requested that the pizza be remade with fresh jalapeño, your staff refused, citing that your restaurant was about to close. As a result, I was left with a pizza that did not meet my expectations, and I was unable to enjoy my dining experience as a result.

To make matters worse, when I requested a refund for my unsatisfactory meal, your staff refused to provide me with one, leaving me feeling both frustrated and disappointed.

As a customer who has visited your establishment in the past, I had high expectations for the quality of service and food that I would receive. Unfortunately, my recent experience has left me with a negative impression of your restaurant, and I am unlikely to return in the future.

I hope that you will take my feedback seriously and work to improve the quality of service and food that you provide to your customers. Thank you for your attention to this...