Patrizi's — Restaurant in Lakeway

Publicly humiliated and accused. My family and friends have been loyal customers of Patrizi’s and a regular at their Wednesday “Geeks Who Drink” trivia nights for quite some time, but the way we have been treated lately has been deeply disappointing.

Over the past several months, we’ve been repeatedly accused without evidence of cheating and of not tipping. This is simply not true, and each time it has made for an uncomfortable, awkward experience. Most recently, the situation crossed a line. My best friend was singled out and publicly accused of cheating in front of the entire room. Not only was this humiliating, but we were also disqualified from the game, something that has happened more than once, again without justification.

Trivia nights are supposed to be a fun, welcoming way to enjoy an evening, but this ongoing hostility has completely soured the experience for us. We’ve always come to Patrizi’s to support a neighborhood business, spend money, and have fun with our community. Being treated with suspicion and disrespect instead of hospitality is hurtful and unacceptable.

On top of that, a friend who worked there sent me these screen shots of texts messages between the owner, Nic Patrizi, and her accusing us of cheating and stiffing. As well as a screen shot of the employee group chat, of over 45 members, where Eric J. is describing us as "the cheaters" and again not tipping, which is false. It's humiliating and degrading knowing that every time we walk into this establishment we have a name on our backs by which every single employer recognizes us.

Adding to the frustration, the owner, Nic Patrizi, along with Eric J. and other staff members, regularly play in the trivia nights themselves. Week after week, they end up in first place and walk away with the $50 gift card. Good for them, really; however, when those who run or are directly connected to the establishment repeatedly win the prizes, it creates the impression that regular guests don’t stand a fair chance.

I hope management takes a serious look at how these events are being run, because no paying guest should be embarrassed or treated unfairly in a...

After having eaten at the food truck for years I wanted to try the brick and mortar location, but the service there was surprisingly disappointing.

We Arrived on a busy Friday night and it was one of those situations where you had to hunt for your own table after ordering. Not a problem at all, get a glass of wine and wait for a table to leave. It is the Patrizi's experience that we all know and love.

After spotting a table I walked over to claim our space and was told by the staff cleaning the table that this table had already been spoken for, I then asked if there was a formal way to get your name on a list for a table and I was told "no, It is first come first serve." Just then, the table next to them said "Hey we are leaving, you can have ours" Awesome! They begin to get up and the staff then let me know that I was not allowed to sit at this table because it was a 4 top, and I only had 2 people in my party. What happened to "first come, first serve?"

So...are we only allowed to sit at the 2-3, two-tops in the entire restaurant then? Just then, a party of 3 swooped in to claim the "4 person only" table without incident or any issue from the same staff member cleaning the table. A bit annoying to see that happen right in front of you.

We then went outside to find a table where we found one next to a heater that was starting to die because it was running out of gas. We asked multiple staff members if they could exchange the gas tank and they all assured me that someone would be right out to do it. No one ever came.

So, we just ate our dinner in the cold having been chased from the warmth of the inside. I know this is not the experience that Patrizi's wants you to have, and having worked food service for 7 years, I understand that things get busy and nothing is perfect. But to take your customers money, make them find a table, tell them they actually can't sit here, or there, but you can go outside into the cold, and lie to them about replacing the gas tank on the...

We were so excited to eat here for months. The service was fantastic at first. The atmosphere is great and the garlic bread was fantastic. The pasta came out lukewarm but was good.

My problem with Patrizi’s is that they allow dogs in their restaurant, and the dogs there today jumped up on the counter twice. We asked the manager if dogs were allowed and he said that’s how they’ve done it for years. I cited the following health code which the manager disregarded after being shown it in print, and scoffed at the potential health implications.

It’s gross, against the law, discriminatory to people with legitimate service dogs who are not interested in jeopardizing their own dog’s health by exposing them to unknown nuisance dogs at a restaurant… people with allergies, fear of dogs, the immunocompromised, and those with standards…..and the manager was belligerent about it. Another manager did hear us out and comp us. But they said “they would keep on rolling. They’ve been doing it like this for years.

Under Texas Health and Safety Code § 437.025, restaurants may allow dogs in outdoor dining areas if they meet specific conditions:  A sign must be posted stating that dogs are permitted. Dogs must access the area directly from the outside; they cannot pass through the restaurant’s interior. Dogs are prohibited from entering the interior of the establishment. Dogs must be leashed and under the customer’s control at all times. Dogs are not allowed on seats, tables, countertops, or similar surfaces. No food preparation is allowed in the outdoor area, and only food being served to customers...