Pizza Shack — Restaurant in Madison

I’ve been a fan of the Shack for almost a decade and this was my first visit after being away for a few years and my first time at the Madison location. Sadly, it will be my last. The horrible service was the primary reason for the review but more than enough to not recommend or return. From the crew members at the cash register to the management staff, the attitudes and service were consistently unprofessional and lacking basic customer service etiquettes. No one greeted us, not once! and every single staff member was unapologetically unpleasant and unprofessional. The service staff had no remorse in the poor service delivered because not only did management watch and silently condone it they too followed suit with the same sort of behavior. I don’t expect much in terms of service and probably would have overlooked it. But, the way the entire staff handled an error with our order was motivation enough to steer clear of this place for good and warn others. The kitchen made BBQ flavor wings instead of the ordered lemon pepper; when I notified the staff member delivering the items to the table, she simply took them way, not saying a word!

No apology. No statement of intentions to resolve, replace or refund…. The gorgeous young lady just gave an annoyed stare before removing the item from the table. After 20 more minutes more with no word and no wings (we had already waited 30 minutes for 1 cheesy bread entree and 1 kids pizza) I requested a refund and to go boxes because we were nearly done and ready to depart.

The staff member then said, “ are you sure ? Because I have some coming soon.” 😳 no apology or additional statements….. that was it. I declined the offer. She walked off and I waited for 3-5 minutes before I was notified that I’d have to wait 15 for a manager to return to the store for a refund.

there were 4 tables of customers with a total of, less than 10 people present. 3 patrons walked in to pick up orders. The initial manager who took my order never even made eye contact and the crew member who gave a refund after 20 minutes of waiting, never said anything more than (did you pay with a card). 2/10, won’t try again and the biggest factor was consistent, unwavering poor service. Honestly, the food was decent but the treatment from the staff was saddening because it seemed unwarranted but consistent throughout 3 of 4 employees present. It was Unnecessarily unkind and totally ruined the entire experience. Don’t waste your money. Be kind to one another and be kind to yourself by not coming here.

Oh! Flavor of food items was Consistent with the establishment ( I’ve been a pizza shack patron for 8+years. But, today, everything was more on the burnt side and overall, just sloppy and lacking intention and attention to doing the little things well. The booths are extremely uncomfortable and in general, the uncleanliness of the location reeks of sloppiness and extreme lack of intention. It’s a lazy sort of uncleanliness, but not disgusting. From staff to atmosphere and food presentation, it’s just sloppy, as if no one cares to address filthy toys, caked up dirt/dust or water stains on ceilings, but it’s hard to miss. The little things are done so poorly here or not at all and sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference. 2 managers were present and both were consistently uninterested, unconcerned and unapologetically unprofessional. No one used harsh language or made rude comments, but no effort was made...

Recently I went to the Madison location. I was told by the young man at the cash register that we should expect a 45 minute delay because the ovens had to be restarted for some reason. We weren't in a rush, so I told him that we didn't mind the wait. While the employee seemed annoyed that we had elected to stay, my wife proceeded to order the same thing that she has always ordered the "cheese sticks". The cashier, who I've ordered from before, says do you mean the bread sticks? I respond no we want the one with cheese. He says the "cheesy bread". I thought it was strange to argue over the name of the item considering it had always been called the "cheese sticks" and the employee had worked there for long enough to know. We continued our order and requested to add pepperoni to the cheese sticks (like we always do). At this point, the employee says we can't add pepperoni to the cheesy bread anymore. Then he slides the menu to my wife while rudely saying "If you haven't noticed, there are a lot of changes on our menu". So after the unusual delay, arguing over the name of an item (which is still listed on your website as the "legendary cheese sticks"), and refusing to accept our order (according to your menu online, additional toppings are still available for $2.75), we decided to leave and not come back. Outside of this experience, I have always enjoyed the food, and we have always received...

Excellent Pizza... but don’t bother calling in an order for pick up on Sunday morning. I called my order in at 11:50 am and was told I could pick it up in 15-20 minutes. The place was packed at 12:10 when I arrived with the usual after church crowd that swamps all restaurants in Madison... with ONLY two people working the front. One was at the register and one was running food. At least 4 tables were waiting to be bussed and the line to order was almost out the door. There was NO call in order line so I had to wait 20 minutes in line while I watched my pizza get cold behind the cashier. I even asked one of the two employees if I could skip the line since I was a call in order, I had exact cash and I could SEE my pizza getting cold (in a very nice way)... to be told I have to wait since there’s only one register open. Where was the manager on duty? Why are they severely understaffed when they KNOW they will be slammed after church? Good owners are there when they are needed. It’s a shame to leave a business with such amazing food 100% in the hands of moody teenagers who could care less about its customers. I expect that from chains with owners who live 3 states down and just get mailed dividends... but I’m disappointed to see it from local...