Coal Fire — Restaurant in Maryland

No Stars for Coal Stone Pizza – Amazing Pizza, Horrible Experience

I was really looking forward to trying Coal Stone Pizza for the first time today. I had heard great things, and when my boss treated our team to lunch there, I was excited. The pizza? Absolutely amazing; everything I had hoped for. But unfortunately, the experience I had with the service completely ruined my visit, and I left feeling frustrated, disrespected, and honestly a little shaken.

The issue wasn’t just a simple mistake; it was how it was handled. I had ordered a separate pizza to take home for my family and paid for it myself. When I later checked my phone, I saw two charges from the restaurant; one for my take-home order and one for the group order my boss had already covered. Confused, I turned right around to figure out what was going on.

That’s when I found out that Mackenzie, my waitress, already knew about the mistake. She knew they had double-charged me. She knew they had reversed the group charge. And yet, she never said a word to me about it. I had to find out on my own. No explanation. No apology. Nothing.

When I confronted her about it, she just brushed it off with a laugh and a giggle, telling me, "Oh, sometimes it takes a day or two to go back on your card, but it’s all good." Like it was nothing. Like my money wasn’t mine. Like it wasn’t even worth mentioning to me when it happened.

Let me be clear: This wasn’t just an inconvenience; it was a complete failure of basic honesty and professionalism. Mistakes happen. I get that. But when a customer is overcharged, you tell them. You don’t just hope they won’t notice. If Mackenzie had simply brought the bill over and explained the situation, I would have been totally understanding. But the fact that she knew and deliberately said nothing? That’s what made my blood boil.

I had to demand proof that the charge was actually reversed. I stood there, frustrated and upset, while they took their sweet time digging up the receipt. Still, no apology. No ownership. Just a dismissive attitude like I was the one making a big deal out of their mistake.

I wanted to love this place. The food is genuinely incredible. But the way I was treated turned what should have been a great lunch into a horrible experience. If you go to Coal Stone Pizza, I hope you don’t get Mackenzie as your server. And if you do, check your bill carefully; because she won’t tell you if they overcharge you.

I won’t be coming back. Not because of...

I walked into your restaurant with the intention of ordering pizza to take home. I had a great conversation with the Hostess handling take out orders. She shared with me how she came to work with Coal Fire (Piper is her name I believe). I placed my order, went to the bathroom and then came and sat at one of your tables near the door in the dining room to wait for my pizza. Everything was great at this point. Piper told me I could wait at one of the tables in the restaurant or outside. I chose inside. She gave me my ginger ale and I waited. When the pizza arrived it was given to me at the table. I decided to have a slice (hot pizza - yum).

As I was finishing a man, I didn't catch his name stopped by the table and said, "if you are taking out, you need to take it out - but it's okay this time since we are not busy but for future reference, you can't sit here if you are doing take out."

For future reference, I will not be returning....I took issue with the approach. Piper was back in the hostess stand, she never said a word, she sends this guy over, who was nervous delivering his message to me, but there was zero rapport established, there was no conversation with me, neither asked if I changed my mind about dining in...there were so many other ways to handle this situation...needless to say, there other patrons who heard and observed this awkward interchange...

Needless to say, I asked for the name and number of the general manager. Josh, I believe is his name. Here is my conclusion of the matter: I will not be returning to this restaurant. The pizza was good - but I left the pizza I paid for with the two employees who didn't care to have any returning business from me. I am one person who has lots of influence in my network, but I wouldn't bring my team to this restaurant - a consideration I was making when I walked in the door - but your employees didn't consider that. Customer service is a lost art - given the poor customer service I received, my recommendation is that you consider who you leave to run the front of the house...it really matters. Had your staff asked me if I changed my mind about dining in, I would have said "yes" and we could have avoided my unpleasant experience, their awkwardness with me and you may have gained a customer - not to mention the opportunity to support my staff, and leaders with future...

I am a huge fan! Signature sauce is definitely the way to go. It’s almost so sweet that it’s dessert on the back of the palate, yet the same meal. I’ve made a few visits before last night but I decided to try a few items to see what I liked. I ordered the grilled caesar and added blackened chicken. This is by far my new favorite thing in life. Obviously not something I could repeat at home so.... guess I’m going for seconds and then some! Their onion rings are absolutely delicious 😋. In past visits I’ve tried the burger but I’m not a fan of the bun. It’s brioche I think, but it flakes apart and the flavor is somehow slightly off. I’ve tried the grilled chicken sub and it left a lot to be desired but after trying the blackened seasonings I might try it again that way. Last night my daughter and I dined on their patio because the weather was gorgeous and it was quite pleasant even with all the foot traffic. The only down side is they allow dogs 🐕 and due to allergies I was happy to be seated on the opposite side. I love doggos but not while trying to enjoy a meal ( he/ she was well behaved no issues just allergic). Our server was also pretty great but due to the high volume of business on weekend evenings I think she may have been slightly overwhelmed. My salad arrived but I hadn’t realized I wasn’t given a fork until I tried to dig in. I waited about 8-10 minutes before I went on the search inside myself. I also noticed the people across from ordered the salad as well and were given some type of bread that my salad did not ( it didn’t contain the traditional croutons so I think they serve it with bread ). I could’ve asked but didn’t. My daughter ordered a burger 🍔 and specifically asked if they had A1 sauce because she didn’t want to order it if they didn’t. It wasn’t until the burger was served that she announced the did not have A1. As someone who works food service I understand more then anyone things fall through the cracks and slide under the radar without being intentional but most of this could’ve been avoided. I also waited about 15 minutes for her to provide us with the check so we could leave. Was it just busy? Or the end of a labor intensive shift? Maybe because we were seated outside? I will definitely give cf another chance but if my experience wasn’t just a one time happenstance I won’t...