Coal Fire — Restaurant in Maryland

We've eaten at Coal Fire a few times and it's always been good so we decided to order from there for our daughter's birthday party. We ordered 3 pizzas and only received 2. We called and were told to come back for our remaining pizza. When my husband got there the person behind the counter kept insisting we were not owed another pizza until the girl working next to him leaned over and looked at the order and told him were in fact owed the pizza. Then, with no apology for the mistake or basically accusing him of lying, my husband was told it would be 10-15 minutes for the pizza. Mind you, this was after we called and were told to come back for the pizza and my husband made the 20 minute drive back there. My husband stood and waited for 30 minutes. No one acknowledged him further, no one gave him an update on the pizza, no one apologized for the wait. All of this while we had a house full of guests for our daughter's birthday party. Finally my husband asked to see the manager and asked to step to the side to talk so as to be out of ear shot of other customers. The manager was not apologetic and in fact was completely disrespectful to my husband telling him that his frustration was not going make his staff want to work any faster. He accused my husband of being "aggressive" and there are those of us who know what that coded language means. My husband stepped to the side and dropped his voice specifically to not cause a scene and this was the response he got. My husband felt the manager was intentionally trying to escalate the situation so that he could have a reason to call the police so he just ended the conversation. The pizza finally came and again, no apology, no offer to make it right. Nothing. Even though my husband stood there and watched staff apologize profusely to "certain other" customers whose orders they messed up. Ultimately my husband missed the bulk of our daughter's birthday party dealing with this horribly disrespectful and unprofessional behavior. Coal Fire definitely can't give us those missed memories back and I doubt they'd give us our $70 back. I will never patronize this establishment again and neither will any of our guests...

We have been loyal customers of Coal Fire Pizza for some time, primarily because of the consistently excellent pizza. However, my last three visits have left me thoroughly disappointed, and it's clear that the management of the staff is significantly contributing to this decline in service quality.

On each of my recent visits, the neglect of basic dining area maintenance has been glaringly obvious. Tables were often left uncleared and uncleaned, leading to a disorganized and unappetizing atmosphere. It is quite off-putting to arrive hungry and eager to enjoy a meal, only to be greeted by messy tables and scattered utensils as you are taken to your table.

One of the most frustrating aspects has been the staff's apparent preoccupation with hanging out in the back area near the hallway leading to the bathrooms. Their focus seems to have shifted from tending to customers to socializing away from the dining area. This has directly impacted not only table service but also the overall customer experience.

Additionally, the music played in the back area behind the oven is so loud that it often blares over the main dining room music. This creates an unpleasant and chaotic auditory environment that detracts from what should be an enjoyable dining experience. Such noise levels are not only disruptive but also not good when you want to enjoy the atmosphere.

Despite these issues, I must stress that the pizza at Coal Fire Pizza remains fantastic. It is the primary reason I have continued to visit despite the deteriorating service. However, based on my recent experiences I recommend getting...

I ordered for the first time last Saturday night and my pizza was wrong! I called in to order a 16 inch extra cheese pizza and the pizza definitely did not have extra cheese and the it was old and looked like it was sitting for a long time!! I hear good things about coal fire that's why I wanted to try. I did not have a pleasant experience. maybe because I placed the order late and it being a Saturday!! Definitely was expecting a better experience!

Update to my previous review Came again and ordered another extra cheese pizza along with another chicken and extra cheese pizza. Once again the pizza's did not have extra cheese on it and looked like it was not freshly baked!!! I thought after being disappointed on my first visit Saturday that going mid week it would be better!!! Nope!! This time I had them remake the pizza and the manager actually came out to explain to me that at coal fire that is their extra cheese! He said that if I want it to have more cheese to ask for triple cheese which would cost an additional topping? Understandable if that is they signature their pizza. Now that it was explain to me This place probably isn't going to be a first choice with my children. Early because they like lots of cheese lol I will say the manager of the store was extremely nice and even walked the remade pizzas out to my car. After getting home bringing the pizza to my family they were disappointed. Over all opinion not...