Maggiano's Little Italy — Restaurant in Niles Township

1. Maggiano's didn't need to invest in an extensive renovation of this location. That was never why the restaurant has been steadily losing loyal patrons, and honestly the renovation isn't on-brand. The décor is attempting to be modern but in actuality is coming off cheap; chintzy light fixtures smother the ceilings and tables of cheap Formica with a marble finish are scattered almost haphazardly throughout the main dining area. The new servingware looks like something from an old garage sale, emblazoning the "M" insignia on everything was in poor taste, and the new music is terrible. People who've been loyal for years initially kept coming back because they liked the nostalgic music of a forgotten era, the white linen tablecloths that were reminiscent of Little Italy, the simple décor, and the clean look of simple white servingware. If your goal was to attract the hipster Gastropub crowd, you may get one or two oblivious Gen Z-ers who trickle in, but most people can see through this garish, ill-tailored façade.
2. Maggiano's didn't need a full menu upgrade. It's exciting to experiment with new dishes and use these fresh ideas as a gimmick to bring in new customers, but getting rid of an old tried-and-true favorite or revamping a recipe that was already perfect is a disastrous misstep. People have always had their favorites from the original Maggiano's menu so replacing those or attempting to fix something that's not broken, like the mushroom ravioli, will result in people turning to competitors who've stayed true to their original menu. What you should have done was thrown a bunch of your renovation money at Chef David Di Gregorio (the creator of Rigatoni "D" for those who don't know) and hired him on as a consultant to go through the original menu items one by one that needed tweaking/weren't selling and make suggestions.
3. Maggiano's service quality, especially in the last 2 years, is very hit or miss. I've had times when the server was amazing - present but not overbearing, exceptionally accommodating, and very friendly even if the server is clearly busy. I believe Maggiano's is aiming for a more upscale experience so you need to hire, train, and adequately (handsomely) compensate servers who are committed to making your mission a reality. If a table of 2-4 is seated next to a table of 8-12, the table of 2 shouldn't be looking around for their absent server only to find out that he/she along with nearly every server is attending to the party of 8-12 and ignoring all of the other tables for pretty much the entirety of the visit. (I get it, bigger parties = potentially larger gratuity, but the appointed server just ruined the experience for the table of 2 or 4 by being a ghost and some of those smaller parties might've been generous tippers.) If a restaurant is crowded, patience is necessary, but no one should never feel like they've been abandoned or completely ignored by their server. Guests at Maggiano's should never have to ask for bread or drink refills. It used to be expected to have complimentary fresh bread offered at the beginning of the visit along with olive oil and grated parmesan. As an aside to that, the restaurant needs to go back to LEAVING THE OLIVE OIL AND CHEESE SHAKER ON THE TABLE. If giving you a drop of oil and a shake of cheese is a money-saving technique, I hope it's saving millions, because you're sacrificing a better overall dining experience.
4. Birthdays. This one's more of personal suggestion. I don't personally enjoy the attention hoisted upon me by a half-hearted, off-key serenade of "Happy Birthday" by a disgruntled server in a crowded restaurant and I'm not a big fan of Vera's Lemon Cookies. (Sorry, Vera.) My preference would be that the server skip the singing altogether and quietly offer a limited dessert menu for a discounted or au gratis birthday treat, perhaps even a smaller portion of a regularly featured dessert. Candles optional. Better yet, give the birthday person the option of either dessert or a 5%-10% discount on the check if it's over $50. Everyone...

Took my mother to Maggiano’s Old Orchard for Mother’s Day lunch (5/8/21). Did not know you must now have a reservation to have a seat. Understandable for a Pandemic. I was forced to search for a different place to dine after that revelation. WHO KNEW! Fortunately, as I was checking for a different place to dine there was a sudden cancelation and we were seated. The STAFF is to be complimented for taking care of us in this way as I was wholly unprepared for this mishap. I have been to this location MANY times. The food has always been pretty good for pasta. However, I think those days may be behind us now and that saddens me. I passed decent Italian fair to come here because my mother has not ever been (Not a surprise with that revelation). I was looking forward to a rich dish with some tasty creamy white sauce. How very disappointed I was with the blandest of a flavor I was suddenly punished with as I had hope to enjoy as I watched the global pandemic wane. I even went off my usual dish to try something new expecting what was described as “rich flavor” by our server. HA! That was a joke to say the least. I do not mind paying for a good meal. NO, I will not pay hundreds of dollars for a 7-course meal like at Le Bec Fin (in Philly of which I have been and enjoyed; NOW closed) but honestly how hard is it to make a rich delicious cream sauce for a Lobster Carbonara? So disappointed!!! Add to that tasteless stuff mushrooms, terrible Garlic Bread, and bland Italian Sausage Flatbread. $150 and the only thing I enjoyed were the 2 French Martini’s I had to have just to TRY and enjoy this massive disappointment to my pallet. Again, my mother has never been so she would not know how bad this was, but I spent the remainder of the weekend wondering what TF happened to one of my favorite places to dine? I expected better. I guess part of this is my fault since I did not order my usual (either chicken or Veal parmesan or the Linguine and Clams). My usuals are nothing special and I enjoy them because they are hard to mess up. One more thing....Stop with the Truffle Oil. It doesn't help! One star for the food, one for the service. In conclusion the food was terrible, but the service was TOPS as expected and usual. If nothing else, I was happy to pay for that even if the food was...

After coming for an evening Mother's Day meal, my friend and I were treated to an adjacent table of an out-of-control girl (with completely beleaguered and ineffectual grandmother, grandfather, and silent/drinking parents). Highlights included, from said child: -Screaming -Table pounding -Snakish hissing (you read that right) -A full-out-of-control tantrum, making the whole place turn around and stare.

And yet, when I in frustration asked them to be quiet (45 minutes of anxiety and indigestion later), the mother flew in my face, claiming some neurological disease, and prince among men manager Troy said that if offended, WE should move. Halfway into our meal, with about 1,000 plates. And my friend who has bad legs and uses a walker. Which they insisted on taking away from him because it was "in the way."

The coup de gras is when they refused to give us a discount for being disturbed. Oh, and that Troy boy went by the other people's table not once, not twice, but FOUR SEPARATE TIMES. Ditto for Captain Courageous Zach Larks, manager. But no such concern was shown to us. No sorry. No caring.

I'm sorry, but if something was genuinely wrong with this girl, shouldn't the parents a) have some kind of a plan-breathing exercises, medication, something-to deal with her. Or, oh, I don't know, just take her outside when she gets worked up (F Y.I., I have NEVER seen a child this out of control-if she were an adult, a straight jacket would be in order-No Lie.) b) Been used to the behavior? Because the mother herself jumped up several times and ran to the bathroom, crying. That's what makes the neurological theory hard to believe. Or c) Stay home and not ruin everybody else's experience? And I'm laying this question at the parents' feet, not the child's.

And yet, we were made to look like the bad guys.

Poorly, poorly handled. A holiday ruined. And a restaurant that, after at least 20 years of patronage, I will never be giving one cent to again.

I guess they were more concerned with the amount of money that only a 6-top table can provide. So I'll happily oblige them, and take and make my multiple restaurant trips elsewhere.

Learn how to manage, "managers." (And clean your...