Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Norwood

This isn't going to be a typical review. I am a career restaurant worker, been working in both front and back of house for 20 years. I've been through corporate restaurants, franchises, partnerships and sole proprietorships. My first restaurant, Outback Steakhouse, I spent 10 years working every single Christmas Eve and Christmas Day through the 2000's, so I am very reluctant to write this review...but I have to say something. My mother's side of the family has not prepared food on holidays since our grandmother, the only person who could cook, passed a few years back, and we've been coming to Buca consistently for our holiday meals. Since I worked so many of these during my first decade in the industry, we are grateful for the people working on those busy and difficult days, and our family is not difficult to wait on...no special requests, no specific instructions, very laid back, just happy to not have to clean up after a long buildup of stress over the holidays. That being said, we visited Buca on Monday for Christmas, and I have to say it was the worst dining experience I have ever had in my life. We were a 5-top, sat at a table in the bar where the seating was very uncomfortable for us, however we said nothing about it, simply because we aren't those customers. There was a Dora the Explorer children's bandaid stuck to the booth right up near my uncle's back which was a bad omen right off the bat. The server was nice and polite, however it took about 15 minutes for the greeting process and for him to bring out waters for everyone and two coffees. We ordered the chicken pesto pasta, chicken marsala, salmon sorrento, green beans and broccoli. The bread plates stayed piled at the edge of the table for literally the entire meal, even through dessert. There were flies, which is understandable being near a bar with all the syrups, but it was still very off-putting while waiting 35 minutes for the food to arrive. When the food arrived, I noticed that the vegetables were literally blanched, at best, and room temperature. Seasoning on the broccoli was good, but both dishes were cold and very underdone. The salmon was raw, however I took two bites of it before I realized how underdone it was. Out of the 5 pieces, 2 were raw and 3 were cooked, however the entire dish was cold. I then proceeded to have explosive diarrhea within 10 minutes of consuming farm-raised, raw salmon, but there was not only dried fecal matter splattered underneath the toilet lid in the only stall in the men's bathroom, when I went to grab toilet paper to lower the lid and lay down a barrier, I realized there was no toilet paper...which meant that I had to grab a stack of brown z-fold disposable hand towels used for hand washing. After all this, we boxed up the remainder, and the recooked salmon was not finished for at least 30 minutes after we sent it back, so it was boxed up as well. For the record, this review would not exist if at least there was toilet paper in the restroom, however there were failures at so many different levels, it is abundantly clear that management has given up. No manager ever stopped by and touched the table, no action taken for consumption of raw salmon, no offering of any consolation in any way. My brother said the two chicken dishes were good, but everything we were served came out room temperature at best. I really hope that something changes, because we have typically been very happy with Buca, but honestly, you couldn't pay to get me back in there after that. I wish I could give a zero...

BEWARE! I visited this restaurant last Friday for my work Christmas dinner. A few of us arrived early and were seated at the bar waiting on the rest of our party/the table to be cleaned. I ordered a drink and cashed out with the bartender. I used my debit card, wrote a ZERO for the tip and handed my receipt to the bartender (Amanda) along with a $5.00 cash tip. As a former server/bartender I always leave cash so that my tip isn't taxed/they may have to wait til payday to get their money. When the transaction posted to my bank in the very early morning hours of Monday, the transaction amount was for $36.24. Thankfully I have my banking app set up so that when finalized transactions are posted I receive a text message. So I was quite taken aback when I realized I was charged an additional $17 over and above what I paid. I still have my receipt from the restaurant reflecting my total of $19.24, and where I noted I did indeed leave a zero tip on my card. Realizing what had happened I called first thing Monday morning and spoke to the general manager Grace Duncan. She apologized for the error and stated that she would look into the matter and refund my card. I thanked her profusely for the help and thought that was it. Fast forward to today, 3 days later, and there is still no credit given back to my card for the additional money taken. After trying to call the restaurant and receiving no answer, I decided to use my lunch to go down to the restaurant and speak to a member of management myself. I realize it was their lunch rush, but I was left standing in the hallway for over 15 minutes before asking for a manager again. When I spoke to the manager Trent, he then gave my receipt and information to Grace who ironically was there. She left me waiting for another 5 or so minutes before coming up to me to inform me that she was " too busy " and had not looked into the issue yet. I understand it is the holidays, I understand they are very busy, but to leave me waiting almost 20 minutes to speak to you, and then to dismiss my issue stating that you are too busy is horrible customer service. On top of that she took my receipt and my notes, presumably back to the office, and never returned leaving me standing there. Trent, realizing I was still standing there, went back to the office again to retrieve my receipt and my paperwork. She apparently had no intention of returning to speak with me. I have now started a fraud investigation and disputed the charge with my card, which of course will take 10 to 15 business days. I do not recommend using a credit card or debit card of any kind at this restaurant. I assumed that the $17 tip was added in error, but now I wonder if this was an accidentally on purpose and that is why they are so unresponsive.

EDIT: I did reach out via their "contact us" link on their website the same day as this review was posted (as requested by the below response). I STILL HAVE NOT been contacted by any one from their organization. Further solidifying my previous statement that this is not an isolated issue and theft must be a...

I’ve never been so insulted by a “dining” experience in my life. Here’s the unvarnished truth: Fifty. Minutes. Of. Nothing. We arrived at our reservation time—only to discover there was no host, no seating plan, and absolutely no acknowledgement that we existed. The clock ticked past 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes…and still, nobody came to seat us, help us, or even offer an apology. It was like we’d wandered onto the set of a restaurant-themed ghost town. Staff That Looks Like They’d Rather Be Anywhere Else When we finally spotted someone behind the counter after 30 excruciating minutes, the staff member looked like we were personally responsible for the apocalypse. No greeting, no “I’m sorry,” not even so much as a “Can I help you?”—just a panicked dash into the back of the restaurant when we asked about our table. Their faces were a perfect mix of misery, anger, and total indifference. Reservation System from Hell The online booking tool cheerfully let us reserve the single remaining slot at 7:00—despite a line stretching out the door. Whoever built this system clearly never asked for input from an actual human being. It’s either the world’s worst piece of software or a clever way to set people up for outright mockery. Zero Communication, Zero Empathy Not once did a manager emerge to assess the carnage or issue the bare minimum of a “We apologize for the wait.” No free drinks, no bread basket, not even a post-it note explaining why we were being ignored. Can you imagine paying good money to be invisible? Welcome to this disaster of a restaurant. The Bottom Line If you enjoy feeling like a ghost, if you want to test your patience to the breaking point, or if you’re in the market for a place that redefines “customer service” as “customer suffering,” then by all means—give this place a try. Otherwise, save yourself the headache, the humiliation, and the wasted hour of your life. They desperately need competent management, a functioning seating system, and most of all, a heart.

Avoid this place at all costs. This wasn’t a wait for dinner—it was a masterclass in how to completely ruin an evening before you...