Monty's Restaurant & Pizzeria — Restaurant in Punta Gorda

My most recent experience at Monty’s was marked by a series of unusual and frustrating service issues. Upon arrival, my attempt to sit at the physical bar — which was 100% unoccupied — was immediately challenged. The bartender, instead of allowing us to take our seats, insisted we go back to the hostess stand to be seated. This was perplexing as, after being walked back to the bar, we were told to sit wherever we liked, leading us to choose the very seats we had initially picked.

The service idiosyncrasies continued. Another guest who sat at the bar, leaving a seat between us, was asked by the bartender to move closer to me. This seemed unnecessary as the bar never became crowded enough to warrant the move. In fact, during the 80 minutes of my visit, only a few additional patrons arrived, indicating that the original seating arrangement would have been perfectly adequate.

A particularly perplexing moment at Monty’s was related to the food ordering process. The bartender approached to ask if I would like another beer. I responded affirmatively and also requested a chicken parm hero with fries. After serving my beer and entering it into the POS system, she completely disregarded my food order. It was about 20 minutes later when she returned, and casually asked, "So you want a chicken parm hero with fries? Anything else?"

Another notable aspect of my experience was the chaotic food delivery system. With approximately 20 bar stools at the bar, one would expect each to have a designated number for efficient service. Instead, food runners haphazardly shouted out orders, leading to confusion and mix-ups, especially when multiple patrons ordered the same item. This disorganized approach contributed to a rather chaotic and inefficient dining experience.

During my visit, I frequently heard bartenders and servers apologizing to customers for being understaffed. However, upon closer observation, it appeared that there was one front-of-house staff member for every five patrons, not tables but individual patrons. This ratio doesn't seem to indicate a problem with staffing levels. Instead, it suggests that the issues may stem more from a lack of proper procedures and adequate training. Establishing more efficient processes and ensuring thorough staff training could potentially alleviate many of the service inconsistencies and improve the overall efficiency and customer...

Went to this place a little more than a week ago to celebrate a 96th birthday. Five people showed at about 4:45pm to request a table for 7. They were told no one could be seated until all 7 arrived. I was the 6th person to arrive at about 5:10pm. The table was set and all ready in the bar area. I mentioned to my party that it was ridiculous that the 6 of us couldn't be seated. The 7th was held up at work but on his way from Port Charlotte. Waiting for an entire party to be seated is usually reserved for high-end restaurants such as Carmelo's. Usually glorified pizza places don't make this rule. However, obviously we were waiting and we are free to speak to others in our party. The rude hostess/manager loudly stated that she was thinking about seating the 6 of us but since we were complaining, now we would have to "wait until the 7th person arrived". It was extremely unprofessional for Angela (nepo hire) to loudly state this, as if to "punish" us. I stepped outside to make a call to get a location of the 7th member of our party and chatted w/ two other couples outside who also agreed that the establishment is petty in making people wait for others to arrive as they, too, were not able to be seated. If the tables are available, there should be no reason not to seat, especially 6 out of 7 people. It was almost as if she didn't care if we took our business elsewhere. Poor manager but again, nepotism at its finest. My food was OK at best and it will be long time before we return due solely on the rudeness of staff who think that because they are the owner's daughter, they can treat...

Good food but unorganized take out service. I had to beg for bread.

08-18-21 UPDATE: My Mom ordered takeout from here again. My Mom loves their garlic bread with the dipping olive oil that is served in the restaurant. Management needs to realize that some people are homebound and can't go to the restaurant in person so she orders takeout instead. Almost everytime I order the garlic bread with dipping sauce it causes such a problem for the restaurant. We've actually been told that we couldn't have the bread because it's only available for dine in customers. There is no charge for the bread at the restaurant when eating there; however, when management finally authorizes the release of the bread for takeout a charge was added to her bill. She doesn't mind paying for the bread eventhough it's usually free. All she wants is the bread without a huge controversy almost every time she orders from Monty's. Management needs to realize that some people are homebound and want the same experience as a dine in customer. Fix this Monty's!!! It's only bread. UPDATE May 5, 2022- they are still charging extra for bread and oil dipping sauce when it's free for dine in customers. I don't get why the owner does this. Like I've said before: A lot of our communities" seniors are homebound like my Mother is right now. People that are homebound should be able to receive the same experience through take out. (They charge for bread that is usually free.) If you go in tell the owner that this isn't right. Food was...