Grotto Pizza — Restaurant in Seaford

The WORST grottos ive ever been to. I’m truly appalled at how I was treated at this location. I have been to grottos all over the state and will never return to this location again. SPECIFICALLY bc of how terribly I was treated. I’ve actually never had anyone in hospitality speak to me the way this woman did. I’ll start from the beginning. I enter grotto waiting at the hostess stand with my 3&4 year olds. We wait forever. Which isn’t that bad but no one even said “hey we’re super busy, we’ll be with you shortly”. No. I just waited. So I went to the bar to find someone who worked there and could seat my family. I stood waiting there too. Searching around a fellow customer pointed at an employee who I said “oh finally!” She said with a sour face “what do you want” i said “to be seated at a table….” She proceeded with the attitude and sat us down. Never said her name. Never smiled. Took my drink order. I tried to be more chipper to her. She didn’t change her tone. She took our pizza order. Mine came out wrong. She takes forever to come back to the table. Now I’m upset. The only reason she came over was bc an employee told heard me upset and her to. At this point I’m mad bc my kids are almost done their personal pizza. And I don’t have time now to wait for them to fix the mistake. I’m not bringing it home to eat soggy pizza. I came out for fresh pizza. I explain this to her. I tell her I’m twice as mad bc no one acknowledged me to seat me and now they ruined my order and I can’t eat the dinner I came for. Without any empathy she says in the NASTIEST way possible “were understaffed and I heard what you said to the person up front” i said “excuse me. That’s absolutely no excuse to be rude to me the entire time I’m here. who is YOUR MANAGER?!” That’s when she disclosed she was. I laughed and told her take the pizza off my check I will not be paying for it or ever coming back to this establishment. She said again in a condescending tone “I’ll take it off after I take this pizza back.” I said then take it now. Paid my bill and spilled what was left my drink on the remains of the kids pizza. I know that was dramatic but when I tell you this woman had ZERO resolve skills. I have worked in hospitality. I have worked in customer service. This woman was the utmost horrific employee, let alone, manager I’ve ever encountered. I’m beyond upset over this because we just bought a house in this town. We were going to spend a lot of money at this location. I guess not now.

I can completely understand why this location is understaffed. I would never work this with...

The food and the atmosphere at times can be top-notch The beer to me is ice cold and colder than any other beer around town especially the draft bartenders are a top notch team. But I'm sorry to say when it comes to the greetings at the door most of the serving staff and even some of the some of the cashiers and cooks you get looks like what are you doing here why are you bothering me and it's just uncomfortable you should always feel as though you you are welcomed for your pleasure to have you choose us over any other restaurant that's in town and how can I serve you better this evening than you ever had before this is what I grew up with I am a dietitian I am a certified sous chef so I might grade harder but it's not hard to grade when you can easily see in the faces of some of these young people that were just there to bother them and that's just to me it's disgusting because I come from a lineage where if you didn't have an attitude of customer first and understand that if it wasn't for that customer I wouldn't have my life I wouldn't have my bills paid for I wouldn't have anything that I'm trying to work hard for if I didn't show appreciation for that I was out the door no hit fans or butts and these days and age they get so much money an hour nearly twice as much as I've ever had an hour just to please show up and please walk around but don't pick up any trash off the floor don't try to straighten anything don't dust anything don't clean anything Don't even smile just show up and we'll pay you double of what your parents made an hour and that's disgusting I can't be the only one that feels that way if I am then I'm set in my ways but I've been around long enough that when I make a decision or an opinion I usually am good enough to step outside myself and ask how would I do it if I was that person and someone like me walked in that's how I always have done life and has gotten me far so I don't think I'm going to change and turn into their way...

WARNING: This review includes photos of a foreign item found in food prepared by this establishment.

Last week (6/20/25) while in town for an event, a family member suggested ordering from Grotto Pizza in Seaford, DE after a long day’s travel. After reading some recent poorly rated reviews, we still decided to take the chance based on my relative’s suggestion (she is a long time local of the area), and the pleasant memories I had of visiting Grotto Pizza with her as a child. Picking up the take-out order, the server was kind, though we did note we were not offered or provided any condiments for our meal, which was unfortunate once we arrived to our rental home. This turned out to be only a minor slight, as the fried zucchini ordered was soggy, the burgers were unseasoned, and the cheesesteak I ordered contained a very clear and obvious insect in it. I am grateful that because I forgot to ask for light cheese, I was using a spoon to scoop out any unwanted pockets – which is where I made this appalling discovery.

After composing myself, my relative and I returned to the restaurant with the evidence. We spoke to a manager that was both helpful and remorseful of our experience, though when we asked for a full refund and she had to consult the general manager, he did not acknowledge or approach us with any apology for what occurred in his establishment. My hope in sharing this review is that this location will take note & take accountability. While I'm no authority, I honestly feel this location should receive an inspection. It is absolutely unacceptable that this happened and there was no effort on higher management’s part to do anything about it. What is the most disappointing is that my once warm and nostalgic image of this restaurant chain has now been reduced to this negative experience. I will not be returning, and I caution anyone considering visiting this location to...