Pasta Express — Restaurant in Springfield

I've been taking my 5 kids to pasta express for 12yrs it's a family tradition. Theyre practically grown now. We haven't went in about a year or two. We were excited. I came with two of my son's. The waitresses use to come to your table and take your order. We sat there waiting for almost 30 minutes before we realized we should ask why no one took our order. The waitress did greet us when we walked in she talked so fast and we said we needed a minute, she left and never came back 30 minutes later. We had to go to the counter and order it was a bunch of young teens working they did not bring us drinks. We had to go to the front and get them. They did not bring us rolls until we asked. The rolls were so hard I could barely stab it with a knife it was depressing. We didn't get our rolls or appetizers until the food was already brought to the table. Appetizers are meant for while you are waiting for your meal. My kids and I don't get to spend family time like we used to and we were looking forward to it and it was crappy. They never brought us more rolls later, like they used to but they're supposed to be unlimited? It was just weird. It wasn't the same experience as it used to be. I felt like it was similar to going to burger king. When it was full service it was a completely different feeling going there. The teen workers were all just standing around while we sat at the table for almost 30 minutes waiting for them to take our order you'd think one of them would have said something. We got there an hour before close but by the time we realized no one was coming to take our order went up there confusd.  We had to rush and eat because they left us sitting at the table for 30 min until we came to the counter and had to find out on our own we order at the counter now. It was stressful. I just felt like the workers seemed like lazy entitled teens. Not very hospitable and then of course my son has a big heart and gave them a ten dollar tip just bc he began working at 14 and can relate. But they didn't earn the tip at all. They weren't coming to the table even trying to ask us if we need anything. They didnt even say thank you as we were leaving. I had to say it. I was a waitress for several years. They came to the table twice in an hour? I have no idea why my son gave them a $10 tip. It used to be such a great place to go now there's just a bunch of lazy teens that stand around and wait for you to ask for their service. You're not supposed to have to ask, they're supposed to come to your table and ask if you are doing ok and need anything. That's how restaurants work. People go out to eat to get a break. I know in all my years of waitressing you never caught me standing around ESPECIALLY in front of customers. They should know better. You'd think they would be trying to earn tips. I constantly asked people if they needed anything if they were doing ok if they needed refills, napkins, desert. And they used to do that here years ago. They could have at least asked if we wanted more rolls right?  Really dissapointing. Especially with it being a family tradition and everything being so expensive right now, spending money to go to a restaurant and it turning out like that.  Been going there for years and I had to ask for rolls they only brought one basket and I was trying to cut into it with a knife in front of the waitress and couldn't even get the knife in and she didn't even offer to get us more rolls bc of them being so hard. That was very rude of her to just stand there and watch me try to cut into this rock hard roll and not get us softer rolls. That's her Job. Why would you let someone pay $40 for hard rolls and lazy kids standing around watching you struggle to eat a rock hard cold roll?  My goodness times have changed. And something should probably be done about the employees bc they're getting paid to act like that. If you have lost business lately that is why. I know it's hard to know what's going on when your not there and you can't watch every move your employees make but they really aren't doing there...

In the past I've always enjoyed eating at 5 6 press today I went to the one on your public road and ordered read raviolis and a side salad which I've done many times before in the past and a glass of ice water which the guys the window promptly forgot and when open the window backup when I not done so I had to go back to the speaker again Then when I went to eat it I realize that I had order to meet sauces but only got 1 because 1 meat sauce is never enough and the container that they give you is it but how full barely so they forgot my other meat sauce so then I started eating on the salads and it's like so saturated with dressing to the point that the what is this kind of wealthy and slimy like they had pre made the salad and put way to much dressing on it I was very very unhappy and how we won't be going there for one thing it was $12 you can buy a pocket Joe's frozen raviolis for $5 that would be equivalent to 3 or 4 Mills and salad so with was overpriced and it didn't taste good lettuce salad tasted very salty just over in general it...

WAAAAAAAY WAY WAAAAY too expensive for noodles and sauce. you're not olive garden! I'm not family here! i don't get free endless breadsticks with choice of salad and soup for a small up charge... what is this???? $40 for 2 entrees and 1 dessert and you are only a LITTLE bit better than fazolis? no no no no no! your food should be $15 less at least. no.

-ignorant owner response- The point was that Olive Garden is far better for equal to lesser cost with the freebees. Guess that went over your head though that's fine. Also please don't bring quality into this when you put provel cheese on your salads. You're correct in one thing though, that My heart and wallet are no longer with you. If i live to see you shut down I'll have a little party Good thing olive garden catering is cheaper than yours. (you should feel really terrible if they are microwaving it because it's so0o0 much...