Giordano's — Restaurant in St. Charles

Dear Giordano’s,

I’m writing to express my dissatisfaction with my recent experience at your restaurant on the evening of Monday, January 13, 2025, and the poor customer service that followed. After being a loyal customer for over 30 years, I feel compelled to share my frustration and disappointment with how I was treated.

I placed an order for your "Game Day Deal" – a medium deep-dish pizza, a double order of wings, and four chocolate chip cookies – along with an additional order of garlic bread. I also attempted to use an “e bonus” gift certificate I had purchased earlier this year, but discovered it had expired 13 days ago, on December 31st. I admit I didn’t notice the expiration date, but I thought I’d still inquire about using it, hoping the manager might have some discretion.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I presented the gift certificate, but it was declined. I take responsibility for not using it sooner, but I had hoped there would be some flexibility given my long history as a customer. I paid the full price of $68.00, including tip.

Before leaving, I double-checked my order with both the server and the manager, Peter. They both assured me the order was complete. However, when I got home, I found the garlic bread was missing. I immediately called the restaurant and informed them of the mistake. The server took responsibility and said the garlic bread was still in the warmer if I wanted to return to pick it up. Given the frigid temperatures, I told her I wasn’t willing to make another trip. I then had to ask for a credit for the garlic bread, to which she agreed.

I later spoke with Peter, who apologized for the oversight. I asked if there was anything more he would do to compensate for the inconvenience, and he told me he would be crediting my account for the garlic bread I didn’t receive. While I appreciate the gesture, I was hoping for something more than just a credit for an item I already paid for. As a customer who has been loyal for decades, I expected a more thoughtful response, such as an additional credit for the inconvenience, a gift card, or at least some form of goodwill beyond just correcting the error.

As a result of this experience, I’ve decided that I will no longer be a customer of Giordano’s. Over the years, I’ve had many options for pizza in the tri-city area (St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia), but after this treatment, I will be exploring other choices moving forward. I hope this feedback helps improve your service, but unfortunately, my loyalty has come to an end.

I hope...

My friend and I dined in this restaurant around 4:15 pm on one Sunday in July. Something gross happened the 2nd time, with the same waiter, that I have to disclose here.

First off, we LOVE the food here and dine in regularly. But, the service we received (two times) from this specific waiter was gross -

1. When we were seated, found a small pile of water on the table, this waiver quickly wiped with his bare hand and arm.

2. After we received our water, I asked if I could have a piece of lemon for my water. He came back with one dry piece of lemon, holding by his thumb and index, trying to put it into my glass. I stopped him immediately and said, "Sorry, I need another piece in stead, because this piece is almost dry out. Plus, I need couple pieces more. Thanks." (I mistakenly thought if I asked more than one piece, he probably would put them into a small plate in stead of his fingertips.) He came back the 2nd time. Holding 2 pieces of better lemon, still, holding by his thumb and index! 😣 😝 I stopped him the 2nd time and requested to put the lemon pieces into some plate or whatever the small container instead of touching by his hands. He looked at me with a surprise and wonder for few seconds, then came back the 3rd time with 2 pieces of lemon (still those 2 original pieces of fingers-touched lemon!? Maybe...) in a small plate.

I've eaten my food the whole time with discomfort. I can't believe this happened the 2nd time with this specific waiver, and, this waiver was still there! What a shame - wonderful food with the...

Visiting from out of town, our 3-year-old daughter declared that she wanted pizza for lunch, so we looked for something local (or at least a chain we don't have back in Ohio). Giordano's had solid reviews and was close to our hotel, so we gave it a go.

Short story, our server Ilona made us feel as though we were eating in the kitchen of a loving Italian grandma. Seriously, she was fantastic, and easily earned the fifth star on this review.

The food was solid - the app sampler was more food than we wanted, but everything on it was good. I loved the lighter batter on the fried mushrooms, the toasted ravioli was tasty and the fried mozzarella was excellent and served with a really good marinara.

My only hiccup here is that I didn't grasp that thin-crust at a Chicago-style pizzeria doesn't mean the same thing as it does back home: our thin-crust pizza was still 1 inch thick! They do have an "extra thin" crust option, which we'd probably have tried had we realized the semantic difference for folks not from the Chicagoland area.

All that said, the crust itself was really good! And I'm not sure they could have put more cheese on the pizza if they tried. The sauce is flavorful, although the pepperoni were sort of MIA.

Bottom line, Ilona was fantastic and the food was good bordering on really good. Will definitely come back the next time...