La Rustica - on Magnolia — Restaurant in Summerville

I ordered a cioppino for dinner through your delivery service, expecting a delightful meal to be enjoyed by my wife. Unfortunately, the process was marred by several issues that left me disheartened and dissatisfied.

The first concern arose when I discovered that the ordering process could only be completed through your website, redirecting me to a third-party delivery service, DoorDash, via your partner Toast. This complexity in the ordering process was already a red flag for me.

Upon receiving the delivery, I was dismayed to find that the "broth" had spilled onto my driveway (see pics), rendering the meal inedible. Despite the receipt indicating that I should contact the restaurant for order issues (see pic), the delivery driver instructed me to reach out to DoorDash. This discrepancy only added to my frustration.

Upon contacting your establishment, I encountered unprofessional and unhelpful responses. Despite my efforts to communicate the issue, I was met with rudeness and a refusal to rectify the situation. The lack of accountability and customer-centric approach was deeply disappointing. Eventually I was told I could get a new one if I was willing to stop by to pick it up (sic!)

Furthermore, my subsequent visit to your restaurant to resolve the matter was met with further disappointment. The owner's reluctance to address the issue and insistence on additional payment for a replacement order was disheartening, particularly given the circumstances. He made it pretty clear that his "business ethic" prevents him for giving away food for free for third-party mistakes and I should contact Toast to express my frustration (again, not what is written on your receipt... see pic...) Just to clarify one more thing, there is no way to contact Toast anywhere on their site. Anyways, according to the successful businessman, my other option was to pay for a new order as he was not responsible for spillages on my driveway.

In summary, the entire ordeal resulted in wasted time, effort, and financial investment, leaving a lasting negative impression. As a customer who values transparency, accountability, and quality service, I felt compelled to share my experience in the hopes of a better "next time". One hour wait, three minutes on the phone with a rude person, one hour drive, five minutes of useless conversation with another rude person, one ruined night. All this for $58.50, taxes and tip included. A real deal, in my humble opinion. Needless to say, I will never ever set foot in that fine establishment and most probably will learn how to make cioppino myself.

Update (after owner's response): Following your response, I appreciate your acknowledgment. However, it appears there may still be a disconnect regarding the fundamental principles of hospitality and customer service, as outlined in your answer.

My primary concern was not centered around monetary compensation but rather the simple desire to provide my wife with a delightful dining experience (in very simple words, I didn’t want a refund and still don’t want one). When I called, I had hoped for a proactive approach from your end, with a focus on rectifying the situation rather than citing limitations. A straightforward inquiry such as, "How can we address this issue to ensure your satisfaction?" would have sufficed.

Regrettably, the best possible solution "ANOTHER CUP OF BROTH" was never presented to me. Even upon my visit to retrieve the order (as per your suggestion), there was no effort made to correct the oversight or accommodate the situation. I have heard the “contact Toast line” at least ten times…

While I understand the complexities of running a business, I believe that prioritizing customer satisfaction over profit margins is essential for long-term success. However, as presented, it seems to be much easier for you to blame it on the “wrong customer attitude” or on a poor delivery driver working hard to...

We used to love this place. Hadn’t been in a while so we decided to share a place we loved with family on a special occasion. They were busy as we expected so we were patient. We were told we could wait a little longer for a table inside but elected to sit outside for immediate seating. Their heated patio is several individual plastic bubbles with a semi-functional heater for each. We’re resilient so this wasn’t a big hiccup, other tables had a much harder time as some heaters were completely non-operational. We were surprised to find they had a special menu for Valentines that didn’t include our favorites from the regular menu. They also were out of several appetizers and entrees on the menu by our reservation time of 7:30. Which is kind of crazy considering they made a menu specifically for the evening. the time we sat to the time we received our entrees was 2 hours almost to the minute. We didn’t drink and ordered promptly. The real disappointment came when receiving our entrees, my tortellini and Scallop Dish was inedible. The scallops had a soapy flavor and mushy consistency that myself, and my family couldn’t get past. I let the server know and returned the entree. He came back saying the ownership said they could discount the entree 50 percent. There was no offer to remake the dish or make something else to replace. We did not want to put our server who was excellent through an ordeal over a poorly handled situation that was out of his control, so we paid and left. This was extremely poor form by La Rustica Management/Ownership. To wait two hours for something that is inedible is ridiculous. To make no attempt to rectify the situation was the icing on top. We can no longer recommend La Rustica when people ask about good food in Summerville. So sad that they have fallen so far in quality and customer service.

Additionally it bothers me that the ownership chimes in on reviews when they believe they are in the right but cower away when they are clearly in the wrong. They should take some of the energy they spend on debating with someone that leaves their honest review of their experience and put it into consistent service and quality of food. The inability to hold themselves accountable and continued money grab approach isn’t going to fare well in the long run. If you can’t take constructive criticism and look inward at your flaws there is no hope to get better and you’ll ultimately alienate yourself in a competitive restaurant market.

I modified my original review because I can see that they continue to pick and choose their replies to other patrons. We had no interaction with management; We paid our check without complaint after Not being offered to remake a dish or substitute for anything else. So we paid for one person to eat dinner that did not. they did not reply to my initial review. We sat for multiple hours waiting our food and then were served inedible food. They don’t realize that they never replied to my review and had no interaction with me or anyone else at my table. It would be nice if they knew what they were talking about.

Please take some accountability. Your subpar system and combative of nature are going to cost you in the long run. I feel bad for the service staff. This coming from someone who worked in the industry and did it right, as where La Rustica seems to think they are above everyone else and can do no wrong.

Learn to take accountability and don’t make up a narrative because you’re in the wrong. Lying on top of giving a terrible experience is about as...

I bought all three of my adult children's families gift certificates for Christmas to this restaurant. The first family and I went last Saturday evening. Our reservations were for 7, and they were very busy. My very young granddaughters were very excited about eating in one of the bubbles because they thought it looked like someplace Cinderella would eat. Unfortunately, my daughter wasn't aware of the difference between the covered porch and the bubbles and booked the wrong thing. When we arrived and saw where we were seated the girls were heartbroken and had instantly lost their appetite. I went inside and talked to Mariana, who was so kind and understanding. We ended up waiting for a bit, but were able to squeak all five of us into one of the small bubbles. The excitement on my granddaughter's faces was priceless! From that point on, the night just got better and better. Words can really not express how fabulous both our service and food was. I would have never believed that with a restaurant being as busy as they were that both food and service could be a 10! I am now so excited for both of the other families to use their gift certificates. My daughter told her little ones, not to worry, because they would definitely be coming back to eat in one of Cinderella's bubbles again! Thank you La Rustica, the family that owns it, and especially Mariana. We will see you all again soon!

PS... I would be remiss if I didn't mention the one thing that did cause a bit of frustration. One of the reasons I purchased the gift certificate for this particular family was that I was told that they had gluten-free pasta. My son-in-law was so excited to eat a gluten-free meal that he would really enjoy. I can understand if by 9:00 in the evening the gluten-free option was gone, but at 7:00 I was quite surprised when we found out that there was no gluten-free pasta available. I really feel the kitchen should make sure that there is enough gluten-free options if they're going to advertise that they have it. That being said, my son-in-law decided that he was not going to let a severe allergy deter him and he did have the best meal he's had in over a year. Unfortunately, he paid a very big price for it that evening and for the next...