Maggiano's Little Italy — Restaurant in Tampa

"I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with my recent Christmas party experience at Maggiano's. This marked the fourth consecutive year we have chosen your establishment, and each previous year, we were accommodated upstairs, as requested, providing ample space for our group. This year, despite reserving a month in advance, our request for the upstairs was inexplicably denied, forcing us into a cramped and less suitable area.

This disappointment was compounded by several other significant issues. Upon arrival, we were informed of drastic menu changes, with a severely limited selection and a significant price increase. These changes were not communicated prior to the event, preventing us from exploring alternative venues. The limited menu, offering only two entree choices, was wholly inadequate for a party of 30 people with diverse dietary preferences. Our request to split the party and increase the entree options was arbitrarily denied by management.

Furthermore, the portion sizes of the dishes served were insufficient, creating an awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere among our guests. For example, only four portions of chicken parmesan were provided for a table of six people, leading to hesitation and anxiety among diners concerned about the limited supply.

When a member of our party arrived late, the appetizers were already cleared, and the waitress refused to provide additional portions, even when offered to pay extra. This rigid adherence to a predetermined schedule, despite the inherent flexibility required for social gatherings, was unacceptable.

Throughout the evening, the waitress consistently deferred every request to management, creating unnecessary delays and awkward situations. This lack of autonomy and the overall dismissive attitude of the staff were deeply disappointing.

In conclusion, this year's experience has completely eroded my positive perception of Maggiano's. Your disregard for customer satisfaction and your failure to address our concerns have led me to vow never to host another event at your establishment. I will be advising my colleagues and acquaintances to reconsider their patronage of Maggiano's and will be exploring alternative dining options, such as the superior and more affordable Joey's, located just...

My family and I were looking forward to a celebrating a big milestone celebration at this location. We made a reservation, arrived on time and chose to have the family style meal for everyone at the table to make it easier for such a big party.

Much to our disappointment, and over $500 later, worth mentioning is the service was absolutely slow for a Wednesday night. The 3 specialty drinks and sodas took a long time to come out and courses were served about 45 mimutes apart so dinner dragged on for abour 2.5 hours.

Once food began arriving, it was mediocre at best. To be more specific, the calamari were soggy, and perhaps not cooked enough. The chicken picatta and the chicken parm were really not appealing at all. It almost seemed like processed chicken with additives and binders making for an odd texture. (See picture below, hard to explain). Also, the pieces were thick versus thinly sliced which you would typically expect at an Italian eatery. Then, for pasta, the rigatoni with vodka was perfect however the alfredo pasta was way beyond al-dente to the point where the pieces were still stuck together, tasted bland and not cooked enough, making it also hard to eat.

Thankfully, dessert and drinks were awesome! The waiter tried his best and some of these things were not his fault but I would definitely think twice about spending a special occasion at this establishment expecting authentic Italian food and good service.

Seemed very unorganized and perhaps they were short staffed but it was very apparent this was a bad night for sure on their part. Not one single server walked around with the smile and they all looked a little overwhelmed. Manager was also hands on and helping at tables. Thinking back, even the hostess upon entry seemed a little disengaged and not very welcoming although I was super excited to arrive and celebrate our occasion.

Hoping it was just a bad night and they do better. Maybe communicate if the kitchen staff or waiters are backed up for better customer service. I would totally have respected the transparency vs...

I had heard a lot about Maggiano’s and wanted to try it out. Needless to say my experience was not what I expected. Upon entry we were offered to sit in the dinning area or the lounge area, we elected the lounge area and the hostess said to choose our table and she would bring us menus. Almost 10 minutes later, no hostess and no menus. We retrieved our own menus from the wait station. Our waitress seemed to be overwhelmed by something as she appeared to be nervous and anxious. We placed a drink order, an appetizer order, and was told fresh bread would be brought out as soon as it comes out of the oven. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms and fried zucchini, both were excellent. Halfway through our appetizers we had to ask the waitress could we place our entré order, “Oh yeah, no problem.” Placed our order (Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo and Spaghetti & Meatball). The SFA was very good but the S&M was very salty and the meatball seemed ‘doughy’ on the inside. I ordered a glass of sangria at $10 a glass and the glass cam filled with ice and some sangria. The amount of ice limited the amount of sangria and also watered it down. The bread still had not arrived and we had to ask the preoccupied waitress if we could have some bread (she wasn’t a mean waitress, just not attentive and absent-minded). All the while, there was a group waiting to be seated that was extremely loud and boisterous causing the atmosphere to be extremely irritating and uncomfortable. Overall, for the money, this was not worth $120+ bill not counting the tip. Will likely not return or recommend.

October 11, 2023 I am appreciative for your response, albeit more than 2 weeks later. You having me go to your website to leave the same feedback left here and that also requires the check/receipt number from my visit of more than two weeks ago is ridiculous. Copy and paste my feedback from here if it is that important to you because I cannot leave the requested information on your website because I don’t have the receipt from more than...