Mr Gatti's Pizza — Restaurant in Universal City

This past Monday, I ate at Mr. Gatti's with my mom and son. We all had lunch and played games while at this location. We had fun, but there were some minor issues which needed improvement.

We sat in the room where they were playing Toy Story and my son enjoyed watching it while he ate. Then we had fun in the arcade, playing a variety of games and my son played on the playscape in the corner.

While we had fun, there were a few concerns we had while visiting there. They were mostly minor, but there were so many of them that it seemed like a lot more.

All of us had cold pasta, which either was not kept properly heated or had possibly just been out too long and needed replacing.. My mom scooped some out of the bottom which was still hot, however, but only after we realized the pasta on the top was cold.

The salad bar had decent choices on dressing but was limited as far as ingredients, and didn't have some of the items I would have wanted which most salad bars have. I spoke with a representative from Gatti's and they said that some of these things were a little expensive, but they were things all salad bars should have and I informed her that I would even be willing to pay a bit more for the buffet if it meant I got the choices I wanted.

There were a few minor issues with two of the games as well. One had a ticket jam on one side. Unfortunately it was the side I played first, and I didn't notice until I played a few times and went to get tickets. Another game with plastic balls had one almost torn in half and needed replacing.

The next issues were fairly minor, but were magnified by the general manager of the location making excuses, which is very unprofessional and likely to drive customers away, rather than making them want to return. I discussed this with the representative, who agreed that he handled the situation incorrectly.

My mom found a filthy bathroom stall with no toilet paper and a mess near the soft drink machine. She mentioned it to the manager, who said they were understaffed due to the holiday. Instead of an excuse, he should've said something like 'I'm sorry, I'll have that taken care of right away' and either cleaned up himself or sent someone to do it. Then she would've felt like her concern was being addressed.

She also saw a pizza that looked burnt. She informed the manager, who said that was the way thin crust pizzas come out. I have seen thin crust pizzas both at other Mr. Gatti's locations as well as at other pizza restaurants and, if cooked properly, they do not come out like that. Obviously there are differences between cooking thin and thick crust pizzas, but it shouldn't be overdone, let alone burnt.

These are minor issues but stacked together aren't good, but I was told by the person I spoke with that these issues would all be addressed. If I knew I was going to have a repeat of my experience on Monday, I would not want to return. However, if these issues are corrected, I would love to go back there...

• Update *

Kinda disappointed, my last trip was during lunch, selection of items was a lot less than Im used to. Items were not refilled as frequently, left before I had a chance to get more of an item because it had been empty for 20 minutes. No longer had the hot pasta salad that I liked. I rarely eat a baked potato here and I ate 2 on this visit due to lack of other items. Prices have increased enough that I dont feel like its really much of a deal at lunch. It used to be marginally better than Cici's, for just a dollar or so more. But now its priced close to what It would cost to go to a Chinese buffet or get a decent meal at a restaurant. Will probably be eating here less.

What To Order: Buffet

Mr Gattis buffet is a decent pizza buffet, which I prefer over others since it offers more than just pizza. The buffet includes, spaghetti, salads, a hot pasta, baked potatoes, desert pizzas, cinnamon sticks and a few other items. Another major factor is that this buffet is extremely affordable at less than $8.

My favorite items on the buffet are the cinnamon sticks, and the hot pasta. If your interested in a type of pizza that isn't on the buffet they will usually make it for you by request. All the regular pizza selections are normally available.

Its best to visit the location before 8pm, as the buffet is refreshed less after this time, and selection decreases very quickly, especially on weeknights. Pizza quality is OK, thin crust, not the best pizza anywhere, but pretty good. The pasta is excellent, potato soup can be good during the winter time, & the cinnamon sticks make a great finish to the meal.

The Pat Booker location has a nice arcade and game room in the back, and a few dining rooms that offer a nice eating experience, especially with kids. Even as an adult I eat in the cartoon room, as sometimes they are screening a recent animated movie, other times catching an old classic from when I was a kid.

I've also brought my laptop and hotspot in before, and worked with a business associate from a table while eating. They didn't seem to have any problem with this.

I would recommend this buffet for families with kids, as well as adults looking for a cheap meal with a good selection of items. At the price offered, its hard to not get your moneys worth here especially when an order of cinnamon sticks from another pizza places costs almost as much as the...

I just had my daughter's birthday party here and paid for their biggest party package. When my guests started to arrive there was no pizza on the buffet, so I figured they were almost done making some more pizzas but I was sadly mistaken. My guests and I went up to the buffet plenty of times to see if maybe they put some fresh food (or any food at that) on the buffet, but of course there wasn't, and when I asked my party host what was going on with the buffet she couldn't give me an answer. I have had many birthday parties here in the past and they were just ok but this time around it was the worst experience I've ever had, I was expecting for my party hero to entertain all of the kids but all she could do was make the same balloon animals for everyone; and when I asked if she was going to play any games with the kids she replied with that they dont really do that and that she didn't have any prizes to give out. When I had or even attended parties at other pizza places they don't have any prizes to give out to the winners either but do offer a few pieces of candy to the winners, but hey it's just the thought that counts. I felt really bad for our party hero she looked very tired and annoyed that she was there (especially since she had explained that she had been there for 12 hours already to one of my guests) I felt since I had my party at a later time I got the worst of the whole experience of being there, and when my guests went to the manager to express their frustration he was no help at all, basically "what you see is what you get" type of attitude. I wouldn't waste time or money having...