Yesterday we visited Pizza Hut at JM Road, Pune, after quite some days. Normally we prefer a home grown brand which is very good value for money and we generally opt for home delivery. However, once in couple of years or so, when my aunt from Nagpur is in town we head for the JM Road outlet of this reputed international chain to sample their latest offerings and yesterday was one of those days...
We walked in early for lunch, 12.20 pm to be precise and had placed our order by 12.35. It was chicken supreme and chicken handi pizzas for me and the boys, the veg crown pizza for my mother and her sister while my wife opted for the chicken lasagna. With garlic bread for starters. In line with his training the waiter informed us "10~15 minutes for the pizza" which was absolutely fine with us as we had come to enjoy a leisurely lunch.
Soon the place started filling up and we could see that our waiter who was the lone guy taking care of half the restaurant was soon going to be under some serious pressure. The pizzas started arriving one by one, no issues there, although it took us three reminders to get the mustard served on our table and by the time it finally arrived most of the pizza was already consumed. Tastewise they were fairly ok with the chicken handi being quite spicy as indicated in the menu and the toppings sparse as ever, in keeping with the usual Pizza Hut standard.
By 1.15 all of us were through with the pizzas while my wife was still waiting for her lasagna ! Of course we had been reminding the waiter every now and then and each time were assured that it was "on its way". Finally I decided to walk across to the kitchen counter to speak directly to the staff and was informed that lasagna usually "takes 10~15 mins". The fact that it was already 45 mins since we had first placed the order obviously didn't cut much ice with him. So I asked for the manager and was directed to the girl who was at the front desk, taking reservations and showing people to their tables.
This so called "manager" arrived at our table but having listened to our problem was at a complete loss for words or explanations. At just that moment the lasagna finally arrived allowing her to beat a hasty retreat. What followed then was the last straw. The lasagna which appeared undercooked to begin with turned out to be completely cold inside, so much for all the explanations regarding the baking time required. It appears that the restaurant was taking a short cut, had pulled out a frozen dish and without thawing it properly had done a cursory job of heating and served it. For a dish priced at Rs 439 + taxes !
While all this tamasha was going on we ordered couple of portions of tiramisu which arrived as frozen desserts, rock hard. Don't know why we took this risk, that too for an item which even several good restaurants find difficult to prepare. Anyway, the lasagna was sent back and we called for the bill which incidentally has service charge @ 10% included in it, paid and departed by 2 pm, bringing down the curtains on what is most certainly going to be our (my wife and I) last visit to Pizza Hut. A restaurant which opened with much fanfare over a decade ago and was famous for the large groups waiting outside (up to two hours) now deserves to be given a quiet burial. R.I.P.
We walked in early for lunch, 12.20 pm to be precise and had placed our order by 12.35. It was chicken supreme and chicken handi pizzas for me and the boys, the veg crown pizza for my mother and her sister while my wife opted for the chicken lasagna. With garlic bread for starters. In line with his training the waiter informed us "10~15 minutes for the pizza" which was absolutely fine with us as we had come to enjoy a leisurely lunch.
Soon the place started filling up and we could see that our waiter who was the lone guy taking care of half the restaurant was soon going to be under some serious pressure. The pizzas started arriving one by one, no issues there, although it took us three reminders to get the mustard served on our table and by the time it finally arrived most of the pizza was already consumed. Tastewise they were fairly ok with the chicken handi being quite spicy as indicated in the menu and the toppings sparse as ever, in keeping with the usual Pizza Hut standard.
By 1.15 all of us were through with the pizzas while my wife was still waiting for her lasagna ! Of course we had been reminding the waiter every now and then and each time were assured that it was "on its way". Finally I decided to walk across to the kitchen counter to speak directly to the staff and was informed that lasagna usually "takes 10~15 mins". The fact that it was already 45 mins since we had first placed the order obviously didn't cut much ice with him. So I asked for the manager and was directed to the girl who was at the front desk, taking reservations and showing people to their tables.
This so called "manager" arrived at our table but having listened to our problem was at a complete loss for words or explanations. At just that moment the lasagna finally arrived allowing her to beat a hasty retreat. What followed then was the last straw. The lasagna which appeared undercooked to begin with turned out to be completely cold inside, so much for all the explanations regarding the baking time required. It appears that the restaurant was taking a short cut, had pulled out a frozen dish and without thawing it properly had done a cursory job of heating and served it. For a dish priced at Rs 439 + taxes !
While all this tamasha was going on we ordered couple of portions of tiramisu which arrived as frozen desserts, rock hard. Don't know why we took this risk, that too for an item which even several good restaurants find difficult to prepare. Anyway, the lasagna was sent back and we called for the bill which incidentally has service charge @ 10% included in it, paid and departed by 2 pm, bringing down the curtains on what is most certainly going to be our (my wife and I) last visit to Pizza Hut. A restaurant which opened with much fanfare over a decade ago and was famous for the large groups waiting outside (up to two hours) now deserves to be given a quiet burial. R.I.P.
