My experience with Tropea was awful. It was Valentine's Day, so it is understandable that things were super busy. In the end, a promised meal didn't happen, they hung up the phone on me, and a special evening was almost ruined. The experience was a real disappointment, and created a crisis for me!\r
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I called the restaurant at 4:30pm. I asked if they could fill a take out order early in the evening. The gentleman said yes. He was welcoming and happy to talk to me. I was about to place the order, but he suggested looking at the website and calling back. I was on the road, he said around 5:30pm was fine. \r
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When I called back around 5:30pm, a second person answered the phone. When I mentioned the agreement with the first gentleman, he said ""Who did you talk to?"" Then I heard a bunch of yelling in the background. He came back and said, ""We can't take a to-go order."" Click. Yes, really, he hung up on me. I was upset. It is not pleasant to be livid as you prepare for your Valentine's Day evening!\r
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I called a second time- it turns out it was a simple misunderstanding. I thought _near_ 5:30 was good, he thought I was calling _before_ 5:30. So the few minutes made a big difference to him. Honestly, had I known I had to call _before_ 5:30, I wouldn't have just spent 15 minutes examining the menu and talking to my sweetie!\r
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I really enjoyed the original conversation with this restaurant. I like the high spirited authentic feeling, even from the yelling! But it is inappropriate to hang up on a customer. It is important to back the word of an employee, even if they make a poor decision. Tropea will not be in my plans for the future.\r
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Thank goodness I was able to save the evening with the excellent customer service with Pasta Nova in Woodinville. I hope Tropea's customer service would keep up with the quality of the food. Really a shame.
Pros: great reputation for great food
Cons: customer service
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