Reviews for Geno's New York Pizza

06/07/2009 - Local Jays
This restaurant is open in a new location in downtown Madras, and my S/O and I decided to try it for a special dinner out to celebrate a birthday. It has a good location, lots of windows overlooking the street and downtown, and looked very good on the surface. Nice white tablecloths and attractive table set-ups made us think it would be a good experience. The first bad sign was when we entered through the "back" door from the parking lot and were ignored by the girl at the counter and an older man who was apparently the host; that should have been a bigger clue than the tablecloths, I guess. We were eventually noticed; after leading us to a table and dropping off menus, the host disappeared without a word. We checked out the menu, discussed what we wanted to order for appetizers and entrees, and even picked out dessert. We waited. Waited some more. We eavesdropped on a neighboring table asking a question of the host: "Do you have champagne?" "No." Okay, if I owned a restaurant with a full bar, I'd probably have a bottle or two of champagne tucked away; I might even duck out the kitchen door and run up to Safeway and buy one to accommodate a customer's wish. But that's just me. Back at our table, we continued to wait. Looked around for attention: water? breadsticks? a smile to make us feel we might be coming up on the list? EYE CONTACT? Nope. Crickets. After 15 minutes or so, we were getting antsy and started discussing other options for this birthday dinner. A waitress finally patted my S/O's shoulder and said "I'll be right with you guys", but it was really too late by that point. We got up and walked out, telling the host (who may be the owner, I don't know) that we didn't want to wait anymore and were tired of being ignored. His verbal response: "Oh. Sorry." His response as perceived by us: "Oh. Big deal."

So....I can't really review the food, since my blood sugar must have been too low for their timetable and I didn't have the opportunity. What I do know for certain is that they need to step up and provide better service and attention to people who walk in the door ready to spend money at their establishment. We are not demanding, high-maintenance diners, and we're generous tippers when we're treated right. I remember reading in a newspaper article that the owners of Geno's hope to benefit from the through-traffic on Hwy 97; maybe they think that means they can ignore locals and just take tourist money. You know what? Locals keep local businesses open. I live here, and if anyone passing through asks me where to eat in Madras, it sure as hell won't be Geno's Grill. On a final, happier note, we drove out to Culver and had a terrific dinner with great service at the Bad Monkey Pub. Try the coconut shrimp and tell 'em you want the white sauce.