Joseph O.
Yelp
Up until now Anthony's has been one of our favorite pizza places in Palm Beach County - particularly for their pepperoni pies. Their service is usually friendly and fairly good, and their pizza ranges from good to excellent. But after this last visit, I would not recommend anyone come here for a table service meal, at least not in the evening after 7:30PM or so.
We showed up around 7:30PM on a Tuesday and asked the hostess for a table. We got told it would be a 30 minute wait, which we said was okay. Then she corrected herself "no wait, maybe more like 45 minutes, are you sure?" We said yes again and then she walked away. I should have recognized at that point that she really just wanted us to leave. We realized a bit later that she didn't take our name. Another woman maybe the manager walked up to us like 10 minutes later and asked if we were there for a pickup order, and we told her that no we would just like to get our name on the list to be seated. Again, she walked away without taking our name. Then we see the manager and the hostess talking over in the corner, and still nobody comes to get our name.
Then I look around the restaurant and notice almost every seat - including the seats at the bar - is full, but nobody is leaving and nobody else is waiting in the front area to be seated. The pizza kitchen is going full speed and people are coming in and out getting their takeout orders. After another 10 minutes pass I see some people get up and their tables getting cleared, but still nobody new gets called for a table. Finally, another two parties walk in behind us and ask for tables. Worried that they were about to be seated ahead of us after the hostess never took our name, I eavesdrop and I overhear the original hostess telling them, nah, sorry they're not seating anyone else. The new parties point out the open tables, but are told that they likely wouldn't be served until shortly before the restaurant closes at 9PM, so there would be no point in seating them. Still nobody comes to us to get our names or to tell us we won't be seated, so after sitting there essentially ignored for around 20min, we decide to just leave and go to Grimaldi's instead.
I don't know what was going on that was so wrong that the hostess wasn't seating anyone. The kitchen seemed to be cranking out pizzas. Service seemed short-staffed but they were running like crazy and doing their best. But what it sure seemed like to my untrained eye is that the management didn't want to seat anyone else, over an hour before closing, because the kitchen was backed up enough with carry out orders that they might not be able to close the restaurant on time.
I get it. I've always tried pretty hard not to be the kind of person who shows up right before (or even 30 minutes before) closing time expecting to be served a full meal at a table service restaurant. But being ignored and seeing others turned away *an hour and a half* before closing?! That's a bit new for me and seems a bit much. Suffice it to say that if we eat at this Anthony's in the evening again it will most likely be carry out only.