1 of 1 users found the following review helpful:
Great Food/Great Service written by Sparty
Last visited this restaurant on May 11, 2005

This place has great food and servers.
The servers are fast and friendly.
Parking is easy with plenty of spots.
The food is the best Italian in Lansing.

2/3/6
I ate here on the weekend of the Norovirus outbreak.
None of my party of 6 were infected.
I have been here since and had no problems.
I did notice the staff were already trying to sneak around the new rules.

On April 10, 2006 I walked into an almost empty Carrabba’s in Lansing, Michigan.
The host greeted us and sat us at the pizza bar as we had requested and then we waited and waited. For a restaurant with only six tables in use, I could not figure out why we had to wait so long.

Finally, after approximately five minutes a server came by, took our drink order and left.
A short time later a second server came by with our drinks (water) and bread. This server asked if we were ready to order, we were ready so placed our order. I ordered the chicken pizza with no salt and extra pine nuts.

As the server entered our order at the station next to us, I asked her for straws for our water. She retrieved the straws and informed us corporate policy is not to give straws with water. I thanked her and as I watched the cook begin to work on my pizza, I kept thinking greeting and serving drinks in less time than we had to must be corporate policy.

I spoke to my wife about the slow greet time and she said the server smelled as if she had just finished a cigarette. Maybe that was why we had to wait!

As we sat at the pizza bar an off duty employee with a friend (another employee?) sat at the other end of the pizza bar. As they sat at the pizza bar, they told the pizza maker they wanted a chicken pizza. They tried to order at the bar but the bartender refused to put in their order.

I then see the off duty employee get up, disappear around the corner and come back to the pizza bar with a soft drink they have served to themselves. I thought with everything that has gone on at Carrabba’s Lansing lately the health department would frown on this type of self-service.

While making the pizza the cook ran out of pine nuts. After retrieving more pine nuts, he put them on the pizza and then added extra pine nuts. I thought those pine nuts are white which means they were not cooked or warmed in oil. The lead cook called over and asked about the pizza for 300 (my seat) and the pizza maker called back it just went in.
Well I thought, at least I was getting extra pine nuts and they will get warm in the oven.

A few minutes later the pizza came out, was cut, scallions added placed on a plate and promptly served. Promptly served to the off duty female employee at the other end of the pizza bar. Now my wife’s food is up and getting cold. My wife asks for her food while it is hot rather than wait for me to get mine when her food will be cold.

The cook took the next chicken pizza out of the oven, cut it and added scallions placed the pizza on a plate and gave it to my server. My server looked at the pizza, passed it back to the cook telling him this pizza has no pine nuts and was supposed to have extra pine nuts.

The cook took the pizza added the still not cooked or warmed pine nuts, put them on the pizza and handed it back to our server. After the server presented me with this terrible looking pizza, I let her know I no longer wanted it.

With my wife almost done with her meal, I refused all offers by the server except to see the on duty manager. Our server did not need to look for the on duty manager, he was lounging at the far end of the pizza bar talking to the off duty employee who was by now eating what I believe to be was my pizza.

I explained all the problems to the manager and as we were there talking I see the off duty employee walk past the manager and help herself to a take home pizza box.
I told the manager the indifferent, uncaring attitude exhibited by a few select employees is why we have only been in two times in the last twelve weeks which was far fewer than the one or two times a week we had visited since Carrabba’s opened. The manger told me he thought we had not been in because we were friends with former Proprietor Billy Ray Osborn.

I informed the manager February 3, 2006, the very same week of the NoroVirus outbreak I visited to show support during a bad situation. During our visit, employees told us all about the new policies and yet continued to violate the new policies by continuing to sneak drinks into the food preparation area, continuing to use gloves that were old and delivering hot food after dumping dirty dishes and before washing. On our next visit, March 4, 2006, I witnessed the same types of activities.

The manger explained Carrabba’s is working with the staff to correct these problems. I reminded the manger it was April 10, 2006 and I still see people skirting the rules.

The manger apologized and did take my pizza off our bill. Later the server came by and informed us our bill was covered. That was a nice gesture and not expected.

Carrabba’s is not all bad; I do not want to give that impression. I like many of the staff and Carrabba’s is one of the only restaurants I will order something different each time I come in. I can also tell the place is much cleaner then it used to be. And, at my favorite seat (300 at the pizza bar), the vent (which is now clean) no longer blows ice cold air like it has for the past two years (Summer and Winter).

However, there is still work to do.

May 8, 2006
Carrabba's management called me and left a message about 2 weeks ago.
I had to call them back twice before they finally got around to returning my call.
Anyway, I did not like what I was told so I will not be going back!

Was the above review helpful to you? Yes No | Report this

Lansing's finest written by LVK
Last visited this restaurant on February 16, 2008

My husband and I have been frequenting Carabba's since it's opening. From the beginning, the management and wait staff have been exceptional. They are truly committed to the customer. The food is consistantly excellent--both in taste and temperature. Their commitment to excellence in customer service and food preparation are the best in town.

Was the above review helpful to you? Yes No | Report this

Just about perfect! written by anonymous
Last visited this restaurant on December 01, 2006

My husband and I came to Carrabba's in early December to celebrate our anniversary. We love Italian food. Our server, Chelsea, described everything we asked about, and made her own suggestions, much to our delight! She made our whole dinner experience a memorable one. You should hire more wait staff like her!

Was the above review helpful to you? Yes No | Report this

Heard it was ok but it was bad written by shoxroxice
Last visited this restaurant on May 16, 2006

Went in and thought I'd give it a try, after hearing from a few friends that went there that they thought it was worth a try. I was a little hesitant after the foorborne illness problem they had. A bunch of people got sick a while back.

Service wasn't great, the atmosphere was not bad, food wasn't very good at all. Also read sparty's review about their expierience.

In the words of my grandmother, "I've had worse food... I just can't remember when."

Was the above review helpful to you? Yes No | Report this

1 of 1 users did not find the following review helpful:
Love Carrabba's! written by anonymous
Last visited this restaurant on June 23, 2006

I recently had my rehearsal dinner at Carrabba's (after the virus incident) and they were nothing but fabulous. We had a few more people show up who had RSVP'd NO and came anyway, and they were very gracious about bringing in another table to fit us all.

I've eaten at Carrabba's at least 10-12 times since they opened and have never had anything but super service and awesome food. I have had to wait for a table several times, but what else would you expect on a Friday night at 7:30pm? Although others may have had issues, I love it!

Yay Carrabbas!

Was the above review helpful to you? Yes No | Report this

1 of 1 users did not find the following review helpful:
The Best in Lansing written by cldfsnt
Last visited this restaurant on September 02, 2005

This restaurant has, hands down, the best Italian food in Lansing. The food is excellent. I have not eaten one thing here that I did not like.

Each of the 4 times I've eaten here the servers have professionally and capably served my table, and the food was always perfect.

One night our food took a little longer than normal to arrive, and while we did not complain and in fact were talking amiably, the server elected to provide us with a free dessert for the inconvenience and apologize.

This is truly a class operation -- some restaurants would do less for those who would have a complaint.

Was the above review helpful to you? Yes No | Report this