Here's what we know, the owner of Tony's also owns Carlee's Restaurant (his daughter's name) and we believe Tony's on Main is named after the owner's son. Here's a rumor we heard and don't know if it's factual, the owner of Tony's also owned Palmetto Grill that has since gone out of business. There's your background information, now onto our personal review...
Tony's on Main offers Italian/American cuisine, so if you like a one stop shop for sandwiches, burgers, meatballs, fried pickles, and baked spaghetti, it's your kind of place. It's quickly obvious when entering Tony's that they didn't put too much money into the decor of the restaurant. Not that that's extremely important but the ambiance does matter quite a bit to some. There are randomly placed pieces of art and faux antique tin signs scattered on the walls; none of which come together in a cohesive manner. To us, something was 'off' with the decor, I think it may be due to the white walls. White isn't inviting, it's sterile feeling. Again, not that the wall color is THAT important, just thought we'd share our uneducated opinion on restaurant decor.
Moving on... Where we were seated was amongst a few other occupied tables. Quickly it became apparent that the persons occupying these other tables were all friends and family of the owner. We came to this conclusion because a man, who had to have been the owner, was chatting with these people about his kids and at another table was talking to a young girl named 'Carlee'. We think it's great that his friends and family are so supportive of his new restaurant endeavors.
However, here's what rubbed us the wrong way... Seated in a booth next to us was a man the owner seemed to know well or want to impress because the owner welcomed him in and told him he'd bring bread right out for him (which he did personally). He made small talk with him and made sure he was happy with his meal, and checked up on him often. We think that's great service and wonderful to take such great care of your customers. But here's the hitch, he didn't so much as acknowledge us at our table. Not a "how's your meal?", no "let me get some bread right out for you", nothing. He wasn't busy because only a few tables were occupied so there's really no excuse for skipping us over. If he treated all of his customers like he did the man in the booth next to us then he would surely keep customers coming back for more. It feels good to feel wanted and appreciated and welcome. They have a sign on the wall that reads something like 'Come in as a stranger, leave as a friend" (Can't recall if those are the exact words but close to it). Well we came in as strangers and left as strangers.
The food... the food was good. It wasn't 'out of this World' but it wasn't bad either. The following comparison we are saying in the best of ways and is not meant to be taken negatively. We ordered their Italian meatball sub. The meatballs were a good size and tasty as well the sub as a whole. It tasted a lot like the meatball sub from Subway only a bit fresher. Being compared to Subway may be a bad thing to some but not to us because we happen to really like their meatball subs! We do recommend it if you find yourself trying out Tony's. One of us ordered the philly sub special and it was devoured in about 1 minute tops. I think that's a definite sign of approval and we recommend it as well (but keep in mind it was a special, not a permanent fixture on the menu, but perhaps it should be). How was the bread before our meal you ask? Well we didn't get any bread, so you might want to ask the very special man sitting in the booth next to us, perhaps he enjoyed it ;)
The prices were low which we, as well as everyone else, loves to see! Our subs were about $5.95-6.95 and each came with a side. Not bad, huh?
Tony's is a great place to eat for a quick bite with the fam when mom doesnt feel like cooking or perhaps a great lunch spot to meet up with your friends during the busy work week. We think they have some work to do on treating each customer like they're special (or treating them all like their not so special, which ever, the goal is consistency) and maybe some interior decorating to do. All in all, it was a pretty good place to eat, not a waste of money, but not some place we would frequent. Try it out yourself and let us know your thoughts by commenting on this blog post. We're finding some people love, love, love Tony's (maybe they're friends of the family) and some didn't enjoy it one bit. You be the judge...
5 comments:
When I tried tony's, I was really disappointed. First and foremost, I did not expect to have an experience like that of an "Italiano Chain" restaurant. What I did expect from a home-style Americanized "Italian" restaurant was a little more. Granted the build is old, bad location, and poor parking access, I still wanted to be able to taste the freshness and have the food *POP*. Sadly, that wasn't the case. For a restaurant that has been open for only a week and a half, you would have thought that they would be "WOW'ing" customers. The overall appearance made it feel cheap. Poor painting, motifs that didn't fit, and poor choices. For a successful business owner you would have thought they knew better. Menu prices are reasonable, yet descriptions are vague. The pasta in my "spaghetti" was overcooked. And just so you know, spaghetti is a type of pasta, not just a dish name. I believe they are using capellini or vermicelli pasta in their "spaghetti" dishes. I also tried the manicotti. While they use crepe-style, instead of the tubular pasta, I still found it lacking. The stuffing was bland. It could have used some garlic, spinach, or something. There basic "red sauce" that is used is also lacking. At least it isn't acidic. I sampled their alfredo and found that to be lacking as well. The salads were nothing special and neither were the dressings offered. Honestly with the endless possibilities of Americanized-Italian food as a base it is just merely a let down. The kid's meals choices are VERY slim. Just "spaghetti", chicken tenders/fries, or cheesesticks/fries. Where are the healthy choices? There are no fruit sides and really no healthy alternatives. Beware parents, milk as a substitute for soda (no juices), is 2.25 cents. They sell two glasses of milk with children's meals and they have just paid for a gallon and a half worth. Dessert. I didn't stick around for dessert due to the lack of choices. Generic cheesecake, generic tiramisu, and no cannolis to be found. While my bill was reasonable, service was adequate, I will not be fighting traffic near that intersection to eat there again. Your money can get better results at other locally owned restaurants in this area.
Funny I went there and other tables that knew the owners/employees got bread, I didn't. They also got free coupons to be used at that time for two dollars off, I didn't. I don't know about that place...
If the main blog post didn't convince me... the additional commentary did! I mean seriously... I understand giving your friends and family a bit of a boost, but to the detriment of your other paying guests? That's just sad.
I'll stick with DaVinci's. Thanks for being blunt and honest, guys.
The person that owns this restaurant also owns Ramanos down the street. Seriously, I think they need to just close them all. The food stinks, the service is awful and any price for it is too high. I ate at all three of the restaurants owned by this guy, Carlees, Tonys, and Romanos and all three trips were a mistake. Don't waste your money.
correction on the last post, the owner of tony's on main no longer owns or owned romanos. he sold his share to his partner Nouhad Yarid. at least at romanos you a welcomed right away by the owner herself. she cared a lot about her customers, you could tell by the way she talked and treated every customer that came in the door. whether it was friends/family even strangers she treated everyone the same. i use to work for the owner of tony's on main when he owned palmetto grill. he is a wonderful man, but when it came to customers, lets just say he mainly focused on his friends and family. which he would always give major discounts to. maybe if he had treated all his customers the same and didn't give friends and family major discounts every day they came in maybe would be making a profit and wouldn't have had to close palmetto grill down, like he had to do. it only makes you wonder how long will tony's last? the only reason that place is still opened is because of carlees regular customers. if they never combined the two restaurants tony's wouldn't be open today. but if you are not a friend or family member, your service will be poor. which is sad.
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