Review - Why all of our family and friends Stopped going to Incredible Pizza

All of a sudden Incredible Pizza Company just decided they don't want our business any longer, to the point of becoming hostile.  So, it looks like none of us are ever going back.  Until recently, we enjoyed the food and the price and had been on friendly terms with all the staff.  We had been eating there as often as 4 to 5 times/week, since they re-opened as Incredible Pizza, anywhere from 2 to 8 or 10 of us at a time.  There are at least 12 or 13 people in our group of family and friends that have been going there.  We have no idea what sparked their sudden hostile attitude toward us.  Their behavior appeared to be nothing less than discrimination as you will see in the detailed account below of what happened.

We have been regulars at the Incredible Pizza on NW Expressway in Oklahoma City for almost 4 years, including when it was called Gatty Town.  Several of us even have VIP discount cards that they gave us just before they closed down last year to keep us coming back regularly when they re-opened as Incredible Pizza.  We really enjoyed the new expanded buffet and had complimented the staff and the main manager numerous times.

Details of what happened

Several of our friends were eating there recently, in the room they call the "Family Room" which was our favorite room where we almost always ate.  They were using two tables, and the young black guy that works there came in and started moving their tables while they were still eating, saying customers are not allowed to pull tables together.  My friends were very irritated about it.  When they told me, it sounded so ridiculous that I assumed it had to be some kind of miss-communication or a miss-informed employee.

Then, late afternoon on Sunday 02/19/2017, 5 of us were quietly eating there in the back corner of the Family room, using two tables, when the same black guy came in again, complaining about us using more than one table.  At this point we requested he go get his manager for us to talk to.  The heavy set lady with long brownish blond hair came in and backed him up, saying we cannot move tables together.  Every time we asked her why, she evaded the question, saying it was just company policy, or gave ridiculous answers, which she changed multiple times.  One answer she gave is that they don't want to tie up too many tables because it will make them have to turn away other customers.  Note that at the time of this discussion, the entire room was empty, other than us and two other people sitting in one of the booths.  All other tables were available and stayed that way through the remainder of our meal.  We asked her, "So you are saying that if we pull these two tables apart, that is OK?" And she said "Yes".  So I asked, "How does that change the number of tables we are using?" She just acted irritated and again evaded the question and went back to it being company policy.

At another point in the discussion, after we mentioned that we see groups in there all the time using multiple tables, sometimes two tables, sometimes most of the tables in the room, she said it has to be a party or group.  So I asked, "What is the minimum number of people you consider a group to use more than one 4 person table?"  She said 10.  I asked, "So if there are 9 of us, you expect us to all cram around a 4 person table?"  Again, she acted agitated and said, "Your are putting words in my mouth."  All of us said "No we're not", almost simultaneously.  I said "That is what you just said.  You already said we cannot pull two tables together when there are 5 or 6 of us and it is only a 4 person table.  You said it had to be a group, which is defined as at least 10 people."  She was aggressive to the point of being rude at times.  My brother at one point finally had to tell her to stop talking long enough to let him finish his sentence and quit cutting him off.

Near the end, she said they would make an exception just for us.  Which was, of course a lie about it being just for us.  With that attitude, we did not plan to come back until this was resolved at the corporate level.  We're not going back just to have a 50/50 chance of some employee ruining our meal because they didn't get the word that we can use two tables in the "Family" room for our family.

Everybody else in my group just said they do not plan to go back.  I figured that we had enjoyed eating there enough over the years that I would make every attempt I can to resolve the issue before giving up.

So, I called the corporate office in Springfield, Missouri the next day to discuss the situation and ask about their official company policy.  I spoke with Monica, Head of Customer Relations.  She said it was their policy not to move tables together for groups.  I said, "That is ridiculous.  You are a company that specializes in groups and parties.  We have been eating out for over 40 years and have never had a restaurant behave that way about the tables".  It seemed we were suddenly being singled out for some reason since I constantly see groups of people eating in that room using 2 or more tables.  It is called the Family Room and they specialize in groups.  I told her that if they don't reverse that policy, they are going to loose all our business, which includes all our family and friends that we have brought them over the last several years.  She said she would look into it further and call me back.

She called me back a couple days later, with no additional explanation, and said they are standing behind the policy.  I told her, we have been regulars for years, since they were Gatti Town, and have been coming in as many as 5 times/week since they re-opened as incredible pizza.  I asked, "So you are willing to loose all of our business because you don't want us to come as a group of more than 3 or 4 people?"  She said, "You can always go eat in one of the other rooms."  Keep in mind, until this point they had made no mention of different policies for different rooms.  I said, "No, we are not going to do that.  What problem is that going to solve?"   "We come there to eat in the Family room most of the time, which is supposed to be for families, not just singles or couples.  It is the only room in the building that is semi-quiet and has always been oriented toward adults and seniors, even since it was called "The Library" when it was Gatti Town."  She had no answer for what problem they thought it was solving.  She just re-iterated that it is company policy.

A few days later, I was in the area so I dropped by in the late afternoon when their business was slow, to try to catch the main manager of that store, Ken Henderson, to make one final attempt to resolve the problem.  I was thinking maybe he had no idea what was going on and would want to know.  We had spoken with him several times previously when he happened to be in the buffet area when we were eating there and he had always been friendly.

He wasn't there so I asked the girl at the desk when he was usually there so I could catch him.  While she went to the managers office to check, I noticed some of the regulars in the Family room and went in for a moment to speak with them.  There were several groups of ladies there with tables pulled together, playing cards.  I asked one group of 5, using 2 tables, if they had ever had any issues with pulling tables together for their group or had to make reservations.  They said "No, never.".  They come in and play cards and domino's all the time.

Moments after I went in there, the lady manager with the long brown/blond hair came in and rudely said she cannot have me bothering their customers and that I had to leave.  Keep in mind that she had no idea how well I knew them or even if any of them were family members of mine.  So now customers are not allowed to talk to one another?  I asked them, in front of her, "Am I bothering you?" They said "No.  Absolutely not".  It was pretty clear that she didn't like me confirming that everybody else can pull tables together all they want.

As I was leaving, I asked her several times what hours/days would be the best time to catch Ken Henderson there to speak with him.  She refused to provide any information each time other than to  repeat, "He will be here tomorrow.  You need to leave".  Very hostile demeanor.  In other words she was kicking me, a loyal customer for years, out for no apparent reason.

The next day, on Fri Mar  3 2017, I called to speak with Ken Henderson and spoke with a different employee.  Her name was Kimberly.  She persisted on wanting to know what it was about.  I just told her it was a serious issue, that I wanted to make sure he was aware of, that is going to cause them to loose the business of all our family and friends if we are unable get it resolved.  She said he is tied up right now and couldn't come to the phone.  I gave her my name, number, and email address to have him call me back.  He never called.

It seems quite obvious that they were discriminating against us and no longer want our business for some other reason than they are willing to tell us.  And the problem goes from the top management all the way down.

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