Angry Cici's Manager

Get a life don't be so cheap !!!!! Sure it's a great idea to Tk ur
pizza home but it's not how it works!!!

Hi,

I used to Manage CiCi's pizza and because of guests like you I quit
after 5 years. I'm glad I did beacause after so many selfish people
wanting to take their left over pizza, I had enough. Where in your
mind did you think you could take a pizza home? Do you know how many
people would abuse it? all the Cici's would be out out business in 3
months. Try doing that at a chinese buffet and see how quick you get
bounced to the curb.

The worst part is that your asking for it in writing what a moron, do
you know that managers work 14 hour shifts? no you don't and asking
for it in writing when he has a million things to do was selfish. We
always ask how many slices would you like to your table and of course
everyone wants the whole pizza and on top of that, they want a box.
The worst is that they ask for a pizza that's already on the buffet
and then have the nerve to try and take it home. I'm so glad I work in
fine dining now where people there have much more class.

I am currently training for a managment position at a cici's in north
carolina.

I agree with you, Andre certainly seems to have a bit of an attitude
problem. The motto at cici's is to respect everyone and exceed their
expectations.

At cici's our special pizza requests are part of the buffet, and as a
consequence, we are not supposed to provide a box to take left over
orders home. The problem is that many people decide to take advantage
of the box and stuff it full of pizza from the buffet. I know you
would never do that, however, there are some people who try. I, like
you, have noticed the problem of waste with this and how it doesn't
seem to make much sense. We are permitted to put the pizza in a box
if we deliver the pizza to you late, as it was our problem and we
aren't giving you time to enjoy it in the restaurant. I have done
much thinking on the subject. I do not think it's fair to simply say
to a guest that you cannot take the pizza home, some people have
creations that are very unique and that they enjoy very much, I think
they should be able to enjoy it the next day if you'd like. At our
cici's I have started to offer customers the opportunity to buy the
special pizza by the slice. This comes to about .90 a slice. If
someone has ordered a supreme pizza for example this saves the guest
over a dollar per slice than if they ordered take-out.

I wish there was a better answer to this problem, but there is not
right now. I am sorry to hear that Andre was not as thoughtful as we
try to be at our store, and as he should be.

Hopefully the district manager will address the situation properly and
you and your family can enjoy many more happy experiences at cici's
pizza.

best wishes from all of us.

Wow.

I've just spend over an HOUR reading all of this, and with exception
to a guy that may or MAY NOT have been our Corporate Trainer, ( you
never can trust the internet completely....(and a couple of employees,
nobody has YET clearly lined out Andre's options.

OH....I'm a CiCi's MIT (Manager In Training) in Florida, so I can back
up where I'm going, cuz it's ALLLLLLL fresh in my little pizza choked
noggin...

My day will come, when Shauns parents will be vacationing in Florida
and want a box for their leftovers, I'm sure....it's refreshing to see
that in 243,546,679,984 posts, 3 said..."Hey...give the guy a box",
and the others get it.

VERY COOL....

*copied from the OP*
If Cici's proposes NOT to allow customers to take any portion of the
pizza they have been served, then I feel it only prudent that Cici's
state this in writing for all customers to see.

Man...DUDE...Bro....Oh..wait...

(((WELCOME TO CICI'S!!))

You're also not allowed to lick the person that takes your order, put
your finger in the pizzas as you walk by, make little black olive
fingernails at the salad bar, and shoot Barq's Root Beer of your straw
at the guy bussing the tables.

You CAN though, if you get a window seat use the sliced pickles from
the salad bar to do pickle races down the windows, but if you're
caught you have to wash the windows.

Those things aren't posted either. Ridiculous examples? Maybe...but
let me continue....


There's an old line that says "The customer is always right".

*********THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT OR ANY STATEMENTS HEREIN DO NOT
REFLECT THE THOUGHT COMMENTS OR IDEAS OF CICI'S PIZZA, ITS FRANCHISE
OWNERS, ANYONE THAT EATS THERE, WORKS THERE, KNOWS SOMEONE THAT WORKS
THERE,OR MY DOG...WHO WONDERS WHY I'M WEARING THIS FUNNY HAT WHILE I'M
TYPING*********

I respectfully say that no, they're not.

They deserve to be listened to with compassion, and have their
concerns addressed in a quick and concise fashion. If they're angry,
it's our job as Managers to make them UN-ANGRY, without sarcasm, or
smart-aleckness...

BUT...you as a consumer have a responsibility too.

It's your job to be reasonable, and to understand that it's highly
unlikely that the problem you've brought to us is directly OUR fault,
however you've come to us to fix it, so let us try.

Some man, or woman somewhere who's WAAAAAAY smarter than us both when
it comes to the ancient ways of Pizza has entrusted us to do that, and
with that trust comes great responsibility....

That said-

In OUR store, here's how it works -

"Hey stocker lady, (that's the girl on the line cleaning up and moving
pizza's together) do you have any Banana Artichoke Pizza?"

*higher pitched voice* "Why no, valued customer but I'll get some
right out for you!"

At this point, she takes a little paper, writes your name on it, the
type of pizza, your name and CIRCLES 3 SLICES on the paper. If there
are 2 of you that would like it, 6.

You'll get a nifty road cone looking thing (smaller of course, don't
want any road crews driving through) and we'll be there in about 7
minutes.

The CICI'S I WANNA BE A FRANCHISE OWNER ONE DAY SO I KNOW THE ANSWER
FROM THE TRAINING MANUAL NUMBER IS 3.

Of a 10 slice pizza, 2 plates with 3 slices each of that deliciousness
on it should have been carried out to the customer, "Hi Shaun, here's
your fresh Peach and Sushi Pizza, hot out of the oven"!

some plates picked up, glasses refilled, and WEERE OUTTA THERE
JOHNNY!!

The remainder is on the buffet line.....

NOW....here's the fork in the road Virginia....

Mr. Customer says "We're pretty hungry...can we have the whole
thing"...or....."They usually just make us a whole one"....

It says somewhere in the book that IT'S JUST FOOD, so SURE MR.
CUSTOMER...here comes the WHOOOOOLE BANANA. Just for you and your
lovely bride.

What you did sir, was go to the stocker, who didn't know what to do,
so she got the manager who, during this dinner rush was probably
bringing MORE fresh deliciousness for other patrons at the EXACT time
you asked for the box.

(Which would explain the pizza in his hand. We don't generally carry
pizza around as a weapon, or a prop...chances are he was helping the
cutter get the pizza to the stocker BECAUSE THEY WERE SLAMMED!

I don't buy your line about "He had a hot pie in his hand, and lawdy
ME Miss Daisy...I thought he might THAAA-ROOOW it onnz me"!

Let me see it in writing.

Dude, place is packed, he's shuttling pizzas and you wonder why, in
his managerial mind (we work 2 15 hour shifts back to back btw, so by
the time you got to him, he was either really tired, or REALLY REALLY
tired...not your problem...just sayin)

HE processes this...

"This guy want's me to stop production to go find him a sentence
somewhere in a corporate manual that I THINK is either under the funny
birthday hat at the register, or under the little plastic sauce cups
by the walk-in" and it comes out...

"I'm a bit BUSY here SIR"....

kinda like you would say after falling off the house, your elbow is
literally IN your eye and when your bud says "Hey...you ok"? You say
-

"Yeah man...I'M FINE".

Back to policy.

If you, as our customer just can't get enough of our All You Can Eat
Pizza Pasta Salad and Desert, you MAY, for a nominal fee of $5.00 get
a box and put your deliciousness INSIDE the box and take it home.

Just imagine the melee you would've caused, Mr. Sean sir had he said
"Ok...the customer is always right...here's a box" and

1. Perla May w/ her 12 kids saw it, and comes for a box as well,
can't get it and Andre's a racist redneck that doesn't like women with
2 names so SHE can't get "To Go Buffet" like Dr.
Sean..Shaun..Shawn...? Anyway....

2. Andre's getting shopped, and the shopper sees it. Then Andre
loses his shop bonus, costs his store points, and has to explain to
one of the C's why he's letting people take out the food.

Man, look. What you SHOULD'VE done is this.

"Ok, couldn't hurt to ask", and walked away. The next DAY, call and
ask for the GM. If that's our hero Andre, THEN...when he's not
juggling freakin deep dishes and hot pizzas...THEN ask for a higher
ups number to get it worked out, or opt for a calmer, more
enlightening explanation.

The moral of the story is this man. You're there eating and relaxed.
THAT DUDE is pingin on all 8 cylinders trying to esure you and your
family and THE OTHER 50 TABLES JUST LIKE YOU are happy, and diggin the
deal...when you disturb his Chi like that man..it's NOT cool.

THANKS FOR COMING TO CICI'S!! HAVE A GREAT DAY!

thatpizzaguy@ymail.com

**If someone from corporate reads this, the personality is real and
I'll make a fine Franchise Owner one day...and you look very nice
today by the way***

I work at a CiCi's Pizza in Oklahoma, and I can tell you that Andre's
reaction as a manager was wrong. While it is company policy that any
special request pizzas (as well as buffet pizzas) cannot be taken
home, at CiCi's we try to keep the atmosphere friendly at all times. I
can understand where Andre is coming from, seeing as how CiCi's
managers are paid salary but made to work 55 hour weeks at times and
have to deal with many, many people who try to do nothing but cause
trouble. However, I'm not an any way justifying his actions, and it's
simple to tell that you aren't one of the troublemakers. Andre was in
the wrong here, but it's not something he should be fired over or
anything like that (unless he has a track record for this kind of
thing). On the other side of the coin, it isn't "ridiculous" that they
wouldn't give you a box - look at it this way: It's either waste half
a pizza or lose hundreds more from con artists out there who would
order 10 special pizzas to their table and ask for boxes because they
"don't want to let it go to waste." Now, I can tell you aren't a con
artist, and I can also tell that the biggest issue here was Andre's
attitude. However, I believe that you should forgive him and move on.
Since you had been to CiCi's before and hadn't faced any issues like
this before, I think that you should give CiCi's and Andre another
chance. Personally, by viewing this issue and all of its responses, I
feel more prepared to handle a situation like this if it ever happens
where I work. By the way, at least at our CiCi's, we do allow a
"buffet-to-go" which is six slices of pizza or five slices with pasta
or salad and it costs the same as the buffet. So if you wanted to take
half a pizza home, you could pay for an extra buffet but make it
to-go. Oh and one other thing I wanted to mention...I'm 17 years old
and I wonder how many other people on here that are much older than me
and supposedly "wiser" are making fools out of themselves by bashing
you without looking at both sides of the situation...just felt I
needed to say that. Anyway, give CiCi's another chance! ^_^

In response to this posting, it is standard policy by all restaurants
that serve food by buffett that you are not allowed to take any
remaining uneaten food home by box. If you wanted to take a pizza
home you are more than welocome to order your pizza as a take out
item. I too have been employed by the food industry and know this as
a common rule. A buffett is designed for you to eat as much as you
like while dining at that establishement, not to take home. Sounds to
me like you were the unreasonable party, not "Andrea". He
clearly expplained to you the companies policy yet you continued to
argue with him. So I'm for Andrea in this argument. I think I will
send a letter to CiCi on his behalf. And as you stated you are a
frequent diner of CiCi's, I can't imagine this was the first time
you've tried taking home pizza ordered from their buffett. If you're
having a bad day or showing off to your family I suggest you keep it
at home.

Sincerly,
Former restaruant employee

i don't know what buffet went to but all i know is a buffet is all you
can eat not all you can take home there is a cost in the boxes and i
am sure Alot of people order pizzas and don't eat them so they can
take them home try doing that a any asian buffet or any othe buffet
they will not allow you to take food home i have worked in the food
business for 45 years and buffet is dine in only everywere with the
cost of food so high thats why resturants need to rase the prices
because of people like you !

I just LOVE the fact that this is still posted cause it helps to
demonstrate SOME of the customers out there in todays society that
still think that they can say & do whatever they please to service
workers. One day one of us is gonna lose it and these smart ass
customers who just love ta "Call Corporate" to jepordize ones
livlihood is gonna regret it. I can see the headlines now:"Service
Worker Goes Postal After Losing Job"
Furthermore, the MAIN reason we Buffet Companies do not allow
carry-out is, One: we do not have a license for carry-out, and Two,
what would happen if someone took food out in a box and did not
practice Safe Handeling of the food, later reheated it and a elderly
or small child died from Foodbourne Illness?
I know: Another lawsuit and another person losses their job. All
because "The Customer Is Always Right?"
Not anymore America cause we have learned that this is no longer true
anymore.
Period.
P.S. Didn't the guy say "we dine there several times a month"? Shame,
shame, he should know 'how to buffet' by now.
Disagree? email me at riahlgtm@aol.com

I think it is pretty obvious that when you go to a buffet, that you
can't take anything home with you. It's a buffet, that means pay a
price and eat as much as you want, not order food then take it with
you if you have 1 slice or 5. Don't you think if you could take it
home everyone would order a " special pizza" then take it home. A
buffet would go under if that was the case. Maybe the manager was too
busy to get you the number for something that everyone else new and no
one seemed to have a problem with. And furthermore, when you go to a
restaurant that has an all-you-can-eat promotion going on, that
doesn't mean you can share it with the person you're dining with.
That's just the way it is!!! They shouldn't have to have it in
writing, you should just assume that to be the case!!!

I work at a cici's and i can confirm that it is indeed our policy to
not give out takeout boxes for the buffet. The Phone number for the
corporate office is (972)-745-4200 if you wish to confirm this.
This policy is in place so that people cannot just get a box, stack up
all the pizza they can fit, and run off with it.
The manager should not have gotten upset with you, but if he was
behind the buffet, i can understand why he would not have time to give
you a phone number or show you where it is written. The fact is, the
person behind the buffet has to cut the pizzas and put them on the
buffet for people to eat. Sometimes, even stopping for 30 seconds can
cause the oven to back up and cause as many as 12 pizzas to burn(and
have to be thrown away) as well as causing the buffet to have no
pizzas on it (Called 'Crashing' or 'having holes' in cicis lingo).

The manager was completely right; you were completely wrong.

NO BUFFET RESTAURANT ever allows you to take food home. That's just
how it works. You pay a base price for unlimited food, and you eat
unlimited food WHILE YOU ARE THERE.

You ordered a specialty pizza as part of the buffet price. You did
not pay extra for that speciality pizza. Why, then, would you be
entitled to take it home if you didn't eat it? What would stop you
from ordering 7 pizzas special, eating half of one, and taking home 6
and a half pizzas so they "don't go to waste"?

As for your continued comments of "am I wrong in simply asking". You
didn't "simply ask." You threw a temper tantrum and demanded to see
their policy in writing, talk to their district manager, etc. You
were being an a**hole, plain and simple. And I don't care if he
worked there, he does NOT have to roll over and take it!

I am so sick of self-righteous jerks like you who expect the world to
bend over and take it because you're the customer and "the customer is
always right." Maybe once upon a time, but not anymore. There are so
many idiots like you out there trying to abuse the system that it just
doesn't work anymore.

You try working in a family-style restaurant, standing on your feet
all day, dealing with morons like you for weeks and months on end, and
then we'll see how you deal with the situation. You asked a
completely stupid question: accept that you were wrong and move on.

Seriously, Cici's charges about $5 for an adult in the evenings. Quit
your b****ing. It sounds like you acted like a complete a** to the
guy, so he was entitled to treat you like the childish idiot you were
acting like. Grow up. For the love of god, grow up.

TRhe manager didn't react well but he probably couldn't believe your
request was fair to any degree... he probably thought you were a
crack-pot.

I don't know a buffet that encourages or allows take home. It's all
you can eat at all buffets, and that's it! What other buffet's have
you been to that allow take home? Golden Corale doesn't, Old Country
Buffet doesn't... try asking for a take home box at any Asian buffet
and see what they say! Buffet's toss food taken to a table when their
guests are finished... they all do and it's common practice around the
country. A customer should know this without a sign since buffets
have been around for years!!! And would you have read a sign even if
they had one. Do you go to buffets often?

I've never been to CiCi's but I believe I'll give 'em a try! What
other Buffet allows you to order special at the buffet
price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO YOU KNOW OF ANY!!!!!!!!

I think the issue has pretty much been settled. No real point to me
chiming in except to throw in my own variety of two cents.

First, to the OP: asking for a box was a perfectly reasonable thing
to do. Although most people would not ask for one in a buffet, you
did. No problem.

My personal philosophy in life is that any person is free to ask for
any fool thing under the sun. It causes no harm at all. Like we've
always heard, "it doesn't hurt to ask" and "you never know until you
ask."

Now, where I diverge with you a bit, here, is that "no, that's not our
policy" is a perfectly reasonable answer to your question.

Maybe you feel that the manager was brusque when he said it. The man
is at work. He should have said it with a big smile, in as polite a
manner as he could have.

However, we're all grown-ups, here. We all realize that sometimes
people get tired, or puzzled, or they've got 10 other things on their
mind. As long as he didn't say it rudely or disrespectfully, he
really has done his job, here.

You asked a sorta oddball thing, and he gave you a perfectly
reasonable answer.

The fact that you objected to his demeanor when he gave the answer?
All I can say there is that I don't expect everybody to genuflect
every time they speak to me. You wanted information, you got it.

But when you then asked for a "written policy", that's where you
really crossed the line from genuinely inquisitive normal guy to
complete and total jerk.

Sean, if you don't know this yet, I will stand here and testify before
you and the lord jehovah almighty that saying "let me see that in
writing" means that you're not being reasonable: you're there to
cause a stink.

I know it. You know it. He knows it. You're playing a silly game of
"gotcha" that, frankly, pisses off anybody else in the world who has
to play this silly game with you.

Everything you did after that? Just made you look like an even bigger
jerk. Asking for his name? Asking for his district manager?
Blasting him on the internet?

Look, I know you're swearing up and down that it isn't the box that's
the issue. It's Andre's attitude. But here's the deal, Sean: Andre
was doing his job and being reasonable. You were being a jerk. If he
eventually took on an irritated manner, it is not a mystery as to
why.

I agree with the responder who said you should apologize to Andre.
Just because he works retail doesn't make him your personal punching
bag when things don't go your way.

You are very concerned with the fact that you felt offended, but you
absolutely give NO indication that you acknowlege that the person you
were dealing with was a living, breathing human being. A human being
who, by the way WAS ABSOLUTELY IN THE RIGHT WHILE YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY
IN THE WRONG.

The fact that you feel he could have used more tact while explaining
that you were totally wrong is fine. But it doesn't eliminate the
basic fact that he was right, you were wrong. And if his reaction was
inappropriate, Sean, you need to step back a second. Your reaction is
so utterly and completely off the hook that I worry for your sense of
proportion.

If you want compassion, try giving some. If you want respect, try
giving some. If you want understanding, try understanding others.

THAT is why people here are running about 10 to 1 against your
perspective, here.

If everybody at the party is telling you that you're drunk, you might
want to consider that you've had a few too many.

Anyway, good on Cicis for taking the time to politely address your
concerns. And good on Andre for not having said anything that appears
to have been rude or disrespectful at all, even when we accept only
your side of the story!

I am continuously amazed at the audacity some people have. What are
you thinking? CiCi's should not even be making you a special pizza.
If they do it should be put on the buffet line. You took advantage of
their accomadating way of getting the customer a special pizza. Then
you even took it a step further and expected a take home box!!
Please!! Nice try.
I hope that CiCi's did nothing but tell you thanks for the info. They
need to lose you for a customer. Good riddance. Good luck finding
another $4.49 all you can eat buffet.
You really owe that manager an apology. You should be ashamed.

Is it just me, or has alot of people not realized that this situation
was resolved a long time ago! Stop riding the poor guy!

That is Cici's and any other buffet restaurant's policy. I feel as if
this customer is cheap, greedy,basically the type of customer that is
a " TYPICAL dickhead" and thinks the world owes him everything "his
way". I feel as if Andre was right. And if you eat at a pizza buffet
3 times a month...you did not need to take that pizza home, 4.99,
you're just a fat, greedy and to make that much fuss over "not being
able to take leftover pizza (FROM A BUFFET) home....GET A LIFE AND A
WEIGHT LOSS PLAN

I realy hope your happy with yourself you probly got that manager
fired I used to work at cici's and i can tell you its not as fun as
people think. The manager is on their feet for 15hr a day, and to
have to deal with people like you realy sux. regardless of Steve
Hawter said it is in the Ops Manuel at Cici's. Unless they took it
out. It's Just FOOD. Cici's Corp. lives with double standards. you
do what they tell you and they dont have your back when people
complain about their policies. Thats why i left that company.
Reagardless Andre did his job and got into trouble for it. Im sure
his family realy appreciaties it.

Sean G.,
Unfortunately, you were wrong in this situation. Had you ordered a
"special" pizza (as Cici's offers as a take-out item) and paid for it,
separate from the buffet, by all means you and your wife would be
entitled to a box.
It is common knowledge that at an all-u-can-eat buffet, take home
boxes or doggie bags are not issued. I have no affiliation with
Cici's or any other franchised restaurant, and the manager's
explanation of corporate policy sounds completely reasonable to me.
As other people in this post have suggested, perhaps you and your
family are taking advantage of the situation. When my husband and I
go to Cici's with our 4 children and order a specific "special" pizza,
they make it to order and put it out on the buffet for everyone to
enjoy ~ not just for our family to hoard or, in your case, waste.
We'll continue to go to CiCi's for their great service, tasty food,
reasonable prices and family-friendly atmosphere.
As a matter of fact, I came upon this site searching for a coupon to
our local Plainfield CiCi's where we always get great service and
plenty of good food for the money.

You had your whole family there!
Be smart.. how many pockets do you imagine your family had? If he
wouldn't give you a container use the ones you brought and show him
who's boss.

I just went to a Cici's the other day and the help couldn't have been
nicer. Now, if I could only duplicate those great brownies they
make...

My 2 cents:

This is my first comment on this letter. When I initially read the
letter, I thought the OP had asked for a to-go box for food that was
physically ON the buffet. See, when I was in college, I worked at a
very large pizza chain and if someone wanted a special pizza, like say
double anchovies with spinach, we prepared the pizza and put it on the
buffet so that the person asking for it could enjoy as well as any
other interested patrons. I wondered why the letter didn't specify
where the food was and then I realized "this letter is meant for
CiCi's, who will understand, and NOT the PF posters"! Duh!, sometimes
I forgot myself. Anyway, after reading many of the responses here, I
came to realize that at CiCis, you can request a special pizza and
they will bring it to your table for you (and your dining mates) to
enjoy, all for the price of the buffet. Thats pretty cool! I think
CiCis pizza SUCKS but still, that is pretty cool of them because if it
was MY shop, I would have specific type pizzas on the buffet and
anything else specialized would have to be paid for. But I digress.
Anyway, I think instead of asking for a to-go box, the gentleman
should have said "may I have a to-go box for my double pineapple with
green beans" pizza since there is plenty leftover, you can't put it on
the buffet and its a shame to waste it". I cannot and DO NOT believe
that Cici employees aren't met with this same question/scenario on a
daily basis. The manger response was WRONG, just plain wrong. And any
customer who asks for a district manager's phone number or corporate's
should be given that information without hassle or attitude. Also, I
think the policy of "no to-go" should be posted. Not just for the
customers' convenience but also for the employees' convenience and
sanity as well. If I worked at CiCi's in any kind of "managment with
power position", I would suggest that specialized pizzas go on the
buffet directly and/or that patrons can pay a couple dollars extra or
however much, and have the option of the pizza being given directly to
them and any leftovers can be taken home. That way, customers are
happy and food waste is kept to a minimum. Oh and I think the letter
writer has been very gracious and mature in his responses here (at
least the ones that I read) in light of how obnoxious some PF posters
have been to him. Kudos to the letter writer.

2 cents deposited.

It is a buffet! everyone knows well almost everyone.. that you eat as
much as you can for as little money as possible its the way it works.
Your taking advantage of the kindness of the facility. They went out
of their way to give you a special pizza for your family and to take
the experience even more above and beyond they brought it to your
table. everyone knows that when you buffet you don't take the left
over's with you. If everyone was able to take left over's home the
company would go bankrupt because people would take advantage of it
and deliberately over load their plates just so they could take it
home and have 2 meals for the price of one. Your family should be
grateful for all that the staff have done to make your experience a
great on and under stand that your request is not reasonable or
logical for the institution you were visiting.

I can't believe I've actually made 40 replies related to this letter.
Surely that's got to be some kind of record. LOL!!!

Have a nice day ya'll!

~Sean

did you even explain to Andre that you and your wife had ordered a
pizza seperate from the buffet and that yours was not a buffet pizza?
or maybe his attitude you figured why bother?

I know Andre. I met him at CiCi's and I have to say that this does
not
sound anything like him. He is very friendly and funny.(No I do not
work for him) But when I come in, his crew is always smiling as well
as he. The place is very clean and the atmosphere seems very
controlled. Only a good manager can maintain such a work place with
so
many young people and still be liked. Not to justify any rude
responses from any managers but honestly. What were you thinking
asking for a to go box at a buffet? I understand the not letting it
go
to waste but can you imagine the loss in revenue CiCi's would have if
they gave to go boxes to every one that did not want to waste the
food. Every one would come in and over load their plates just to ask
for a to go box. (Because they do not want to waste it). May I
suggest
that next time, when you and your lovely family order a specialy made
pizza you only ask for so many slices. That way they can put the rest
of the pizza on the buffet. The quilt of wasting pizza won't be on
your mind that night! P.R.M. G,TX

Sean,

Thanks for sharing your Cici's experience. While your dine was not
pleasant, I want to thank you for letting me know of a great
restaurant. I went to the location in Plainfield, Illinois on Saturday
for dinner. I enjoyed the food very much and left stuffed.

I will definitely be going back to Cici's again. However I will try to
go back during the week instead of going on the weekend when all the
kids were there.

Will we get to see the resolution of this perceived problem? Has
Andre' been contacted, also? I'd like to hear his side of the story
as I think others would too.

We used to go to a GOdfather's pizza buffet at lunch hour (11 to 1) -
got to know the assistant manager, a nice guy - when he was on duty he
would let us take home the leftover pizza from the buffet rather than
throw it away. Pizza is the perfect food....

Sean:

My name is Steve Hawter and I am the VP of Training for CiCi's Pizza.

First, let me say thank you for your loyalty. Because of the frequent
visits by guests like yourself, CiCi's has been very successful.

Second, you are absolutely right. The point is not the policy itself.
The point is that our manager did not treat you with respect. I
sincerely apologize for Andre's actions and tone. At CiCi's we desire
to exceed our guest's expectations, obviously we did not do that on
this visit. I know that if I asked for a number to call and if I was
told "I don't have time..." I would be livid. As it stands I am
embarassed that we treated you so poorly.

Would you please let me know which unit you visited, I would be happy
to inform the franchisee and our District Manager. I am confident that
they will quickly and professionally address the issues.

You and your family are valued guests and we look forward to having an
opportunity to deliver the real CiCi's experience on a future visit.

Feel free to contact me at shawter@cicispizza.com or my direct line is
972-745-9367. Thank you again for taking the time to share your
experience. Your efforts will allow us to grow as an organization.

Am I the only one that stuffs zip-lock baggies in my pocket to take
extra food home??? OMG - I'm so humiliated!!!

The point of a buffet is "All-You-Can-Eat". This means that you can
eat as much food as you want while in the dining establishment. If
buffets started allowing people to take food with them, people would
see how much food they could carry out of the joint! I have to go with
"Andre" on this one.

You are only allowed a to-go-box if you eat at a restaurant that
serves you the meal in their portions.

This is something you should already know if you go to buffet. It's
common knowledge.

I think the main problem here was that you ordered something that
wasnt on the buffet and whoever brought the pizza to your table made
you think that pizza was yours alone as if you had paid extra for it.
What they should have done instead was put it on the buffet and let
you know it was up there.

Next time, if you want to take it home with you pay extra for it. You
dont get to take leftovers from a buffet. If that were true I would be
taking home a bag of rolls every time I go to the Golden Coral. LOL!

I understand you didn't want the half a pizza you had left to go to
waste. But what about the pizza left by other customers? Do you hound
them to eat it all, or take it home? Or do you just choose to eat that
left over bit so it doesn't go to waste?

You were at a buffet. They were polite enough to bring that specialty
piza to your table.

And what if Andre HAD let you take that pizza home? how was he to know
that next time you wouldn't pull the same thing, then drop his name
and he get in trouble for breaking the rules? What if another customer
saw this, tried the same thing and Andre said no? What if he was
accused of racism or discrimination because he broke the rules for
you?

Seriously. It's a buffet. If you wanted to take half the pizza home
you should have paid for that pizza AND the buffet.

Everyone on here seems to be asking the exact same questions, most of
which the letter writer (Sean) has answered in other replies. He paid
for the buffet, but the buffet did not have the pizza he & his wife
wanted so they specially ordered it, which Cici's will do to make
customers happy. Instead of waiting at the table for the pizza they
requested, they ate a few slices of other pizzas & a small salad,
which caused them to not be able to eat all of the specially ordered
one. He made it sound as though the pizza was brought to their table
instead of placed on the buffet for everyone to enjoy, which means
that any uneaten portions would have been thrown away. I don't see why
they couldn't have compromised & let him pay the few dollars extra for
a box, which he was willing to do.
I can actually understand some of Andre's hostility once he was asked
for the supervisor's phone number, though. As a manager, if someone
were to ask to speak to my boss, I would be offended just for the
simple fact of that person seeing me as not being 'good enough' to
deal with their situation. Granted, he definitely could've handled it
better, but I also have to agree with Sean in that 'it never hurts to
ask'(especially if you've been allowed to at other restaurants),
unless of course you're asking Andre ;)! Even if he was too busy at
that moment to deal with Sean, he could've asked him politely to wait
a moment to see if he could find anything stating the policy, or even
told him (politely) that it is just a common-sense policy so customers
won't take advantage of them. He might've said what he did because he
felt it senseless to involve his supervisor over something that he
could easily handle, even if his handling was a bit rough.
In that situation, I would've gladly handed over the number to my
supervisor, & smirked inwardly knowing the customer would just get the
same answer I had already given him. (Inner child: I told you so! I
told you so!) It's just a shame nowdays that you can't take the word
of a lowly employee's answer because there's always a possibility
they're just being lazy or mean. Of course, he could've just had a
really bad day, & you're questions were the straw that broke his back,
so to speak.
Anyway, Sean, next time wait on that special pizza instead of filling
up on all the other stuff ;)!

i have never heard of taking food in a box to go from the buffet.
It's all you care to eat in the restaurant. What's to stop you from
loading up the box at the buffet if you have extra room. I've been to
CiCi's. You have the buffet and you can ask for a certain kind of
pizza if it's not on the buffet but it IS part of the buffet. All the
restaurants i worked at didn't allow to go orders on the buffet.
Also, are you sure you know what omnipotent means?

Maybe the grind up all the left over pizzas and recycle them next
day!! LOL

The anger displayed by the manager is becoming a regular phenomenon as
the private owners of individual restaurants fade away, overcome by
large corporations operating chains. Such organizations demand that
their employees use the term 'sir' when addressing male patrons like
you. This supposedly forces respect, but in reality allows tone to be
used to insult, deprecate or otherwise manipulate it's original
intended use. This is just one aspect of the frustration employees
feel at not being able to make decisions such as the one you asked
for. Know that these people are pretty much slaves required to do
what's asked of them, and not allowed to do much more. Asking them to
smile and be polite is equivalent to asking a slave to smile as he's
choppin' that cotton. He'll do it if he knows it means a beatin' if he
doesn't. But not because he's happy. Your take on all this should be
to recognize the circumstances under which these people work, and try
to make it just a tiny bit more fun for both of you. That's the way to
keep things more healthy, and have a better time while you're making
someone else's life just a tiny bit better.

I understand from your comments below that you are more concerned with
the treatment you received from Andre, however, your letter seems
quite focused on the policy, for example:

"I was rather surprised at his response, and so I suggested that I
would like to see such a policy in writing since there were no affects
to such a policy written anywhere in the restaurant"

"In response I suggested that if a policy did exist, that in fact,
such a policy should be made in writing to anyone that asks for it."

"In reply I stated that if he was going to subject me to a policy
that he could not provide me in writing and refuse to provide me with
a box that I would like to contact his supervisor."

"I would like to see in writing the policy that states customers
cannot take any portion of pizza they have received from Cici's
buffet"

"If Cici's proposes NOT to allow customers to take any portion of the
pizza they have been served, then I feel it only prudent that Cici's
state this in writing for all customers to see."

I believe that is why so many respondents focused on that; it appears
(IMHO) from the letter that you did also.

I agree that Andre should have made the number available, but there
are easier ways to get the number than to repeatedly question someone
who you felt may throw a pizza pie at you.

This is a downright bizarre case. The letter-writer appears to be
thoughtful, intelligent, and capable of crafing a decent letter. This
impression is further bolstered by his sensible and thoughtful
reaction to criticism (in responses below). Why an apparently
intelligent and polite person would get wrapped up in such
Ronnie-Dobbs-esque behaviour as trying to take home buffet pizza is
beyond me.

I've never known a buffet that allows people to take home uneaten
portions of their meal with them. A very small number of buffets
(mainly large Chinese-food ones) have a "buffet-to-go" option, whereby
a carry-out customer can purchase buffet food to go and pay by the
pound, but even this doesn't refer to remaining food that's already at
someone's table. Bottom line: buffets just don't work that way, nor
should they be expected to.

Asking for a box, therefore, was expecting the manager to break his
company's rules just to please you, which might have gotten him in
trouble. Cici's seems to be a franchise operation as well, so they'd
be very wary about not breaking the coproration's policies for fear of
losing their franchise licence. So while your request might have
seemed reasonable to you, they had every reason on earth to refuse
it.

The turning point was in demanding to see it in writing. The vast
majority of the rules we follow in life are unwritten, and they should
stay that way: imagine if businesses had to put up a sign stating
every single possible rule: "Do not pee in overnight video drop box",
"Do not have kung-fu fights in maternity ward", "Do not set up Slip
'n' Slide through library reference section", etc etc etc. By
demanding to see the rule in writing, you crossed the line from making
a dopey customer request to being a disturbance, and while the manager
might have been rude, it's hardly surprising.

I do agree that employees should always be willing to give their
bosses' contact information when asked, but the manager's statement
that he was too busy sounds like it was true (you did say he was
holding a pizza at the time) and his boss would only have told you
what he and everybody here already have: buffets just don't work like
that.

Whether you return to Cicis or not is up to you, but since you're
obviously intelligent and seem to be a basically reasonable person,
I'd suggest apologising to the manager. Even if he tells you to cram
it and not come back, you'll know you did the right thing and at least
you'll have peace of mind about the situation.

All you can eat pizza for less than $5 is a great deal, especially if
they throw in a customized pizza for the deal.

Whereas this is an all you can eat buffet, I don't think anyone should
expect to get a to-go box. This, IMHO, goes without question.

The way Sean has stated Andre's response was that he "quickly rejected
the request stating it was company policy". That's when it sounds
like Sean got irritated and asked where it was in writing. I don't
think it makes a difference as to the policy being in writing. The
fact is, the buffet was paid for and no to-go boxes are provided.
Sean may have been better to nicely state, "Oh, I wasn't aware of
that. Thanks for the great meal." At least then, the family would
have been comfortable in returning to the restaurant. As it is now, I
can imagine their embarrassment in returning.

This is a tricky situation, seems like you should be able to take it
home if they box it, but if you ordered a special pizza and then asked
for another one before you left and had it boxed it wouldn't be right,
or if you filled up on the buffet and then ordered another special
pizza and were able to take it to go a lot of people would scam.
If an employee tells you they do not do something, whether it is in
writing or not, they do not do it. Sure they could take 10 minutes to
hand write a sign by the register that says this, but what is the
difference- you asked and they answered, you just didn't like the
answer and if it was in writing I doubt it would have been a more
acceptible policy to you.

"Andre' would rather have thrown out the rest of that pizza than to
allow us to take it home to enjoy the next day."

If he said it was the corporate office that made that policy, then he
himself would not have any say in the matter. It seems like he was
just doing his job in telling you the policy. Granted, he should not
have been so rude, but then again, it seems like you were awfully
insistent on getting that policy in writing when you could see that
the man was busy. Sometimes as a customer you just have to accept the
fact that restaurants and stores have policies in place that need to
be followed.

I've never been to a Cici's, but something I am unclear on: Did the OP
pay for a whole pizza, or just the cost of eating off the buffet? If
he paid for an entire pizza, and was not allowed to take his leftovers
home, that is wrong. However, if all that was paid was the going rate
for the buffet, and the restaurant was nice enough to make them a
custom pizza, then no, they shouldn't be able to take home leftover.
On the other hand, if that meant the pizza would go right into the
trash, that isn't right either.

I have never been to a buffet that allowed customers to take home
leftovers, but I do think "Andre" behaved badly. There were a lot of
other ways he could have handled the situation. He absolutely should
have given you the phone number of either a supervisor or the
corporate office, or at least taken down your information to pass on
to a supervisor.

I appreciate the mass of responses to this letter. WOW!! And I
certainly do see all sides to this issue and take your constructive
criticism as such. There's no absolute right or wrong answer in this
situation, as I am aware, but I believe my complaint was far more
focused on the treatment rather than the lack of a pizza box.

I felt the dialogue had to be condensed somewhat to make it a bit more
easily read by someone at corporate who may intend to reply. The
bottom line?...this manager was terse, rude, and certainly had no
desire to accomodate me as a customer - no matter how unsupportable my
request was. I know, it's difficult to extrapolate all this from my
message, but with a hot pie in his hand, the way this guy escalated, I
almost thought he was just going to throw it on me! SERIOUSLY! I think
that's why I just backed off instead.

Yeah, I know there's kind of a "known" rule about buffets, and I
realize this. I only figured a difference here because here they had
made this awesome custom pie, and a bit over half of it was going to
go uneaten. Heck, I would have even PAID for a box, or a bit more
just to take it home. Nothing doing though, not even an option.
However, in my own defense, I have patronized a few buffets in town
that would allow you to take home some uneaten tid-bits, but certainly
they are few and far between.

Thanks all for your responses. I've enjoyed reading them, and
appreciate your constructive criticism as well.

Peace,
~S

I think there's a "protesting too much" issue here.

Sean seems very concerned over the issue that the policy isn't in
writing.

I, to some extent, agree with him. If a customer has no way of
knowing that a policy exists, how can the customer be expected to
comply.

On a number of PF letters, I (and others) have been clear with OP's
that, hey, the policy is posted. So no exceptions.

In this case, the policy isn't posted. And it's not even available in
any written form. Even upon request.

However...

The question is whether or not "no takeout on a buffet" is so
well-known a rule that any customer would just be expected to know
it.

I just got back from a pizza restaurant (not Cici's). Here are some
"rules" that I did not see posted anywhere and I'm pretty sure are not
in writing (within the restaurant, at least):

* You have to pay for your meal.

* You have to pay tax.

* You cannot dump a pizza on the crying baby to keep it quiet.

* Bus your own table. Really. No where was there a sign that said
that I was supposed to put my trash in the trash cans.

* No making your own coupons with crayons and napkins.

* Do not take you chair home with you.

* You cannot order in Klingon.

* I cannot go behind the counter, grab a handful of toppings and stuff
them in my mouth.

Point is... there are lots of things which are actual laws (such as
not assaulting a child) and some things that are social convention.

To my mind, being a person that's eaten in buffet restaurants all of
my life, I know that "no takeout" is pretty standard. But maybe Sean
has never been to a place that didn't let him take food home.

Anyway...

Back to my original thought. The fact that Sean made such a big deal
out of needing to see the rule is writing strikes me (being a cynical
person) as odd. Most people would say "gosh, I didn't know that" and
then either ask for a one time exception or just deal. But, no, Sean
got all "lawyerly" (sorry LadyMac) about it. Why? Because he was
looking for an argument? Because he knew the social convention
against taking home buffet food and wanted to prove himself right.

I've done this (although not in this setting). I'll know that I'm in
the wrong, but I also know that my "opponent" cannot prove it. So,
I'll demand to see proof that I'm wrong (or they are right). When
they cannot do it, I claim victory and say "well, in that case, you
HAVE to do it my way."

OK, maybe that's just me. Maybe Sean really was surprised by the rule
and was just trying to satisfy his own education by asking for the
rule in writing.

Maybe.

All of this said, the manager DID mishandle this. "I'm too busy" is
not the right way to handle this. The manager should have said "I'm
sorry, but it's standard practice for buffet restaurants, including
this one, to limit all meals to dine-in. I hope you understand." And
then, "I'd be happy to provide you contact information."

Then again, viz our recent debate over Cabarra's, the manager could
have just given this guy the pizza. After all, it is true that the
pizza cannot be re-served to someone else. It has to go in the
trash.

But, had that happened, do you think that Sean (and other people)
would load up on food, that they can't eat, just to take it home.

I'm a generally honest person. But, heck yeah, if a restaurant
allowed me to take home "whatever I took but couldn't eat," I'd be
tempted to load up just to take home.

And that, Sean, is the reason for the rule.

The restaurant, however, should know this and should not offer you
more than a single serving of food. It's wasteful, on their part, to
make a whole pizza. But, yeah, its the restaurant's purview to waste
the food. If they want to do it, it's their problem.

I agree with most of the previous responses. Cici's is a buffer style
pizza restaurant. The restaurant did you a favor by making a specialty
pizza and placing it at your table.

I can understand your frustation for not wanting the rest of the pizza
to go to waste. However this is a buffet restaurant and like most
buffets you can not take leftovers home. This is to keep the costs
down and to keep customers from getting two meals while one paying for
one.

Could the situation been handled differently, yes. If you did not want
the rest of the pizza to go to waste you could have offered to pay for
another buffet in order to be allowed to take the left over pizza home
with you. If you wanted a pizza to take home, you could have paid for
that pizza and just ate what was on the buffet

In my opinion the manager should have just put the specialty pizza on
the buffet. You then would have only taken what you could have ate and
the "leftovers" would have been at the buffet for others to enjoy.

Because of this situation dont be surprised if Cici's no longer makes
specialty pizzas to be placed at diner's tables.

It is admirable that you are so concerned about wasting the remainder
of the pizza you didn't eat, but when all is said and done, you were
dining at a buffet that allowed customers to order specialty pizzas as
a courtesy while only paying for the buffet. The reasoning behind
their policy to not allow patrons to take home "leftovers" rather than
waste food is really none of your business.

Could the manager have handled the situation better? Sound like it -
- but at the same time demanding to see the written policy, asking for
the corporate phone number as well as that of Andre's supervisor is
confrontational and it may be that he was simply reacting to your
attitude towards him.

Bottom line: You were eating at a buffet that does not allow "doggy
bags" under any circumstances when you have paid for the buffet. You
may not understand this policy but it's the way it is and you were
wrong to ask let alone make it a big deal.

I've been to Cici's a couple of times and the way it works is that it
is a buffet but you can order a pizza just for yourself at no
additional cost. I think they allow you to special order a pie if you
are disabled and are unable to walk back and forth to the buffet. Its
just easier for some people. So he didn't pay extra for that pizza
that he special ordered, therefore I agree that he shouldn't be able
to take the rest of it home.

I would say that if the customer ordered a special pizza and it was
delivered to their table instead of being added to the general buffet,
then they should have a right to take the rest with them.
However...
This being a buffet situation, it complicates the issue.
Let's say some less scrupulous folks than the OP ordered a special
pizza and didn't eat it all. They ask for a box to cart the rest home,
and, while no one is paying attention, they make one more trip to the
buffet grabbing a few bonus pieces to add to their stash.
It's sad, but this is the world we live in and what businesses must
deal with.

That one is only 20 miles from me.

:)

It's less than 10 minutes from me.

Well, I guess that means we aren't going tonite, huh?

It would probably take you till NEXT Tuesday to get over here.

I so LOOOOOVE living on Lake Erie! NOT!

I have to admit that this is probably one of the best scams I've
seen.

Deliberately request a special pizza at a buffet. Don't eat it all
and then demand to take the remainder home because they'll just throw
it away anyway.

Bottom line, as many other commenters have said, it's a buffet. If
you eat their as much as you say you do, you know the rules. They
aren't going to bend them just for you.

And you know why? Because next time you come in, you'll try and pull
the same thing and you'll tell whoever is on duty (assuming you louck
out not to run into "Andre" again) that "They let me do it last time!

It's called precedent & they don't have to show you where its written
that you can't take food home on a buffet! Regardless of whether it
was special order or not. It's common knowledge that buffets are
designed and priced out based on the fact that you MUST eat the food
there.

I'll give you credit that it was a valiant attempt, but I'm sure the
corporate big whigs at Cici's are laughing at you right about now!

I agree with the others, it's a buffet and you are not entitled to
take home a doggie bag, even if it was a special pizza made just for
you. If they allow that, what's to stop other people from finding out
that you can get food to take home at Cici's, all you have to do is
order something not on the buffet.

So let's see, for $9.00, plus drinks for dinner, you actually want
three meals out of it. Doesn't sound right, does it?

The firm I used to work for had a flat $3.00 fee for lunch in the
cafeteria, all you could eat. They had to stop it after people got
greedy and started taking enough for two meals and taking the rest
home for dinner. A few people spoiled it for everyone and then it was
changed to ala carte.

It's the same at buffets. If they allow everyone to start taking
doggie bags home, they will either have to raise prices or cut the
amount of food available in order to make a profit.

Andre could have been nicer about it but if the tone of your letter is
any indication of the tone you took with him, I can see how he got a
little irritated.

While I do understand you not wanting it to go to waste, restaurants
with buffets do not permit you to take the remaining leftovers home.
This is to prevent several extra trips to the buffet and people
loading up on food to bring home which in the end would encourage
people to take advantage of the buffet and they would never make a
profit.

I do agree that Andre should have directed you to a supervisor where
it would have been explained to you hopefully to your understanding.

You and your wife are the ones who let the food go to waste, because
your eyes were bigger than your stomach. I know that when I go to
Cici's, I can manage 6 slices, tops. If I put 8 slices on my plate,
and can't eat it, whose fault is that?

I agree with the others here - I have never know ANYONE who wasn't
familiar with the "No doggie bags at a buffet" rule.

I know a bit about Cici's. There is one near my home. It's not my cup
of tea, but the kids liked it when they were younger. Anyway, this
location does have signage that there are no 'take-homes' on the
buffet. While you can order pizza off the menu, it's primarily a
buffet place, similar to the fashion of Golden Corral or the old
Ponderosa.

In this regard, even without a sign, that's a very clear signal that
the buffet is for 'eat in' customers only. The manager could have
handled it better, but it also sounds to me like the OP was being
condescending and arrogant. Never a good combination.

According to Mr. Helpful, it's a risk to allow a customer to leave
upset. What solution would have satisfied this customer, therefore
having him leave happy? To give in to him? Provide him with the
district managers number?

In my opinion, I think the manager did the right thing, although his
execution was faulty.

Thoughts?

I have eaten at CiCis MANY times. At the buffet, they offer a variety
of pizzas but they will accomodate requests for special pizzas. I
usually ask for a pizza with beef on it and they will glaldy make it
and put it on the buffet freshly made. I can take as many slices as I
want and still only pay the single buffet price.

I would not ever expect to be able to take the whole thing with me!
Never! They made it as a courtesy to serve the customer without
additional charge. It sounds like this is what happened with the OP.
Unless you pay extra for a special pizza (and no Cicis I have ever
been to charges extra for a special request) then you should not be
able to take it with you.

It's pretty common knowledge that people cannot take home "leftovers"
from a buffet.

Additionally, maybe you shouldn't use words such as "omnipotent"
without first consulting a dictionary.

It's a BUFFET. You don't take home food from a buffet. You eat your
meal there - you don't pick up your meals for the rest of the week and
take them home with you.

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have this in writing. It's just
common sense. Cici's wouldn't make any money for all the people taking
enough food to last them for a week and walking out with it.

But, yes, the manager should have given you the corporate number.
That's really the only part of your complaint I can agree with.

This is my guess.
He asked for a type of pizza that maybe was not on the Buffet at the
time and they accomodated him by whipping it up.
He in turn drew the conclusion that it was his pizza to do what he
wanted.
Pretty obvious to me that the pizza was not going home with him.
Bill R.

Question is, did the OP pay for the buffet + a full pizza, or just the
buffet? If they paid for a full pizza and buffet, then yes, they
should take it home. If they paid for the buffet only, then no, they
shouldn't take it home. Real simple: You get what you pay for (or
you don't get what you didn't pay for).

Ya know, I do FULLY understand everyone's replies below. It WAS a
buffet, even though the pizza was specially made and buffets don't do
doggy bags. HOWEVER. This pizza was specially made for him and his
wife. It's not part of the buffet, it's sitting on his table, right?
Cici's cannot wait until the couple is gone and then add it to the
buffet. So why not just let the guy take home the rest of his pizza?
They're just going to throw it AWAY. I fully agree that buffet = no
doggy bags. But this pizza, even though it may have been FINANCIALLY
part of the buffet, is not part of the buffet. It is going to be
thrown away, not served to others. I don't agree with a resturant
choosing to THROW AWAY food rather than make a customer happy. That
seems really silly to me.

Its called all you can eat buffet no all you can eat then take the
rest home.

I have been to CiCi's a couple of times and that really is their
policy. I asked a manager once for a to-go box because I wanted to
take some pizza home to my father. I was confused when he said no, but
then he explained politely why. (I don't go to buffets a lot so his
explanation was needed.) However, he then said that I could buy the
box for four dollars fifty cents--just pay the buffet price twice. It
makes sense, I suppose. I agreed and was allowed to take home a good
sized meal for my father.

I don't know if this is how it's done at all CiCi's but that's how
mine handles it.

This letter couldn't have been posted at a more perfect time.

Should the manager of a buffet style restaurant give in to a customer
who wants to fill up a doggie bag to take home, just to keep the
customer happy?

I know what MY answer is.

Well, if they gave you a whole pizza, than they should have given you
a box to take them home in. But why make up your mind about Cici
being a bad place just based on one experience that was bad when there
were many experience's that were good. Let's hope you don't take the
same you did something bad so I will concentrate on that attitude on
your husband and children.

I don't know of any buffet that allows you to take home a doggie bag;
it sounds like the employees were simply following a well known and
common sense policy(read: there's no reason to state the obvious in
writing).

Next time you should do what my MIL does, put it in your pockets!

But seriously, there aren't any buffets that will let you have take
out boxes. Like someone else said, everyone would just fill up their
plates just one last time then ask for a to-go box.

The OP claims to eat there "at least 2-3 times a month." Perhaps even
weekly.

So is this the first time he's try to get pizza from the buffet, to
take home? If he paid extra for the "special" pizza, why didn't he
say so in this complaint?

Sorry, but the OP sounds too blow-hard-ish. He plays this up like
it's some really nice place to eat. Dude! It's a cheap pizza and
pasta buffet! And you're trying to scam 'em out of some pizza!

...but, it is a really cheap one at that. I just checked their
website again (www.cicispizza.com) and the price has gone up just a
little! LOL

"$4.49 All-You-Can-Eat Buffet with Pizza, Pasta, Salad and Dessert"

Yes, you read that right. All you can eat Pizza, Pasta, Salad and
Dessert for $4.49. Add a drink, and you might be up to what? $6?
$6.50? LOL

And you are mad about a doggy bag??

Hey Sean how about if I go to Cici's Pizza and order 2 or 3 pizzas,
only eat 1, and tell the manager I need a to-go box so the other 2
don't go to waste and I can enjoy them the next day? Doesn't make too
much sense does it? Well, neither does your complaint.

If you want something "to-go" they do have a "to-go menu".

I guess for some people without common sense they need every policy
(disclaimers) in writing.

What I am getting here is that Cici's is a buffet pizza place. The
poster and his wife ordered a special pizza that wasn't on the buffet,
but paid for the buffet, which includes pasta and salad (he states
that they selected a few pieces and salad from the line, hence my
belief that they ordered the buffet, not an ala carte pizza.) The
special order pizza was brought to their table and when they didn't
finish it, they wanted to box it up and take it home. I would hope
after being on a customer's table, the place wouldn't put it on the
buffet, but you cannot allow food to be carried out from a buffet
either. People would be coming in and ordering special pizzas and
taking them home left and right!

When you ordered, did you pay for the entire pizza separately from the
buffet?

It's standard for people in college dining halls, buffets, etc., to
refuse to let you take any food out with you. If people are taking
food out, they are likely to take more food in the first place than
they really want to eat right then, so the place serving them loses
money on it.

In fact, you're the first person I've ever encountered who did not
know -- and revealed it to me -- that rule. You may be the first
person Andre ever encountered who didn't know the rule, too, and he
may have thought that you were trying to break it on purpose. I've
got to say that when people don't know what I think is very basic
information, it can be annoying. (Mr.
This-Wall-Thermometer-Is-Broken-Because-The-Numbers-On-The-Left(under
the big F)-Don't-Match-The-Numbers-On-The-Right (under the big C), I'm
thinking of you here.)

Maybe he should have been nicer, but surely you are capable of
contacting the home office without his assistance (you could use PFB,
even, just as you already have), but, frankly, what you've described
just doesn't seem to me as if it's something bad enough to get the
home office involved. (Plus, if Andre is omnipotent, I'm sure he can
win in a power struggle with the big bosses.)

I am confused....Did you order the buffet or did you simply order a
single pizza? If it was the buffet, they should not have given you a
box. If you ordered a single pizza, then by all means you deserve a
box

I haven't eaten at a Cici's, and I am having trouble understanding the
situation. It sounds as though you got some pizza from the buffet (I
assume you paid for the buffet separately) and also ordered a pizza.
But in the end, you tried to take some of the pizza you ordered for
take-home. They told you you can't take buffet items home (which
makes sense), but you asked for proof of that (even though you were
trying to take home the pizza they made for you). Or were you trying
to take home pizza obtained from the buffet?

I am really confused. If the pizza you were trying to take home came
off the buffet, what happened makes perfect sense. Otherwise it
doesn't make sense.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure no buffet will allow you to
"doggie bag" items. I've never been to Cici's before, but I can't
believe they operate much differently.

I understand that you had just 1/2 of a pizza left, but if they
allowed people to take home extra, what would prevent someone from
ordering two or three pies they couldn't finish and wanted to take
home?