Rave for Sal's Pizza!

If I were you, I would do away with the 4-hour, dried-up-looking slices in the case. It actually makes me not want to eat pizza. Bravo had the same thing and on numerous occasions, I remember people coming in, looking at those slices and turning right around out the door (me included).

 

Pizza is made to order! Stop by!

 

We had a pie from Sal's last night. The good - great pizza, just the right amount of sauce, we enjoyed it. The Bad - checkout time!. I ordered ahead for pickup, was told to come in 15-20 minutes. I showed up in 10 minutes (and I was glad I did). Long line out the door - by the time I got to the counter to pay, 20 minutes was long gone and the pizza was cold when we got it home (a quick warmup in the oven and it was ok). I realize you are working the bugs out, so we will be back. Just my observation - you probably need another cash register. At the very least, put someone on the cash register solely to cash people out - have someone else taking phone orders and expediting. I noticed the guy (I assume it was Sal!), was cashing people out, taking orders, taking phone orders, and expediting problems. Oh well, what the heck do I know!! Anyway, we do enjoy your food and hope the bugs get worked out!

 

I don't understand... Bravo was always empty, and IMHO Sal's pizza isn't any better (both pretty good). Must just be the novelty and marketing.

"Sal"-- I hope things go well for you!

 

Hi Lee,
It was great meeting you today at our "Home away from Home." We are anxious to meet your brother " the Pizza connoisseur'
See you soon!
Doreen, Sal & Family

 

OH brother me and my big mouth are spotted everywhere ha ha ha I have to admit the pizza is as good as the ONE and Only Ray's in NYC. of course my brother when he comes to visit from Houston will be the true test. I swear he lives for pizza and travels the world to try every pizza joint there is, and I am not joking

A week ago or so when I went to Sal's for the first time. There was a lady in there from New York City who was so excited about everything she was sampling she was telling everyone she could , including me it was as good as home

This is another wonderful family run and owned business and the food is as good as the NYC ladies bragging.

Lee j

 

it's not "novelty and marketing". if you really know NY pizza, you know this is good, and Bravo was not. You can tell just by looking at the menus that this is legit. We've been regulars here since they opened and everything so far is great!

 

we ate there Friday- good pizza, friendly staff, but slllllow service. the pasta is nothing special but the rice ball was delicious. wouldn't call it a rave, and we'll likely go to Scotto's next time we want quick Italian, but if we ever just want to walk for a slice, Sal's will get our biz!

 

Uh, I'm missing something here.

Based on the rave reviews for Sal's, I ordered two pizzas from there last Friday. Sorry, but this pizza doesn't come close to "NY style" pizza. While the amount & taste of the sauce was right, the crust was not as thin as NY style pizza (too doughey). Also, the sausage was sliced way too thick.

The ridiculous wait just confirmed to me that this place just isn't all that great.

Believe it or not, the person behind the counter was "going over the menu" to a family of five (entree by entree, it seemed) while many others lined up behind them. After what seemd to be about 10 minutes of this, some folks left. I would have as well, had I not already placed an order.

If anyone knew how to run a pizza shop, the person behind the counter would have simply said to the family who was baffled by the pizza shop menu..."excuse me, could I just help the next person in line while you all decide on what you'd like to order." But no, I had to listen to to this guy "explain" a pizza menu to 3 adults and 2 kids.

The pizza was OK, but not anywhere near the hype that I got from this board. And definately not even close to being worth the wait.

 

Wow, they have Arancini???!!! Does anyone know what kind of filling they use??


Steve

 

I don't know but the several pizzas I have ordered was very good and the crust was not doughy. I have only ordered pizza in the daytime as to not have to hassle with the crowds. MY pizza expert brother when he visits in sept will be the ultimate test on whether it is as good a true NY pizza.

What I found, pizza is a very personal thing when it comes to taste, each to his or her own.

Lee j

 

To our customers and friends,
This comment is addressed to each individual customer who visited with us this week and gave us support as we start our new venture. It is not addressed to “a line of people out the door and around the turn of our entrance.” This is a family owned and operated business with a family history of more than 40 years. Our mission is to treat each customer as if they are the “only” customer at the counter. It would be rude and inappropriate to ask a customer to “step aside” without making an effort to answer their questions regarding this new menu. We take one customer at a time! It’s about home-made specialty items and hand tossed pies. It’s about giving our customers personalized service, understanding their needs and satisfying their requests. Giving our customers time to get to know us and what we have to offer. It’s about providing samples to our customers while you wait one on one with a warm welcome to our “home away from home.” It’s NOT about running a “factory like” pizzeria with pies made & frozen in advanced from pre-made dough and products that are stacked on trays in the back and running conveyor belts to process pizza. It’s “NOT about putting leftovers out on a tray near the register for samples. Everything is made fresh to order SO if you like your crust thin and crisp, please feel free to order it that way. If you like it a little thicker crust with extra sauce or cheese… we can do that too. It’s all about you as an individual. It’s NOT about serving as many customers as possible in the shortest amount of time to make the most money. We are not your typical “fast food” restaurant. Unfortunately in this day and age, people are settling for that type of service. We have no intention of participating in such a situation. If we did, we would not have gotten to meet all of you this week, we would not know our employees on an individual basis, and we would not be able to prepare our food fresh. We would just be at the bank day and night! That is far from our mission. So we ask that when you plan to visit us, leave ample amount of time to place your order, receive your meal and of course RELAX and enjoy the wonderful food whether your dining in or carrying out!

This is a short summary of our “Grand Opening” week and response to some of your comments. Thanks for all the wonderful support this week. We survived the “Grand Opening” with a very unexpected overwhelming but well appreciated response from the community and from our visitors from the surrounding counties. We have had many satisfied customers who felt that our products were well worth the wait. There are some of you who are disappointed in the wait time. FYI we are working the kinks out and will have a designated area window for carry-out orders. It’s just a matter of logistics. We are anxiously waiting for a “Point of Sales” system that will facilitate accuracy of orders, inventory and time saving measures. We don’t think a “Grand Opening” week is an accurate time to judge waiting time or service. We appreciate all your comments so keep them coming. It’s all about you! We will continue to do our very best to serve this community and all our customers at all times.
Sincerely,
Doreen, Sal & Family

 

Hmm...

Wanting fairly quick take-out at a pizza shop doesn't seem to be a phenomena of "this day and age." Certainly many of the really good pizza places in & near Philadelphia (where I grew up) knew how to serve great pizza, with a reasonable wait for pick-up.

I understand kinks needing to be worked out during the first couple of weeks a place is open. However, from the owner's response, it seems that long waits to pick up a couple of pizza's wasn't really a major issue. I guess it was just my problem for not understanding their philosophy on customer service.

Oh well...philosphy lesson noted. I will get my pizza elsewhere.

 

Thanks for the response, Doreen, Sal & Family - glad to hear you are working out the kinks! Now....about that Arancini - I grew to love this Sicilian treat when I worked in NJ. How do you make yours? Do you just use rice and cheese, or do you fill yours with a little ragu?? I didn't notice this on your menu last week, but may have just missed it - is this a regular menu item? Looking forward to trying it.

 

Hi Sal-
You were a victim of what just about every restaurant that has opened here has experienced......completely overwhelmed with business the day the doors open.
Don't let a few comments here get to you.....some of our posters expect gourmet and 5 star service wherever they go.
Welcome to the neighborhood and look forward to meeting you soon.
Cliff

 

Cliff, I sure don't expect "gourmet and 5 star service" wherever I go. I just expect to be able to pick up pizza without needing to stand in line for 20 minutes in order to do so.

 

Sal no worries man. Cliff is right every new restaraunt get's hammered the first month or two and I know first hand how hard it is to work out the "kinks" amidst the mayhem. Hang in there everything will work out and don't let some of the "critics" out there bother you. The food will speak for itself. You're doing a great job.
Pooch

 

Dear Steve D,

Thanks so much for your understanding. The Arancini is a sicilian specialty "rice ball" which we make from an old family recipe that includes mozzerella cheese in the rice and a bit of ground beef, special tomato sauce and a few green peas in the center. They are deep fried and as the "rice ball special" you can have mozzerella, parmigiana & ricotta cheese with our marinara sauce over the top. Please come in and introduce yourself. We look forward to meeting you very soon.
Sincerely,
Sal, Doreen & Family

 

Dear Cliff,
Thanks so much for your good wishes and warm welcome. We appreciate all the comments of the community. We love the positive feedback. As for the constructive criticism and suggestions, we do take it into consideration as we believe there may always be room for improvement and we are here to satisfy as many as possible. We would love to meet you so please come in and see us soon.

Sincerely,
Doreen, Sal & Family

 

Dear Pooch,
Thanks so much for the support. As "Loudoun's Best Deli" and just an all around "nice guy" we value your opinion.

See you soon,
Sincerely,
Doreen, Sal & Family