We got there around 5:15 and were seated immediately.  A friend asked a waitress how busy they had been that day and apparently it wasn’t bad any time of the day.  I guess most people are either staying away on opening day, didn’t know it was open, or are just waiting until the weekend (or will never go, I suppose).

Unlike David over at GreaterFalls or some friends of mine who didn’t have a perfect wait staff experience, our wait staff was wonderful and knowledgeable.  We pretty much had two waitresses the entire night.  The orders came out a little slow but not bad AT ALL compared to some other restaurants (like Monty’s or whatever they are now…yikes!).  Even with the waiters that were new at the tables around us were trying very hard.  There was an atmosphere about the place that just seemed to indicate everyone was trying very hard to make a great first impression.

Our food was very good.  My wife got a salad that she said was absolutely fantastic.  I got fajitas (the ones with their wing sauce on them) which was quite tasty.  The atmosphere inside was great.  I almost forgot I was in Great Falls, actually since I was so happy to be in another good chain restaurant.

Like David said, chain restaurants aren’t bad for Great Falls.  They don’t have to run out all of the local restaurants nor do I think they ever could here.  It’s just so refreshing to have a wide variety of restaurants to choose from.  We are really looking forward to the Macaroni Grill opening down the road — we’ve been to the one in Helena a few times already.

Anyway, I’d highly recommend jumping over to Chili’s and trying it out.  This week may be the best time because I think the place is going to be PACKED come this weekend.

Well, after about 10 minutes of waiting, the staff walked around to everyone who was waiting and offered them a slice of pizza! I couldn’t believe it — no charge at all. Needless to say, I was VERY impressed…just another example of really good customer service.

If you haven’t gone over there to eat, I’d highly recommend it! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Unless you are David and get a burger.

Wow.

So I understand Pizza Plus isn’t at the top of the food chain when it comes to high-class restaurants. But all I wanted was a soda. That’s it.

My wife and I were out shopping and I was thirsty. We were in the mall so we headed over to Pizza Plus so I could get a drink. I get to the counter and order my drink and it comes to a buck something. I never carry cash on me only my credit cards. So I hand her my American Express card. Little did I know what a problem this was.

I’m guessing it is their policy to take cards because she didn’t say they were cash only or anything. When I hand her my card she says something to the effect of, “Oh my God, another credit card…you’ve got to be kidding me.” She then stomped off to Orange Julius to ring the card up over there. My wife and I looked at each other thinking this woman must be joking with her attitude.

She comes back to the counter and gives me the card over my shoulder with a, “Here ya go.” Very rude. She walks around the counter again and looks to her co-worker (while my wife and I are still standing there) and says something like, “If I have to run one more credit card….I’m not even kidding.” Of course, she said that with a terrible tone and a bad attitude.

I was absolutely shocked. I’m not usually one to pursue issues like these especially at fast food places. But I will be calling the manager after Christmas. If that does not go anywhere, I’ll go to regional or whatever it takes (if they have higher ups).

What the heck has customer service come to these days? When a customer hands you a credit card, you shouldn’t throw a temper tantrum. If the policy is to not accept credit cards then state that fact. This woman is the perfect example of what NOT to do when it comes to customer service. I’ve never been treated that poorly in such a blatant fashion.

My wife and I never eat there but you can be damn sure we won’t ever even consider it in the future.

There are some kinks that need to be worked out.  They apparently don’t have all of the beers in the restaurant that they list on their menu — it was kind of weird.  Also, they messed up one of the people’s orders but fixed it immediately.

The food itself was very good in my opinion.  I got an Ultimate Pizza that was very tasty.  We also got their appetizer platter so we could sample the entire selection.  I don’t think there was an appetizer the group didn’t like.

The service was good.  As I said before, they are still working out some kinks and are training new people.  However, for a new restaurant, my wife and I were very pleased.  We had to wait about 45 minutes (we went around 5 PM) for a table.  Their parking lot was CRAZY but that’s not the restaurant’s fault.  It would have been easier if everyone wasn’t trying to turn left out of the parking lot.

It looks like they are putting a lot of work into their outdoor eating area, as well.  They have a lot of the heat lamps so it looks like they will have a relatively long (compared to other restaurants here) outdoor eating season.

We definitely plan on going back again.  If you are willing to fight the crowds or go a little bit early, I’d highly recommend you take a shot!

We were hoping it was going to be like another noodle place we had in Colorado Springs which was pretty good. It was not the exact same because Noodle Express only has the Asian-style food instead of a big variety. Even so, we still really liked it. Their service was friendly and fast. I guess they modified their operations a little bit and got a runner to take the food to the tables instead of making the customer walk up to the counter (which would create quite the crowd).

We plan on throwing that restaurant into the rotation. Now we are just counting the days unil Bostons opens up (not to mention Chili’s and Macaroni Grill)!

However, we are also very happy to see new chain restaurants being built. I’ve always had an issue with the lack of variety. While the food is excellent at the aforementioned local restaurants, it does get old having only a handful of restaurants to choose from. We are very excited that we’ll be getting the Chili’s and Macaroni Grill. Those two restaurants are incredibly good with wonderful atmospheres. Also, the Pita Pit and Noodles Express (when it opens) are nice additions. I was so happy to see that Pita Pit decided to stay open later than other restaurants in town. This town becomes relatively dead at night and it is nice to see that a restaurant recognizes that and is willing to stay open late.

I think new chain restaurants can do a lot for Great Falls. They will give residents even more to choose from when deciding where to dine. Also, competition is never bad in a free market. People always complain that local places can’t compete with chains. Well, if the food is good enough they will come. There are so many non-chain restaurants in Southern California (where I grew up) that people go to. I would argue that Southern California is one of those places that has just about every chain restaurant you can think of. Yet people still do dine at their favorite local place. It’s all about providing good food at a good price with great service (and oftentimes service is THE key).

With new chain restaurants being built one can see some growth in Great Falls. I’ve often been a critic of Great Falls in the past not because I necessarily dislike the town. I’m more of a critic because the town can be so much better than it is. I’m not saying that Great Falls should lose its identity but it should be open to growth and positive change.