The Italian Stallion is outstanding!!
I really thought a lot about this before rating. I love family-owned small businesses. I never want to get in the way of somebody putting themselves out there to fulfill a dream. I've run a food truck before so it's something I understand. On the other hand, there needs to be accountability for these businesses so they can grow. So with that in mind, I'm going to share my experience Friday night.I pulled up to the Country Hot Box and the first thing that I noticed is it didn't look very inviting. This is a little-known fact that having directions and welcome signs will actually increase the likelihood of getting customers.I walked in and started looking at the menu to see what they offered. Whoever wrote the stuff down on the chalkboard did not write it legibly.The lady at the counter kindly handed me a menu and acknowledged that it would be easier to read. This is a good sign. She knew the chalkboard is a problem. You'd be surprised how many small businesses are simply clueless and even rude when you point out glaring issues.When I looked at the menu, I saw my first real warning sign. There were three legal-size pages of food! This is not a good sign. There's no reason for such a small establishment to have such a large and complex menu. It's hard to teach new cooks and it is bad for the bottom line to order all of this food that could potentially spoil. All a small place like this needs is one page of food. That's it. Quantity doesn't make people want to buy from you. Quality does.I ordered a burger for my wife and an Italian sausage with peppers on onions for myself. I asked for the time it would take to receive my food and the lady said that she had no way of knowing. I went to pay with my card and it became obvious that the lady at the counter was not confident with the card payment device. I understand that different people have varying levels of proficiency with technology but if you are trying to provide a good customer experience, it is vital that you know what you're doing. If not, you will just stress out the customer. In those moments, I am ready to help because I am a tech person and I want small businesses to succeed.We waited for a good 45 minutes before we received our food. When I went to grab our drinks, I noticed that there were soda boxes strewn all over that corner of the room. It was a mess! I don't expect mom and pop shops to be immaculate but I do expect them not to be careless. One of the reasons I go to mom-and-pop shops is because they are passionate about their business in a way that many franchise places are not. When things are done carelessly, it tells me that they are not passionate and they're in over their heads.When we finally received our food, it was burnt. My wife’s hamburger was a hockey puck. The peppers and onions on my Italian sausage had absolutely no taste whatsoever. The sausage was charred all the way around and hard to eat. It was like it was left on the stove for too long. To make matters worse, it upset my stomach. This is one thing I really don't appreciate. I work hard for my money and I don't have much for eating out like this. When I become a patron of your business and get fed overcooked food and get sick, it is a slap in my face. I put that in my body and you carelessly burn it. If I wanted burnt food, I could have saved a lot of time and money and had my four-year-old daughter cook me dinner.I know I'm not the only one who had this experience. Please shorten your menu to a handful of essential items. Simplify your system. Train your employees on the payment technology. Clean up the drink section. Figure out how to get food out in a reasonable amount of time. I know running a business is hard. That's why you need to simplify. The details that matter the most can so easily be missed when you have to spend 100% of your time trying to keep up with your most urgent tasks. It gives you no margin to plan ahead.I wish you the best of luck. I will not be returning.
been ordering different things off the menu .. gotta say haven't found anything yet we have not liked . so far personal favorite is the homemade meatball sub on a toasted sesame seed roll . Highly recommend them .
Food was great and great service
Food was great and great service
It WAS a great place but alas all good things come to an end :(
Not open pretty sad it's just sitting there
Great service and plenty of parking.
Great service and plenty of parking.
Not open pretty sad it's just sitting there