Customer Service

 

Facebook photo (and it looks pretty delicious)

He greeted me as soon as I walked in the door.

Hellos were exchanged and the order was placed.

"How are you?" he asked. "How was your Christmas?"

I awaited my pizza: one regular slice and, for the fun of it, one Sicilian. In the meantime, there was that hint of small talk, exchanging pleasantries about the holiday.

Maybe he really does recognize me and maybe he doesn't but I'll tell you this: I've been going to this pizza shop for over 35 years and he's been there all along.

Dom & Vinnie's Pizzeria opened in 1983. Their location was fortuitous, at the corners of New York routes 100, 100A, and 100C. The Sprain Brook Parkway entrance ramp is around the corner.

At least, it was fortuitous for me. It's the closest pizza place to Westchester Community College, and I ambled in its door for the first time in the fall of 1987.

In fact, as I recall, I went there on my first day of school. In some ways, it was to calm my nerves as much as to feed my face.

Such was the first time I experienced their tangy, tasty sauce, and pillowy crust. I think I've only had their pizza, rarely straying from two regular slices. I'm sure their other items are excellent as well but the pizza has always been the star for me.

It had the feel of a true pizza parlor. Nothing fancy. Behind the counter, they might have been gruff or, as this guy always is, super-friendly.

Incidentally, two slices and a beverage cost $3.05 in 1987. Today, my slices were over $7 in total. Ah, times change.

I would return frequently during my time at WCC. I'd also come back when I worked in nearby Hawthorne. Yet, it's still easy enough to stop by when the mood strikes and I'm in the area.

Not everyone behind the counter greets me like an old friend. I don't think twice either way. It's nice to have service with a smile but an experience worthy of a "Seinfeld" episode doesn't warrant a scathing review on social media.

Sure, I get it. You hope for basic customer service skills. You hope for professionalism. We don't need to be best friends.

While there can be no exception for rudeness there can be a certain level of compassion, especially at the holidays. People are busy. Stressed. They have bad days.

Yet compassion is not always the case.

Who knows the circumstances behind why things happen? I can tell you I don't.

Yes, the customer is (almost) always right. There are exceptions to that, to be honest.

But in an era where small businesses are under constant assault -- from COVID shutdowns to staffing issues to, yes, entitled and rude customers -- I think we need to be careful with the power of the online rebuke.

So I guess I'm a little more understanding if I'm not treated like a family member wherever I go.

That includes Dom & Vinnie's near Westchester Community College, where the pizza tastes literally the way I remember it since 1987.

The service has remained consistent as well.

And, even if they've had a bad day, I'll keep going back.