Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant

Received an email apology from the manager and a gift certificate.
Good on them, a nice gesture, greatly appreciated.
All is right with the world.
Thank you!

Poorly managed. Arrived at 6:15p with 6:30p reservation only to be told they were 60 – 90 min behind on reservations. Not sure how that happens with a capable manager. 10 – 15 min behind on a reservation, ok, but more than 1 hour is unreasonable. Don’t take reservations if your customers still get in line like walk-​ups.

HORRIBLE SERVICE & MANAGEMENT!
As we entered there was nobody at the greeter stand and we stood there five minutes and no one ever greeted us or came at all? Second time to this location and the same problem. Last time we just left and went elsewhere. This location is in the Edison Mall which was PACKED (8pm on 12÷21÷15) yet this restaurant was poorly run and deserted. They are losing out big time from crappy operations which surprises me as I know Rich Saultz (President) from years at Red Lobster and he would never allow this in the past! We decided to sit at the bar (wife and I) rather than leave again. We were the only ones at the bar but had to sit down with dirty dishes in front of us. The one bartender there noticed me but decided to just stay up at the other end for ten minutes talking to some very short girl rather than get us drinks and a menu. Again, we got up and left as they both just watched us walk out the door not saying anything. This was absolutely incredible to me that this can still happen in a restaurant today. I’m quite sure this location must be a way underperforming unit and needs a major overhaul. STAY AWAY!

Here is my 2 cents on the food and such… This place is located in a mall next to the food court… Not a good place for great food. I had the chicken parmigiana and the alfredo as a side dish. Plus some bread. I must admit the chicken entrée was good. It was fried lightly on the outside and still moist and tender on the inside. Pretty good. Now the alfredo is a different story. It was ok but I thought it had a slight chalky taste. Thats the best way to describe it. It needed more garlic and was not as good as mine at all. The bread was served with a balsam vinegar and olive oil. Oil was ok I was not thrill about the balsam.
Service and personnel were outstanding.
Again I had a gift card only usable here.
Will I come. Maybe I prefer mom and pops places they have the best.

A stop in for some apps and a drink late in the afternoon. Things were slow, but I really liked the stuffed mushrooms, mini meatballs, calamari, topped off with their homemade sangria, Dinner menu looked good, I will return!

After leaving my original review, I was very impressed to receive not one, not two but THREE emails from members of the company’s executive committee. That is an astonishing commitment that very few companies possess. They encouraged me to try Bucca di Beppo again, assuring me my feedback was well received. Unfortunately, I couldn’t return to this location myself. But my parents were able to go back on my behalf. Being present for the first experience and equally disappointed, this second time around was much more improved.

Manager was extremely nice. Excellent service. Convenient location. Large portions even when it says small. Would come back again.

For a chain restaurant this place is great. It is family style Italian food. I’m from NYC and it is sometimes hard to find good Italian outside the major cities. I lucked out and found this place. It was a birthday dinner for 10 people and we ordered everything under the sun. 3 pastas, and 2 meats. Ordered feticide Alfredo which was creamy and thick, on the meat side we ordered chicken salmabatiico which is in lemon sauce with artichokes and capers, was tender and delicious. Great for groups.

Most of my ratings are 1 – 3 stars when it comes to Italian food– very picky. And I have to be totally blown away by both the food and experience to give a five star rating. Although not blown away by this place, I was pleased. I came here for lunch at 2 pm on a Monday with my mother and her friend. The place was empty and got great service. My mother and her friend were totally enamored by the atmosphere — each room having a different theme– the Sinatra room, the Pope room, the Wine room — etc. I had the tomato basil soup and it was absolutely delicious! Nicely spiced and a generous portion. The baked ziti was very good– mozzarella baked through and a lot of sauce with chunks of meat– delicioso! My mother had the ravioli and was pleased. Her friend had the eggplant and ate it all– but stated the marinara sauce was bland. I was very pleased and will come back again. My reason for not giving five stars is because a 16 ounce domestic beer is $ 4.50 and an order of garlic bread (average in size) is $ 4.95. I am not cheap but usually Italian restaurants provide all you can eat garlic bread with the price of the meal. The lunch time portion was perfect for me and my guests took home doggie bags. I was quite surprised by all the negative comments– the food was very good. I guess it all depends on what time you get there and who is working. Well– when it comes to hit or miss places– I guess I hit this one at a good time.

I have eaten here before as well as other ones in Tampa and orlando.
They have good service, good food, and big portions.
Today I would say the spighatti with meatballs was bland
Usually I do not need salt, pepper, and parmigiano cheese… but today it needed it.
I spoke to the manager to check.

DELISH!!! Food was to die for! Staff was super and prices were very reasonable. Portions are HUGE so plan on feeding more than what the menu says. Will definitely be going to one close to home!

When we lived in Austin, TX we visited our local Buca regularly. They made us feel like we were part of the family… Like an Italian family. The food was amazing, the staff was attentive, and the Manager Ron Hurley always went above and beyond to make sure we always had amazing experience!
This Buca… while the manager on duty was nice… that’s about all I can be positive about. Our server was attentive until the manager left, We had to beg for water… our calamari came out in microscopic pieces over cooked… When our dinner came out, (we ordered the stuffed chicken parm with basil pesto sauce and a side of rigs with sauce) the chicken looked great, but the pasta had little to no sauce on it, and the pasta itself looked as if it was the last of the days food, dry and shriveled. Now granted, we arrived around 8 on a Sunday, but if you are going to charge $$$ kind of prices… You had better make sure the food is comparable to the charge. When we were ready to leave, we attempted to get the attention of some servers passing by to help locate our server… We were absolutely ignored. My husband had to get up and go to the where the servers cash out the checks and ask one of them to send our server to the table with the check.
I mentioned that we were regulars at our local Buca in Austin, TX … Sadly, it won’t be the same at this location.

We had reservations for party of 20, and apparently they were not prepared. There was only 1 server for the entire group so needless to say the service was poor at best. For an Italian restaurant, the only thing Italian is the name. We really were expecting much better. After eating dinner we ordered dessert and coffee. The tables were never cleared and no new plates or silverware were brought out. After having another server track down ours, she informed us there were 2 other large groups and only 3 servers. Very disappointed.

Nice place especially since its in the mall, while the food isn’t bad I have to admit the only time I come here is when my company reserves the entire private room for us, and usually well we have to eat is already pre made in a buffet style, so its not like I picked out the an entrée item from their menu. Regardless I’ve never ate a bad peace food.

Poor Service. Wait staff was over loaded even before the rush hit. Manager did not care to hear about our experience when we were leaving.
Poor quality food. The Caesar Salad was the high point. Bread was cold. Dip was only olive oil and balsamic vinegar, no spices. Pasta was over cooked and soggy. The Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken was over baked, cheese had drained out, could not find any prosciutto. Small portions of bread, pasta, marinara and chicken.
The dining room, Wine Room, was crowded and very loud. Benches were unsteady.
Prices were excessive for poor food and service.
They make Olive Garden look good.

Excellent Food … authentic and not covered in gravy (aka SAUCE) and fluffy bread ready for olive oil! Everyone is friendly, attentive without being invasive. Seems expensive yet food is awesome and meant to be shared!

Dined here yesterday for the early bird special (4−6pm) and I gotta agree with all the other negative reviews… Lousy experience but can’t blame our server. Roland did greet us promptly and made a drink suggestion. I got my typical Miller lite, lol. Although I must say he very unfamiliar with the specials/​menu he had to ask manager/​coworkers for answers to our questions (which half of them didn’t even know). While making small talk I found out Roland had only been with the company a week, so I don’t fault him for our experience. He tried hard and did good for his first week here. He very attentive and kept table clean. He checked on us numerous times but not the smothering waiter type though.
Now to the food, must say it was crappie, over cooked pasta, not enough sauce and very very BLAND food. They start you off with bread and olive oil. Omg the olive oil was so disgusting, uggh idk what happen there. I ordered the baked ziti, and it came with a cesar salad and garlic bread for $ 8.95 (early bird special). They claim it’s enough for two but no way, small portion. My cesar salad had WAY to much dressing, my pasta was very over cooked and extremely bland. My mother had the other early bird special Vodka pasta something and same thing with her dish. Although her salad was fine. My son ordered the kids alfredo and he didn’t like it either and there isn’t to much my son won’t eat. I’m not sure what happen with this location but ours in Ohio is great.
They really need to fix this one. Although I’m pretty big on second chances, this one won’t get one unless I’m having drinks at bar.
Roland we don’t fault you for the lousy food… Thanks for everything

The Atmosphere was great. Service is another animal. Love the Music. Why we didn’t get a Coupon.
I tried and may not return.

Very good for lunch! The Daily Special was half of a Chicken Parm Sandwich with a cup of Tuscan Bean Soup and a mixed green salad. An excellent deal with plenty of food and a great price. The atmosphere was excellent and the service is exceptional. Desiree was top-​notch and the manager was professional and witty. I will dine here again and recommend to friends.

My husband and I was doing some shopping and decided to stop here. We flew in from Chicago. The food was fresh, the drinks were great! We had the lasagna and the stuff chicken. We were stuffed and still had food to take home. Two people can eat from one dish. Our server Lee was very informative and very polite. The hostess helped us with a few selphies. I would recommend the food and the desert. We would love to return here once we are back in Fort Meyers!