Our first problem was parking. Holy moly. Whoever designed that shopping center's parking lot should be fired. We had to parallel park in a driveway, far away from the actual buildings, with muddy undeveloped lots on either side. The facility really needs double the parking spaces they have.
Once we got inside, the line was very long, and there was no seating. We realized that it was Friday night in a sleepy small town with nothing better to do, but like our experience at Marty's at Midday earlier in the year, not having any available seating is a definite turn off. It was too cold outside to take advantage of any outdoor seating, and we were not offered the option anyway.
So we resigned ourselves to To Go. The long line slowly moved up. After about fifteen minutes of standing there hungry, we were finally able to place our orders. Things brightened up as we selected our pies - my husband went for a standard BBQ chicken, while I opted for a veggie-laden custom chicken pizza. Your Pie gets a big gold star for having the full nutritional information of their food right there where you can order. I was able to build my own diet pie and know the Weight Watcher's points for it within a few minutes.
Once our order was placed and paid for, there was another hungry, interminable wait while they baked the pizzas. Deli style pizza sure isn't instant. Since we had no table, we had to stand by the soda fountains in everyone's way. A few "to go waiting area" chairs would have made a world of difference.
We didn't actually get to eat our pizza until we arrived home, about an hour after we left. And the pizzeria is only 10 minutes away from our Bogart home. It took 40 minutes to be able to order and then wait for the pizza to be cooked, all while we were standing up. The pizza was delicious, but I wish I could have enjoyed it sooner.
Location: C - Inadequate parking. Right on highway 53 so convenient for folks in Watkinsville proper, but those in Athens itself should probably hit the Alps location.
Atmosphere: C - Inadequate seating. No exterior lighting for outdoor seating that I could see, nor any space heaters to even make the outdoor seating an option. No seating for to-go orders. The entire place was noisy and filled with kids, and the impression I got was of a very cramped building that was trying to do more than it was capable of handling. I guess since the location is still relatively new, the novelty hasn't worn off, but I would definitely suggest avoiding them on Friday nights.
Service: A+ - Better than we had been led to believe. Everyone was friendly and make sure our orders were done exactly right. Having the nutrition information available at the ordering bar made it a definite win.
Price: A - Even without the 50% coupon, it's pretty reasonable for mid-scale deli style fast food. Well, slow food.
Food: A - I scarfed down my pizza which was still nice and hot in its to-go box.
Overall grade: B - Add more parking and double the dining room size, and I think this place can still be salvaged. Otherwise, try to aim for happy hour at 5PM to avoid the crowds and actually get a table.
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