Undo's At MegoMeet

[Chris DVM]

Hey,
For those who have attended in the past, Saturday night we always end up at a restaurant called Undo's. The food is good, the atmosphere pretty cool. We mostly go there for two reasons:
1) They can accomadate our size group.
2) They are the only restaurant around that will allow separate checks for a group this size.
Anyway, this year they requested that we have only four items on our menu that would be offered. It makes it easier for them so they have enough of what they might need. I chose at the last minute the items on the menu for this year - a beef, a chicken, a vegetarian and a sandwich.
I had the 5 cheeze lasagna, and was very unimpressed with it. It was bland and pretty forgettable. Since we will be returning next year, and since they will probably require the same type of deal, please let me know how you rated your meal and if I should keep it for next year. Also, if you have any alternative suggestions for a meal (I know you don't have a menu in front of you, but still. . .), please respond. This will only make next year better.
I'm hoping to get feedback from almost everyone there so I can get a good feel for next year.
Chris DVM

[noelani72]

Thanks for coordinating all that Chris.

Sean was looking forward to their Chicken parmesan.
I had the sirloin and it was fine. Not knock ya off your socks great, but doable for $19 (meal + tax+ drink + tip).

Year before, I remember I had their Calzone which was decent as long as ya like a lot of that ricotta cheese.

[palitoy]

I had good luck with the Steak once and my Calzone was OK the prior year.

[VintageMike]

I had the chicken and didn't care for it. Another issue I saw people with kids who obvioulsy didn't want any of the four choices. From the limited info I could gain of their website they appear to have both oven fried chicken and pizza. Both ideal choices for kids and those of us who want something "safe".

[ScottA]

We need to go back to what we had last year - those 11 or 12 items at different prices. The "everything was $19" was a joke. There was no way that hoagie was worth $19. The steak - maybe. We go each year and each year the boys and I look forward to the calzone and fries, which was not offered this time. They were pretty depressed about it. However, Alan got them to change it for us so we ordered our calzone and 2 orders of fries. This will usually run me around $33 with drinks. But this year they still charged me the $19 for 3 dinners. If it's the same next year I don't see us eating there again.

When we arrived there and asked the waitress about the menu all she did was complain she just takes orders and she wanted her $3 tip per person she was going to get for the group. I mean really, what's the difference in our group or just a busy night where all the tables are full.

I like eating at Undos. I really do. The pizza bread is always good, the salad is good and as I've said we live for the calzone and fries. I hope we can continue to eat there but it cannot be the same as this last time.

[bleit1701]

The new price was a surprise but I can deal. Of course I don't have 2 grown kids like Scott.

Going from 12 to 4 choices is a bit much. I think they could do at least 6 - 8 choices.

There aren't that many kids so there's no reason they can't have anything they want at menu price.

[Chris DVM]

Hey,
The price - what they told me they do is average the cost of all the meals and then make the price the same. I know that the steak usually goes for about $21 and the Italian sandwich goes for $14, so the average with drink and tip was $19. Next year I will tell them not to do that since more people probably paid more than those who paid less.
If the concensus is that Calzones are more appealing, then they are in. I need to keep at least one vegetarian on the menu, unless they will allow a technical 5th item vegetarian (I will try), since I know there will not be a huge number of people who will go that route (probably). Rank the items, but also make suggestions please.
Chris DVM

[noelani72]

However, Alan got them to change it for us so we ordered our calzone and 2 orders of fries..

we tried ordering off their 4-item menu and we were refused...even after I politely showed displeasure in choices...she had a "take it or leave it" attitude.

[stabilio]

I think this situation was a problem as well. Not a problem for me personally but still a problem. We had at least 8 choices for 6 years at different prices.

This year there were 4, not much to choose from. And there was nothing for the kids really.

Unless I'm reading this wrong, Scott you were charged $57 for 1 Calzone and 2 orders of fries? I think I heard that Ed's daughter was charged $19 for an order of fries only. That's ludicrous, I would have walked out.

I'm not sure how this change came about but if they think they can impose whatever they want on 60+ paying customers that they would not ordinarily have, then we can give them a simple GFY. It might be a bit of a hassle, but I'm certain we can find a place that will accomodate us.

If it comes down to us finding the best 4 choices to accomodate everyone, I would rather not eat there anymore. They need to accomodate us, not the other way around.

[ScottA]

she had a "take it or leave it" attitude.

So did ours. I'm not sure how Alan worked his magic, but I'm glad he did. It's not Mego Meet without having the calzone and fries with my boys.

[Random Axe]

Undo's has THE best chicken alfredo I've ever had, nothing else is even close. I was looking forward to it all year. Then on Saturday night I end up with a...sandwich. It's really nobody's fault, it's just a decision made by Undo's to not waste anything, but they pulled back too much. I'm sure the other groups or families got a standard menu.

They didn't seem to thrilled with having us though, so maybe we look at another venue option. I don't know wenough about Wheeling to make a suggestion, just floating a few thoughts out there.

Scott

[noelani72]

I have been looking over their website...and I cannot find a menu so we can discuss options.
Am I just missing it??

[ScottA]

Hey,
The price - what they told me they do is average the cost of all the meals and then make the price the same. I know that the steak usually goes for about $21 and the Italian sandwich goes for $14, so the average with drink and tip was $19. Next year I will tell them not to do that since more people probably paid more than those who paid less. Chris DVM

Why does there need to be an average price? Are they too lazy to add up meals? I know some got water. Why pay for something you didin't order.

So they have to work a little. Won't hurt them. Next year we just all show up at the same time and not as a group. Then what do they do?

[noelani72]

Why does there need to be an average price? Are they too lazy to add up meals? I know some got water. Why pay for something you didin't order.

So they have to work a little. Won't hurt them. Next year we just all show up at the same time and not as a group. Then what do they do?

and this has been a tradition for how many years? :wink_y:
Our group isn't rowdy and no one gets drunk and obnoxious.
The vibe of this thread leans heavy towards a common displeasure of service...maybe tradition should be broken?
I don't want to be a jerk with Undo's...but Ron said exactly how I felt.

[David Lee]

and this has been a tradition for how many years? :wink_y:
Our group isn't rowdy and no one gets drunk and obnoxious.
The vibe of this thread leans heavy towards a common displeasure of service...maybe tradition should be broken?
I don't want to be a jerk with Undo's...but Ron said exactly how I felt.

Well if it's being a jerk? Then I gotta what I gotta do:silly:... our service was aweful! I don't mean kinda bad, I mean rediculous with a side of health code violations... We were told bread was scarce and she didn't know if she could get any for our table. When we asked for more salad she grabbed a half uneaten bowl from another table... she brought us uneaten bread from another table as well... :smiley11:

This was the straw for me. I love you guys and I think it's a great thing to all eat together, but we don't all eat together, and the food is marginal (when there were better choices) at best and the service is bung hole terrible. I won't be eating there next year... I may stop by and say hello, but I will be "eating" somewhere else.

-Dave

[MegoScott]

1 highway exit up the road you have a very nice Olive Garden. I went out of my way to eat there twice last time I was there.

There is no undos and Undo's.

[johnmiic]

Here are pics of their menu, they don't post it on their own website and this is kind'a blurry.

Undos - Weirton | Urbanspoon (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/323/1325746/restaurant/West-Virginia/Undos-Weirton)

Here is the page for the branch we go to:

Undo's Famiglia Ristorante - Wheeling | Urbanspoon (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/323/1325950/restaurant/West-Virginia/Undos-Famiglia-Ristorante-Wheeling)

I had the steak and was pretty happy with that. I think they limited the menu too much. 6 choices would be better than 4. I think the mistake they make every year is they know we are coming on Saturday night but they don't have enough help.

[noelani72]

Well if it's being a jerk? Then I gotta what I gotta do:silly:... our service was aweful! I don't mean kinda bad, I mean rediculous with a side of health code violations... We were told bread was scarce and she didn't know if she could get any for our table. When we asked for more salad she grabbed a half uneaten bowl from another table... she brought us uneaten bread from another table as well... :smiley11:

This was the straw for me. I love you guys and I think it's a great thing to all eat together, but we don't all eat together, and the food is marginal (when there were better choices) at best and the service is bung hole terrible. I won't be eating there next year... I may stop by and say hello, but I will be "eating" somewhere else.

-Dave

Eewwwww Dave! Seriously? They took food of another table, right in front of your eyes, and gave it to you?
Mkay - who's contacting corporate with this thread?

[B-Lister]

Sorry to hear Undos was a bad experience. If you don't want to deal with the hassle anymore, but still want Italian, I recommend the aforementioned Olive Garden, or Greco's on Washington Ave. I believe they have a buffet.

[Chris DVM]

Hey,
Geez, I did not realize it was that bad.
I will contact corporate on Monday and discuss with them these concerns. Our waitress seemed to be OK, we joked with her at first and she seemed to loosen up. However, it seems that, for the most part, everyone was not happy.
I will tell them we want a menu of about 6 to 9 items, prices based on what they actually are, not an average, and possibly some wait-staff that gives a damn and not being a**holes. I will see how it works.
However, I will also start looking at other sites. I have a year.
Sounds like chicken parmasean and calzones must be included. The steak seems to have been OK. 5 cheeze lasagna is out, as well as the chicken dish I had chosen. How was the Italian hogie?
Chris DVM

[johnmiic]

...We were told bread was scarce and she didn't know if she could get any for our table. When we asked for more salad she grabbed a half uneaten bowl from another table... she brought us uneaten bread from another table as well...
-Dave

OK Dave are you sure that is accurate? Did she give you salad in a 1/2 full big Plastic bowl or in a small Styrafoam bowl? Was the Cheesey Bread/Pizza Bread on a special plate/platter and some were taken already or was it a slice bitten into? You might be confusing the serving bowls/platters with the individual ones.

[Hulk]

Honestly the past couple of years their attitude towards us has been less than customer friendly. 4 items on the menu is unacceptable, especially when we've had 10 or more for 6 years. I think it might be time to un-do Undo's. I'm no fan of Hoss's, but they always have a great attitude. If nothing else, we could switch Hoss's and Undo's on the itinerary, or as someone above mentioned, and Italian buffet might work out as well.

PS - The Italian Hoagie is pretty decent, for a lower priced option.

[stabilio]

Honestly the past couple of years their attitude towards us has been less than customer friendly. 4 items on the menu is unacceptable, especially when we've had 10 or more for 6 years. I think it might be time to un-do Undo's. I'm no fan of Hoss's, but they always have a great attitude. If nothing else, we could switch Hoss's and Undo's on the itinerary, or as someone above mentioned, and Italian buffet might work out as well.

PS - The Italian Hoagie is pretty decent, for a lower priced option.

I've only been in Hoss's once so I'm not extremely familiar with the place. But from what I recall you pay your bill separately anyway so that should not be a problem. If they can accomodate our group, I don't think it would be a terrible idea to switch Undo's to early bird night and Hoss's to Saturday night. Then everyone could order whatever the hell they want at Undo's and they can't do anything about it. And we should be able to order anything on the menu at Hoss's as well. Seems like a good option if nothing else pans out.

[Hulk]

At a minimum, it's a strong bargaining position to get better food and service from Undo's. There was a 30 minute wait between Cheese bread. They kept saying it's in the oven. Well it doesn't take a half hour to make it, and they knew we were coming. Hopefully the prospect of losing out on a $1000 plus bill will make them re-evaluate their position.

[samurainoir]

Y'all should have driven to Buffalo with us and had some of them famous chicken wings! Good stuff.

While I missed the company at Undo's it sounds like cutting out early wasn't a bad idea for the tummy.

[Random Axe]

Austin and I marvelled at the cook, who came out briefly sporting a sleeveless olive t-shirt and a very cool 70's porn moustache. If we had elevated the complaints while we were there, they may have unleashed Harry Reems on us.

[megocrazy]

Undo's has never blown me away personally. I also had the lasagna and it was OK. I actually find the meal at Hoss's better IMO. Plus with the desert bar you get a little something after. I also agree with the way they act at Undo's. It's like we inconvenience them by coming. The staff at Hoss's was by far more courteous to us than Undo's was. I realize we have way more people when we eat at Undo's than we do at Hoss's but maybe a change is in order. It doesn't sound like anyone had an enjoyable time other than the company at the table.

[Chris DVM]

Hey,
Enough said.
I will call Undo's on Monday and register the complaint. Let's see what they might do. However, I will search for other restaurants in the area in addition. Hoss' is always an option, but let's see what we can get from Undo's or find otherwise.
Chris DVM

[David Lee]

OK Dave are you sure that is accurate? Did she give you salad in a 1/2 full big Plastic bowl or in a small Styrafoam bowl? Was the Cheesey Bread/Pizza Bread on a special plate/platter and some were taken already or was it a slice bitten into? You might be confusing the serving bowls/platters with the individual ones.

Hand to God, we saw her take a large bowl that was half eaten and swap it out after we asked twice for more salad. The bread came later and it too came from another table. Jason and I sat with Ed and his daughter, they can all back me up... this really happened.

Dave

[Trappy Trek Freak]

Man, I'm a big steak fan and that steak was just ok. I did'nt eat all of it cause mine was a little tough, I usually go with a ribeye or a fillet. Next year maybe one of those two for steak choice would be lovely. As far as that Lasagna Jan and Chase didn't care for it, but Lee Harrah ate his and both of their's he even said he ate all of it at the hotel with his bare hands LOL. Calzone and fries sounds good I mite go find one for lunch today. Oh yeah gotta love those salad bowls LOL, my wife and I laughed our tails off about that one.

[trekman101]

I agree with all that has been said already.....there was nothing for my son to eat (luckily he loves the cheese bread and having it was on his mind before we even got there) and the waitress said sorry "there is nothing I can do".... "at least you will save money if he doesn't eat".....my wife had the steak,said it was ok...I had the chicken,was way better than last years which was way to salty.....they had problems giving more cheese bread for the table....made us wait forever and the price point was poorly thought out by them

[pmwasson]

I ended up getting my son the sandwich with only pepperoni, which he liked but was definitely not worth the cost.

[AAAAA]

The lasagna didn't bother me, but "forgettable" is a pretty fair assessment. It seemed like a safe choice, but the slabs of meat I saw on Tom and 'Berto's plates made me question my selection.
The steak was very good, 2 thumbs up from me and my father.
the dip pizza was great and the salad .
I lean one thing while eating out = K.I.S.S.
keep it simple stupid! you can never go wrong with meat & potatoes!

[batmanmc]

i ate at undos once and was unimpressed before they started getting bad and wont go back again. thats the main reason i dont eat with everybody i dont like undos and wont ask to change just for me., but it seems a majority are unhappy with undos so i would recommend a change. i realise since i dont go to undos's , i dont have a say. mike

[durgos]

I had the lazagna & thought it was just so so. I like this place but have to agree that the price situation was outrageous & unfair. I also heard the watress refuse to allow one of our members kids to order off the regular menu. :no:

I really can't compain about my meal, but I don't want people to not go just because of these problems (so my vote is more choices & different prices, or somewhere else.

thanks,

Dan

[johnmiic]

...from what I recall you pay your bill separately anyway so that should not be a problem. If they can accomodate our group, I don't think it would be a terrible idea to switch Undo's to early bird night and Hoss's to Saturday night. Then everyone could order whatever the hell they want at Undo's and they can't do anything about it.

Yeah, Ron and I missed Hoss's this year but as I recall at Hoss's they take your order up front, (and you pay up front-I think). They only have to put the tables together for us to sit together. They can match the order to the person by your receipt like they do at Sizzlers here in NY so there's no confusion. They are not intimidated by a large group eating at once.

[AcroRay]

Hate to say it - but after reading this, I'm glad we didn't go. $19 a person would have been well outside our budget, period. And service like that would have made Collette blow her stack. She's got not tolerance for that, whatsoever, since she's got a long customer service background.

Might I suggest Quaker Steak and Lube - a little ways up the road by Cabelas? You might recall seeing the QSL main restaurant on MAN VS FOOD...

[almitysufx]

So, like Dave Lee said, but worse. Laura and I came a little later than most and got a booth. We both ordered the steak. Laura did not want either of the sides and asked if she could have fries. "no substitutions" so I asked for an order of fries from the menu on a separate check. "Nope, can't do it" So I asked if they had fries on their menu, "yes". But I can't order them? NO. So Laura had a steak only.
Dave and Jason sat with us after we ordered and the small plate of bread was probably a serving for 2 and the salad was also small. We asked for more salad and bread right when the first bread was brought out. "It'll be a few minutes" we waited. We asked again, same reply. We asked a third time and she said the bread will still be a bit but she can get salad. She turned and took the salad from the closest table and brought it to us. After dinners were served we asked about bread again and was told in an aggravated tone" I don't know if you'll get any more bread. " She did get us more bread when we were nearly finished with our meals and said " there, I'm not coming back to this table again"
She did come back but I watched her make faces before putting on the biggest fake snotty smile I've ever seen. I asked for a box twice, and when she brought it she had a few slices of bread on a plate from another table and offered it to us.
That's about 80% of what happened from out table.
I will not spend a dime in there ever again.

[johnmiic]

Chris, have you spoken to anyone at Undo's Corporate so far? What has been their reaction?

[noelani72]

yeah, we prolly shouldnt let this ride much longer if nothing has been said to corporate yet. I looked at their website; no email contact info that I could find...so it would need to be a phone call.

[Type3Toys]

I had the chicken and was pretty good. WAY more than I could eat at one serving too.
I thought the $19(which included tap, and that makes a big difference too) was not too bad for what I got. I think we need to remember what is going on here. We are just trying to get together and hang out, we all had on shorts and tee shirts. This was never about fine dining, only fine conversation.