Complaint Review: Karen Calle - Bellerose New York

I have been an employee at Trattoria Lucia for about two years and can truthfully say that is the first time I have ever seen ANYONE write such a horrible and ridiculous report about our restaurant. I am one of the few employees that is not a family member but I have always been treated fairly and with as much love and respect as if I were one. The owners as well as the staff always strive to make customers happy. We make sure that they leave our establishment with a big smile on their face, every time. I was in awe when this report was brought to my attention, especially being that
I was set to be the bartender for this specific wedding reception. I saw everything unfold and I'm going to relay the truth on how the night transpired.

     The Groom and his bride were well aware of all arrangements before the date of the event as I personally saw them come in and speak to one of the managers days before to clarify everything. Karen is great to all of our customers, she's a   perfectionist and would never allow a customer to come in on the date of their event and not have everything prepared for them. Now, if the guests arrive earlier than the scheduled time set; then that's another issue. It doesn't make sense to have guests in the party room putting up decorations when the staff is still in the process of setting up the room. So, yes, that has always been a rule: guests will not be allowed in to decorate until at least 15 or 30 minutes before the scheduled event. It is very rare that anyone has to come in to put up any decorations as everything is always set up so beautifully beforehand. Or in the case that there were decorations, they are normally dropped off and we would have done it for them before the start of their event.

     On the day of the event, the guests arrived about an hour early. Once the guests that wanted to decorate were let in most if not all of the staff at the restaurant at that point started helping them decorate and fill there centerpieces with water, putting out tea lights etc. Once this was done then all the guests present were let in to the party room.  At that point there were about 6 to 8 guests including the decorators, then the photographers arrived. The wedding reception was on its way and everything was ready to go. Our restaurant has a main bar as well as another bar which we set up for private parties. This bar is fully stocked, we bring out all of the most popular top-shelf liquors. Fortunately, I had the bar stocked with a lot of tequila and vodka as those were a staple throughout the night. Especially with all the apple martinis and tequila shots that I served. However, in regards to me not being behind the bar at times, I had to constantly continue to get shots of Glen Levit from the main bar.  There was no way of me knowing that the groom and his buddies drink of choice would be Glen Levit and that half the party would be requesting Frozen Pina Coladas throughout the night.  The bar in the private room does not have a blender so frozen drinks are always brought from the main bar.  The bride continuously bellied up to the bar requesting 3 to 4 shots of tequila at a time, even after some of her guests told her that they did not want anymore shots; she ended up taking them all herself.  At one point one of her guests came over to me and requested that I get her a glass of milk because the bride was in the bathroom regurgitating.  Once the bride was able to stumble out of the bathroom, I had to help some of the guests with her for some air outside and then back inside to a chair.


     As far as the food, mozzarella sticks are served only to children at parties so not all the tables would have those.  The Hot Antipasto includes: Stuffed Mushrooms, Shrimp, Eggplant Rollatini and Baked Clams, therefore there would not have been a whole tray of stuffed mushrooms alone.  The bread is the first thing to go down on the table and then the appetizers. However, none of this comes out until most of the guests are present and only after we consult with the person in charge of the party and they approve. It is a rule that the guests of honor be served first and then everyone else present at the party. We never rush the guests, the staff is trained to constantly clear empty plates, dirty glasses and refill bread as requested throughout the night.  We always accommodate late-comers because we understand that things happen and not everyone can make it to events in a timely manner.  There are appetizers, then a salad course, a pasta course, entrees are served and then coffee and dessert. We give ample time between courses purposely, never rushing the guests, as well as giving them time to breathe and enjoy each course at their events to the fullest.

    Karen, colleagues at work, myself as well as all of our loyal customers were appalled after seeing this ridiculous recollection of events.  If anyone was unhappy or not satisfied with anything that evening it should have been brought to Karen's attention that same night. She sat with the bride and groom and I recall her asking them if they were happy and they reassured her that everything had turned out great.  Instead of talking to her about anything; they cowardly, took it upon themselves to try and put down an establishment that is loved and respected by so many.

    There are few, if any, customers that come in to our restaurant that don't immediately come back the next week.  The staff is friendly, courteous and we treat our customers like family. We never rip anyone off, our prices are fair and on the contrary we always have great specials. Our dishes are fresh and are prepared with love. This report does not accurately reflect how our restaurant operates.

    We would like to let everyone know that we have a great new restaurant opening in East Meadow, LI. We look forward to continue making our customers happy and as always, strive to see them leave all of our establishments completely satisfied, with big smiles on their faces.

I, Karen Calle, am the proud owner of Trattoria Lucia Restaurant.  I am a full party planner and do all I can for each and every one of my customers.  As far as Jay's Wedding both myself and my staff went out of our way to make their day beautiful.  It was beautiful on our part and that was all we were responsible for.

The room was to be set up by 6:00PM and it was.  It was not brought to our attention until 5:30 that they were doing their own floral arrangements and not having them professionally done.  We do not permit our customers to come in right before their party, cutting flowers, pouring out rocks and water all over the set tables.  We expect that the flower arrangements be brought in by a florist or if home made brought in arrrange already.

The room was set for the perfect time and the bride and groom was greeted the minute they arrived.  I have beautiful photos of their event on my website.  www.Trattorialuciarestaurant.com

I am being falsely accused of nonsense.  I gave this couple an excellent deal because they had money problems.  I brought them down to butter cookie bakery and got them a real great discount on their dream cake.  I had cookies made up for each table and had a beautiful display of picachu cupcakes out for all the children.  I met with the couple 3 times before the event and my sister met with them twice.  On two occassions I did not charge them for their meals as a courtesy.

My staff, my cooks and myself are very professional.  We did everything the way it should be done.  Unfortunately the bride and groom were drinking petrone shot after shot as well as the wedding party and guests.  Jay and Samantha were the first ones to receive the appetizers as well as every other part of the meal.  It was difficult for us since the bride was vomiting in the bathroom with the maid of honor for over an hour.  This was the delay in the food timing.

I don't like to talk bad about anyone but I would like to protect the reputation of my establishment.  Please go to yellowpages.com and look up trattoria lucia restaurant in bellerose queens and there you will find many nice reviews.  You can even search us on google or any other search engine and find many nice things about us.  We are good to the whole community and have numerous letters to back up what we do. 

I feel sorry for Jay.  He is very misinformed about how events should be done.  Perhaps the italian style wedding was not his tradition and I could understand how he may have found faults with the food.  I ask anyone that reads this undeserved complaint to call my restaurant and I will treat you to a meal.  Then you can make a decision about us and write what you think.

Jay, are you kidding me?  I was there for a surprise 90th B-Day party last night and it was awesome.  The staff was excellent, you didn't have to ask for anything.  They were a step ahead of you, my glass was never empty.  We were in the private party room and it was beautiful, they did a great job decorating it.  I love that room. It's like your own private restaurant, you have your own bar and restroom.  What more could you ask for.

I am a regular customer, I know the whole staff and they know my family and myself by our first names.  I feel like family when I go there, and I love how they spoil my Dad every time we go there.

In fact Jay, I was there at the bar the day of your wedding.  They did a great job decorating the room that your party was in, I checked it out before your guests arrived.  I clearly remember a female walking in and asking if she could go into the room and do a little decorating and the staff said no problem and walked her into the room.

Trattoria Lucia is my favorite restaurant,when I do go to other restaurants they never measure up to Trattoria Lucia.  It is a shame that your wife drank too much and instead of spending time with her husband and her guests she spent it praying to the porcelain God.

Let me just state, first and foremost: My family & I are simply regular, very satisfied customers of this restaurant. I have dined in Trattoria Lucia countless times, since it first opened. I have never had a negative experience. I happened to come across this report, and felt compelled to write something here.
I am a fan of this site, and believe that there are establishments out there (as well as stores/product suppliers) that need to be on here and reported. In fact, I hope to post some useful reports here myself, in the near future - because I believe it is great to warn other folks, about bad experiences, etc.
In my opinion, however, the original report here is just plain weird. Most of what this report claims, simply isn't even possible (read on, you'll see what I mean).

I'm not sure why these folks would write such a malicious report. I just don't get it.
So I believe something is very fishy here.

I'll just share my experiences, and how they stand out in stark contrast to what the original poster wrote. You may form your own conclusions, etc. I'll try to keep this brief.

For instance, over the years, I have had parties and receptions at Trattoria Lucia many times, and the calling/planning process always went very smoothly. I never had to leave any messages, etc.
Each time my family and I arrived, the party room was always prepared and waiting for us. Most times, the room was set-up so beautifully, that we didn't even have to add many decorations to complete a festive look. Big plus here. We have always been fond of their table set-ups, etc.

Another issue written was that "the bartender was missing from the bar a lot" - I have never seen this happen, in all the times I've been there - I would presume that the bartender is where he always is: behind the bar (making great drinks, by the way!).
Again, never had an issue like this during any of my parties, either.

As far as children are concerned: In my experience, Karen and her staff have always gone out of their way to cater to the children! Above & beyond (again, in my experiences, of which there were many). The staff is terrific!

And by the way, I have never been charged "almost as much as $100 per person", for ANY of the parties I've had there! (So, again...I'm very suspicious).

I have never experienced a one hour gap between courses, that is just crazy (who would even tolerate that anyway?)
My family and I are big fans of the restaurant's awesome fish entrees. And we have never been dissapointed. One thing I can practically guarantee, is that the fish dishes are always cooked to perfection. And, my family consists of quite a few fussy eaters.

I don't know, I just find the original report bizarre, since for me (and many of my friends) who are regular customers - We simply could not be any happier with this restaurant. And we're always talking about how lucky we are to have such awesome, authentic Italian cuisine so close to home!

And honestly, I mean - C'mon, the food is the best around! And the prices are so low! - You get so much food for your "dining dollar" here, it's just unbelievable. Are you kidding? I would eat there every night if I could!

Again, I just felt compelled to share my opinion here. I guess my advice would be, go there for dinner one night yourself - and you will see that my report is more spot on, than the original.


I'll also use this opportunity to give you a quick "safety tip": Re: Arturo's Restaurant, which is a few blocks away. Now if you would like to have a dinning experience that is absolutely awful (and I mean, like being tortured) just go there - I went there once, years ago, with my Wife & Father-in-law. And we only went there, because Trattoria Lucia was full. What a disaster! Their prices are sky high, the food and service is the worst I've ever experienced! It was almost traumatizing and I can still remember "the horrors" - After having dinner there, I felt victimized.
I warn you, Folks, stay away from that one -

              I am an employee of Trattoria Lucia and i believe your report is heinous. I was one of the servers at the event, and i can promise we gave you the service that keeps our many loyal customers coming back. Not only was your report completely false, but you forgot to include a lot of interesting details.

             For one, you say the entrees took a long time to come out. What you forgot to mention is that the bride was drunk and sick in the bathroom for an hour and a half. The well equipped staff at Trattoria Lucia was ready with the entrees on time, but we could not bring them out with the guest of honor drunk in the bathroom. We also DO NOT send out appetizers until every guest is present OR until majority has come WITH the permision of the person in charge. I went up to you more than once to ask if you were ready for the appetizers and your response was "not yet I'm waiting for more to come". So, there might have been 99% of your guest there (which is false), but you told me to hold the appetizers.

            The party room was prepared on time.
The staff came to work extremely early that day to set up the room perfectly. The guest at your party were told the room would be ready by 6:00. I know this because Ive heard all three of my managers mention it to both you and your wife several times. You obviously cannot remember that we all pitched in and helped to decorate the room with your family and they were all joking and haveing a good time (not just because it was obvious to me, but because they repeatedly said how great of a job we were doing).

             Which also brings me to the time when you settled the bill. You said how HAPPY you were and told Karen everything went perfectly. In fact, you and your family went home with big smiles. If you really had a problem, you should have told us then.

             Food was not missing
A dish of hot appetizer was put on every table. They included stuffed mushrooms. I know this becomes i have done tons of parties over the last couple of years at this restaurant and i would never let the appetizers be put down with items missing. The kitchen staff, the food runner and I checked every dish. We could not have missed stuffed mushrooms. Garlic bread was prepared for the amount of people at each table.However, during the night, your guest moved their seats constantly. The garlic bread was still out on the tables in a timely fashion.

              I am mostly upset with the fact you are saying you and your wife didn't get your appetizers until the end. This is the most ridiculous part of your report. Both you and your wife spent your evening at the bar. However, we put your appetizers on your table FIRST- before any appetizer goes out the guests of honor is put down. And i personally put down your plates FIRST.

               When the entrees went down, a fellow waitress came up to me with a problem. At one table, majority of the people walked outside to talk, which left one woman at the table. She told both me and the other waitress to wrap everyone's (who was sitting at that table) food. So, we did.


                The bartender was not missing from the bar a lot. The only reason she left was to go around the room and ask if anyone wanted a drink, PER our agreement. We would rather the guests not go to the bar if they could sit and relax instead.

                This once in a lifetime event was ruined because your wife was drunk in the bathroom for an hour and a half. You hired photographers who did a horrible job and wanted desperately to leave. You had to move things around in the program because those photographers did nothing you wanted them to do. I would appreciate it if you would fix this report to include just a little honesty. I have worked at Trattoria Lucia for about 2 years and i NEVER heard such a ridiculous complaint. If my word seems bias, you can search our website which includes numerous compliments as well as on yellow pages and in local newspapers, who continuously write a positive report. It is a family owned and operated business and i believe they treat their staff and definitly their customers like they are family to.