Lucio's

Me and my wife have been for the first time to this restaurant because we are Italians and enjoy tasting different regional cuisines from Italy. We saw good reviews on the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide (2 hats) and we had high expectations form this restaurant. Unfortunately we had the worst dining experience of our life because of the owner incredible arrogance and total lack of customer orientation. We were sitting in a corner and my wife made me notice that someone from the kitchen little window was frequently and persistently staring at her. At the end of the dinner I told the waiter about the uncomfortable situation and kindly asked whether it was possible to do something about it. The waiter was quite understanding and informed the Manager Lucio Galletto who, apparently, is also the actual owner; Mr Galletto, instead of finding out whether the issue was true or not and addressing the situation, started to defend the employee (probably the Chef Logan Campbell) "a priori" raising his voice with us in front of all other customers like if we were the ones who were mistaken. He was trying to argue, once again without even finding out what happened from us or the people in the kitchen, that the employee was not looking at us and that - paradoxically - it was me that I was staring at him at that moment. We could not believe how arrogant and rude he was to respond to our complaint that way in front of all other customers. Certainly not a 2 hat restaurant customer treatment or orientation. After that, we felt treated by Lucio Galletto like we were not welcome there and he did not need our business. I believe that when a restaurant owner becomes so arrogant that does not even take into consideration his customers needs/concerns and prefers to defend no matter what his employees' undefendable and uncomfortable behaviours, that restaurant does not deserve so many accolades. We have also been to Buon Ricordo, Beppi and Pilu at Freshwater in the past and their food was also better than Lucio's. I wonder what criteria the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide reviewers apply to appraise restaurants and give hats. We have been to no hat restaurants where the owner or manager was much more willing to accommodate our much less significant issues. Unfortunately Mr Lucio Galletto, being in business since the '80s, has probably developped an arrongant attitude towards unhappy customers and insensitivity to serious customers complaints. It is a pity for the reputation of Italian Restaurants in Sydney, that he, as president of the Council of Italian Restaurants in Australia, is supposed to represent ...

Posted on Sat 25 Feb 2012 10:22:46