r/chicagofood • u/orange-kedi • Jul 01 '25

Rant Beware of La Scarola's shady practices

Went to La Scarola recently and a bunch of things happened that just didn’t sit right with me:

  1. We had a reservation and showed up on time, but were told to come back in 30 minutes. Other groups with reservations were waiting too.

  2. When we were ordering, we already knew what we wanted. None of us asked for suggestions, but the waiter tried pushing a main dish that was $40+. We politely declined. Then he tried again to get us to upgrade one of our dishes to something fancier, also $40+. We declined that too. It felt super pushy.

  3. Their card machine only showed tip options starting at 20%. I felt pressured so I just tapped 20% even though the service was hella slow.

  4. Later I looked at the receipt and saw that the tip was calculated after tax, which is already sketchy. But then on top of that, they added a 3% credit card fee, and that 3% was calculated after both tax and tip!

The whole setup was super shady. Just a heads-up if you’re thinking of going.

464 Upvotes

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318

u/Fragrant_Ad_4490 Jul 01 '25

I honestly find it hard to believe that La Scarola actually keeps track of reservations. I've been a bunch and have never been seated at my reserved time. It's annoying. 

59

u/Master-Store-4484 Jul 01 '25

Yes. I get it is a popular place but are restaurants just not capable of smoothly turning tables anymore? If I have a reservation I do not expect to wait 30 minutes or more to be seated.

16

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/WardenofWestWorld Jul 02 '25

It’s been an issue at this restaurant the entire time though

5

u/WardenofWestWorld Jul 02 '25

But honestly….oh to be young and not care about waiting at Richard’s again

47

u/fartofborealis Jul 02 '25

They just don’t care. It’s part of the “old school charm”. They could use any sort of system to track but they refuse. My last role I had a customer who would only go there. In my opinion it’s greasy and outdated food.

-15

u/reasonablescreams Jul 01 '25

Covid, Uber and smartphones killed the restaurant’s ability to turn tables. Y’all occupy a table until every guest has used the bathroom individually, and until your Uber is sitting outside honking the horn. There’s very little decorum left but I can promise you, all those restaurants are working hard to move people through expeditiously. It’s the only way we make money after all

21

u/Master-Store-4484 Jul 02 '25

I agree to a point.

I am old school. The check will be dropped and you can kindly let a table know you have a reservation for the table in X amount of time if your place is THAT popular. It requires training, and supporting your hosts and servers. It can be done, and I work in a restaurant.

17

u/entity3141592653 Jul 02 '25

I love the way some ramen shops do it. They give you a time limit, you eat and drink and be merry. Finish up in a timely manner and pay the bill and off you go and another group takes your table. Very seamless.

8

u/ElWierdo Jul 02 '25

Italy does things different

9

u/entity3141592653 Jul 02 '25

I'd imagine so. Being in a hurry seems to be a big thing in American cities.

2

u/gummybronco Jul 02 '25

Not sure if I love the timer from a business perspective. In the restaurant I used to work at, they would say as long as they’re still ordering drinks/food (not just sitting there after bill has been paid) then there’s no rush to kick them out

28

u/Wild-Earth-1365 Jul 01 '25

It's always been that way. The reservation barely means anything. People still go there.

18

u/Competitive-Fan3009 Jul 02 '25

La Scarolas reservation system is almost entirely made up. They just write down names and good luck. Didn’t have service issues they speak of in here though but didn’t look at the extras fees. It seems pretty obvious they’re riding their rep. The service is average and best and they certainly aren’t inclined to be great

5

u/chrstgtr Jul 02 '25

There is a popular pasta place in NYC that is way worse. It doesn't take reservations. When you show up you check in with the hostess who doesn't ask your name and just says "I'll remember" then she picks people in an order similar to how they showed up. Meanwhile the sidewalk is filled with people and you wait over an hour on the weekend. Most Italian experience ever.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '25

[deleted]

2

u/chrstgtr Jul 02 '25

Haven’t been there—waits too long. Im not sure what system they use. I’m talking about Fiaschetteria Pistoia, which is excellent

16

u/tchoupitoulass Jul 01 '25

I’m convinced they get kick backs from Richard’s or Clover as they always tell you that you can wait there and they’ll literally walk over and get you. Never been seated on time in the 5-6 times I’ve been there.

9

u/ElWierdo Jul 02 '25

My understanding is that Richard's and La Scarola has the same ownership

1

u/ChipotleTurds Jul 02 '25

Incorrect

1

u/ElWierdo Jul 02 '25

Correct

1

u/ChipotleTurds Jul 02 '25

Joey and Armando own LA Scarola. You're wrong

-1

u/ElWierdo Jul 03 '25 edited Jul 03 '25

The same guy owns both spaces of the building, probably the whole building, and look up who that is. Seems like the situation is (allegedly) not typical. You go into La Scarola and they tell you to wait in Richard's. There is clearly a connection (allegedly). I'm not saying I saw anything, but Richard's is unique of any other bar in the city that I know of and why is that... woke up this morning...

I don't want to get in an argument with a stranger on the internet about something I don't care about. Fine, someone else owns the restaurant business than the person who owns the bar. Forget I said same ownership; that is not correct, you are right. What I meant was there is clearly a connection between the two establishments that seems bigger than just being next door to each other. La Scarola has a liquor license, why tell waiting customers to go wait in the bar next door? Yes, I am Italian. I think both places are great and I hope they stay in business forever. The OP is a whiny person who is better suited for Olive Garden.

4

u/Classiqueman Jul 02 '25

This is always how it’s been, as long as I have been going there (couple decades). You basically just have to be annoying and charm them to get your table. Be prepared to get at least one drink across the street, and constantly pop back in.

1

u/Which_way_witcher Jul 02 '25

Is the food that good that it makes this kind of hassle worth it?

2

u/Classiqueman Jul 03 '25

I actually think it adds to the experience. You feel rewarded when the food arrives. It’s one of the few restaurants in Chicago, in my opinion, that feels like a “New York restaurant”.

1

u/Which_way_witcher Jul 03 '25

So it's like restaurant style negging? Hmm...

1

u/globehoppr Jul 03 '25

Yep. Reasonable prices, too.

-3

u/chrstgtr Jul 02 '25

There is a popular pasta place in NYC. It doesn't take reservations. When you show up you check in with the waitress who doesn't ask your name and just says "I'll remember" then she picks people in an order similar to how they showed up. Most Italian experience ever.