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Paisan's Pizza in Cicero, IL Delivers More Than Low-Quality Food and Service

7/6/2012

19 Comments

 
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A cockroach was found on a pizza delivered from Paisan's Pizza located on 5840 W. 16th St., in Cicero, Illinois.
By Sandy Chang
Political Contributor, Local Reporter

CICERO - Maryanne Gallardo and Paul Schaffer waited for a pizza to arrive from Paisan's Pizza in Cicero, Illinois. It was a hot, humid day in the Chicagoland area and the young couple ordered out from their local pizza shop. "It's usually quite delicious," Maryanne stated. "However, we received a bit more than we expected this time around."

When Maryann and Paul opened their pizza box, hoping to indulge in a large sausage pizza, they found 3 long strands of hair. "The hair was long, and very oily," Paul mentioned while he showed Le Prestige the empty pizza box that still stood in their kitchen. "We kept the evidence to show the pizzeria."

Schaffer called Paisan's Pizza, located at 5840 W. 16th Street in Cicero, a suburb located 15 minutes southwest of Chicago. "When I called Paisan's Pizza, a young woman answered and I calmly explained the problem. Less than a minute after I'd begun speaking, she interrupted me very rudely," Schaffer stated. "She asked if I was going to order something. She obviously didn't understand what I was telling her."

Maryanne and Paul claim to have communicated their concern on June 26th to a women named Maria, the assistant manager. "When we called, the staff we spoke to refused to give us their names," Maryanne confidently told Le Prestige as she presented the times, dates, and length of the conversations they had with Paisan's Pizza. "After stating that we would write a negative review online, the woman we finally spoke with said her name was Maria and that she was the assistant manager."

Paul and Maryanne believe that their concern isn't simply for a pizza gone wrong. "It's the essence of customer service," Paul added. "It simply isn't fair for customers to be treated so poorly, especially if they're a neighborhood chain and rely heavily on local money."

This is far from an isolated incident. According to the Better Business Bureau and Yelp, Paisan's Pizza in Cicero, owned by Pete Fujzuloski, has received numerous complaints with regards to health code violations, negative customer service reviews, as well as providing "problems with products".
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Customers allege that Paisan's Pizza, in addition to providing bad customer service, discriminates against women and African Americans. Photo Credit: Josue Ramirez
Le Prestige contacted Paisan's Pizza in Cicero and spoke to a young woman who identified herself as Jazmin. Jazmin, who mentions having worked at Paisan's for "about 4 months last week", claims that the store owner, Pete, is "never around and all the employees get to do whatever (they) want."

Customer service isn't the only problem that plagues Paisan's Pizza in Cicero. According to residents in Cicero and Berwyn, Paisan's is notorious for discriminating against women and African Americans. Tasha, a resident of Cicero, recalls trying to order 2 pizzas and a gyro in June when the young woman placing her order explicitly discriminated against her. "I was telling her what I wanted to order, and the girl I talked to told me she didn't speak Ebonics," Tasha told Le Prestige. "I was speaking to her normally, and I asked her for the total amount. This girl, who told me her name was Jessica, said that they didn't accept L.I.N.K.: how am I supposed to feel?"

Since May 2012, Paisan's Pizza in Cicero has received 17 different complaints on Yelp and 24 on several other online restaurant directories, including Zagat and ConsumerReport.com.

In April 2012, a resident of Berwyn alleges that a young man at the Cicero location called her sexist names. "I wore my jogging outfit when I picked up a pizza, and one of the boys working the register called me very offensive names as I was leaving." The 17 year-old woman, a native of Harvey, IL, stated that she was called a "mamacita" and asked "how much?" as she left the establishment. "I'm very offended, and honestly a bit degraded."

A recent incident involved 3 large pizzas with a friendly critter cooked into the dough. Jose Luis Monroy and his family placed an order on July 1st. They spoke to a young woman who informed them their pizza would arrive in one hour. When their pizza failed to arrive within an hour and a half, they called Paisan's and spoke to Maria. "The store manager was very rude and unsympathetic to our needs," Monroy stated. "If I'm paying over $70 for pizzas, I better get my food on time and the way I want it without the sass."

Jose Luis mentioned that the Maria initially claimed to be the owner of Paisan's Pizza in Cicero. After the pizzas were delivered and his daughter found a cockroach cooked into the crust of his large pepperoni pizza, he made another call to the establishment. According to Monroy, Maria now claimed to be the restaurant manager. "I told her there was a huge bug on my pizza and that I either wanted fresh pizzas or a refund. She laughed over the phone and stated she couldn't speak enough Spanish to help me."

Le Prestige contacted Paisan's Pizza on July 2nd and spoke with a young woman by the name of Liz. When asked about the incident, she said she "couldn't talk about it". Liz, who claims to be "kind of new to picking up phones", was very rude and didn't know the names of the managers or assistant managers. "I've only been here for 2 weeks...I don't know who Maria is."

On July 3rd, a man by the name of Jason picked up the phone. When asked about Maria or Pete, the owner of Paisan's Pizza, he mentioned he didn't know who they were. "I think Maria is that chick who works in the kitchen, and Pete is probably the guy who works the register," Jason said over the phone. "I'm not really sure, though. I've only been here 6 months."

Maryanne and Paul wish that Paisan's Pizza in Cicero would do more to keep its customers content before it's too late. "This honestly is a shame," Paul mentioned exuberantly. "I work for the health department and the hair in the food, the bugs on the pizza, these are big code violations that can shut them down very easily, very fast."
19 Comments
Yasalia
8/17/2014 06:54:14 am

This is obviously a business that should be shut down, im shocked Cicero has done nothing about this food business...

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Jill V
8/17/2014 08:22:04 am

Love the pizza but crappy customer service!! Myself, my husband, a friend, and my 2 kids went to the brookfield location around 2pm a few months ago. We ordered 3 slices and 2 fries. There was a small group of kids sitting who were just finishing their food. Aside from that there were no other customers. There were 2 girls working the register. We place our order. About 10 mins later we get the fries. Ok cool. No pizza. We wait and wait. 45 mins later I ask the girls ;who have been playing on the phones most of the time) hey where's our pizza. She looked confused eventhough she took our order. I get the manager. Say hey we've been waiting around 45 mins where's our pizza? The manager begins making excuses (sorry I worked in the restaurant industry. You don't make excuses, and you try to make the customer happy). He says the printer has been acting up and they called someone to

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Charles Westberry
8/17/2014 01:23:05 pm

I think paisans should he closed indefinitely or forever every single store after reading this article im never eating paisans again and im shocked also that they arent shut down already. Theres a location by me on cermak still in cicero that im sure does crappy business because there are only two customers in the place when I go past every time. Never again paisans never again.

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ar
8/17/2014 10:47:56 pm

This isn't the 1st or last incident. About a year or 2 ago, my family went to dine in and eat pizza and a rat the size of a cat fell from the ceiling with the tile on top of their food. The rat jumped off the table and towards the kitchen and the workers actied as if they didn't see anything even though their eyes were following the disgusting thing.

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Adriana
8/18/2014 07:14:36 am

Just close it!

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Alex
8/18/2014 09:07:05 am

So, rather than beat a dead horse, why wouldn't you just wander down to 61st Ave and have pizza at Freddies? People too lazy to get off their big dead butts and pick up a decent pizza? If people stop going to Paisan's, it'll go away all by itself.

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Ruben Alvarado
8/18/2014 09:43:28 am

Shut them down!

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pf
8/18/2014 10:00:22 am

This is gross! I've been to this Paisans and it grosses me out having read this, but I'm glad I did! No more Paisans for me and hopefully people reading this article feel the same. There's no need for such dirty businesses in Cicero or anywhere for that matter.

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Gabe Gomez
8/18/2014 10:01:17 am

Paisans has been providing shitty service for as long as I can remember. Cicero knows about the issues but fails to do anything because they pay the inspectors off amd make donations to the Larry Dominick campaign. They "donate" money for favors and special treatment. Look into the parking lot deal they made last year. Paisans bought and illegally made a parking lot across the street from their Berwyn location on ogden. Pete gave a "donation" to Larry Dominicks people to push the construction of the lot and bam. Just like that it was done. It's more than corrupt businesses. It's corrupt Cicero that's the problem....

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jorge
8/18/2014 11:12:13 am

Gross close them pigs

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Renee Rosario
8/18/2014 12:11:31 pm

I was only there once and the service was terrible I never went back dont plan on it especially now I cant believe their still open that place should be closed down how can the owner allow this.

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Jess
8/18/2014 04:25:04 pm

Should try paisans in Berwyn on Ogden. It's pretty good and fresh and clean. It's got a nice bar set up you can sit while you wait for your order and enjoy a drink. Service is always great as well no issues. Been going there for 1yr and will continue.

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Donna
8/19/2014 07:24:06 am

i go to the same place and i find it to be very good and all who worked there where nice....people should try that location...

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elise
8/18/2014 05:33:33 pm

Thats just nasty

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Jimmy DaPlumber
8/19/2014 12:24:20 am

I have no idea how they stay in business . the only thing I can think of is every time you walk in to the place ether Cicero or Berwyn town employees are in there getting Compt on there bar bills and there food . and just think about it the town of Berwyn gave them almost 2 million $ of tax payers money to help them build the place in Berwyn. if that was any one else's place they would of shut them DOWN. I have heard people call that place Botulism on a pie .........

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Steve Luis
8/19/2014 03:35:07 am

booooooooo

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the realist
8/19/2014 03:38:58 am

lets be real, paisans is the worst pizza experience you will ever get. Ive been there once and that was all it took for me to say no. no employee gave a fuck about anything. didnt look like there was a manager around the place was disguising the employees were rude and disrespecful, if you ARE GULLIBLE ENOUGH TO Go TO THIS RESTURANT AFTER READING THIS 100% TRUE ARTICAL YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND!!!! THIS PLACE IS A TOTAL DISRESPECT TO THE FOOD INDUSTRY AND NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN. IF YOU STILL GO TO THIS PLACE AND HAVE BEEN YOU ARE EATING ROACHES HAHAHAHA NASTY. ENJOY YOUR ROACHES GULLIBLE pEOPLE

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Catherine
8/19/2014 06:28:20 am

The food establishment I worked at in Chicago was closed down and jobs lost for way less so clearly someone isn't doing there job and is most likely being paid off

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AS
8/19/2014 06:43:49 am

I have been ordering from here for a bit and I will no longer order or eat from here. Someone said Freddies is a good place any other ideas???

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