I was a a customer of Village Pizzeria for years. The last few years, the quality of the pizza has deteriorated. …and the “kids” behind the counter have gotten more surly to simply beyond rude.

My last visit there was in August. After looking at my half-baked pizza to go, I suggested very nicely that there really wasn’t much spinach and perhaps they could add some more so it would live up to it’s name of “Spinach & Feta”. I was told by the young guy (Joe) behind the counter that “it looks normal”. Huh? Not “gee, let me see what I can do” but rather I was told to quit complaining and take it. I said that I’d been buying the same pizza for 5 years, and no – it wasn’t normal. …to which I was told that he had worked there for 5 years and it was fine. Wow – I had heard from others on the island that they had similar issues, but this one really took the prize. I suggested to Joe that he might want to consider a bit more friendly “customer service” to which he told me to “get out of his restaurant”. (along with some other language that shouldn’t be repeated here). This was beyond somebody having a bad day and getting irritable. I was shocked and really felt bad for all the other tourists who would get Joe’s wrath and think badly of our town.

I guess my luck had finally run out and that the word amongst the locals in Langley was true – that Village Pizzeria is spotty at best. I did call the owner, Paul Sarkis, with this story and basically got a “whatever” response (I regretted calling him). The phone call helped me realize where this “take it or leave it” attitude came from. It all starts at the top…

…so – do you feel lucky? You might have a good experience – or you might not. It depends on the day and who’s behind the counter. But take a locals advice. There are much better places to eat. There are two great coffee places that have good food and the best is Prma Bistro where the deck has a commanding view of the sound, the staff is friendly, and the food is awesome.