Big Tomato Pizza Co

I don't care how good a place say there food is, you don't curse at your customers. Customer service is the easiest thing to learn, and I don't care how much you hate your job, if you are getting paid, you need to treat your customer right. So when I take second to ask my friend what his address is, your response of "what the fuck is your address?" is not going to make me enjoy your pizza. Instead, I am never going to order from there again. Pizza is the easiest shit ever to make, so no, getting shitty customer service is not worth it.

The ingeitients are great and if the owner or a friend worked there and made your food it would probably be some of the best pizza alongside Paul Reveres in desmoines but..... I just emailed my wife while discussing dinner " Big tomato kids sucks when it's cold and expensive... It will be cold and expensive, take two hours to get here, the driver will be smug and not give a damn while expecting a tip" ....screw it.... I'd rather make grilled cheese...

I've enjoyed BTP through the spectrum of life... from being a single gal out too late having WAY too much fun, to celebrating my eleven year old daughters sleep-over birthday party with a group of 20+ squeaking pre-teens and more than a dozen different pizzas... And what I can definitely tell anyone who wants a (fairly) normal opinion is this: The experience is what you let it be. Part of late-night life out at 2 or 3 am is seeing some "unusual" elements of the world... and you see it in big cities like NYC or CHItown ALL the time & no one would EVER blame the proprietors... It's just the way it is... & it could be considered even a little funny if you just step back & smile instead of evaluating the establishment in a vacuum... But I can tell you for SURE that, even if you order more than a dozen different pizzas, they'll get to you (usually in record time especially for a small one-off business) and you'll be lucky to have a slice left over for lunch the next day! My kids, now in Jr. High, have friends who ask to come to our house SPECIFICALLY because they think we know some secret place to order the worlds best pizza! BTP is the kind of place you can't try to create - it just has to arise on it's own.
Anytime one restaurant can so polarize people that it becomes a line in the sand, you know you have to try it... No matter what side of the aisle you ultimately land on. And, you may just have found your new favorite pizza place.
And remember if you are in at 2 or 3 am... you may not look so hot yourself! So maybe relax a little, eat your pizza and be glad that a town the size of Des Moines even HAS some place you can get something fresh to eat at that hour... It beats the HELL out of whatever turkey wrap QT has that may or may not have been made sometime this year!
& hats off to the Bog Tomato guy for defending himself! The color in your commentary is just plain good humor!

Wonderful pizza. Never had delivery so I am lucky I guess. Never been there late at night either and by the sounds of it I am glad I havn't since I hate drunken idiots. Order a pizza, pick it up, enjoy! You won't be sorry.

Being new to the area, I thought I would check out postings for local pizza. I was quite taken aback to read Big Tomato\'s posting in May. Number 1, it doesn\'t count if you review customers, discrediting them does not gain business for you. Number 2, your list of \"six\" things customer should know how to do, is actually a list of seven. Number 3, swearing is for fools. You are a fool if you think it takes cursing to defend yourself. Maybe you should take some of what customers say to heart and learn from it. We can only better ourselves if we know what we are doing wrong. Your pizza sounds great, but you have a website posted in the yellow pages that is not even a website, you sound like a big ol\' jerk and I think your customer service and etiquette could use some improving. That is, after all, what will get you good reviews and sustain you in the current market. Good luck. You won\'t find this new girl in your restaurant.

Wow - Was planning a trip to Des Moines and thought Big Tomato sounded innovative and fun. And then I read the posts by The Big Tomato. I'm torn between "This is all tongue-in-cheek, and not meant to be taken seriously -- don't you know a joke when you hear one?" and "Someone is trying to put TBT out of business by creating ill-will and pretending to be TBT himself," and "This place doesn't deserve to have one person step foot in their door." Finally, after reading and rereading the posts, as an out-of-towner who believes in patronizing the good guys and local business owners out there, and, frankly, whose business loss won't hurt the restaurant, I've decided to stay far, far, FAR away.

great pizza bad service thats what that place is know for and it makes that place its always an experince when u go there .. your either getting kicked out for being to loud and drunk our casuse someone wantes to fight u sometimes the workers best pizza joint in town

Big Tomato sells the best pizza in Des Moines. Period. If you know what you\'re doing you won\'t ask for delivery, you will take ten minutes and pick it up. Because their sign doesn\'t lie, the service is the worst in the city. But it\'s worth it. Way worth it.

I have ordered a delivery pizza 3 different times from Big Tomato. All three were ordered about 10:00 PM. I have yet to receive a pizza. I've been told by friends the pizza is pretty good. I don't drink so the "passed out" theory won't fly. When I called to check on my pizza, I was always told "it will get there when it gets there". I called back once about midnight on one of my orders and was told they had no order with my name on it. Oh well, there's more than one good pizza joint in this town.

Your arguments are well articulated but they definitely do not correlate. Your first response relates to drunk people who may be a little slow. Your second relates to people who verbally and physically abuse you. I certainly wouldn't stand by any customer who does this and would say as a business owner you have every right to retaliate. Hell, do or say as you wish, it's your business. But that isn't what your first post was, and that is why it irritated me off so much. The complaints in the first response are complaints about actions taken by what could be a perfectly respectful, albeit, inebriated, individual. And by all means, complain to each other about the guy who called and forgot the address, but then get over it. It's one thing to laugh about it among your co-workers and friends - it's quite another to condemn such activities in a public forum and declare them unforgivable sins for any potential patron.

My analogy certainly wasn't off, but yours was. You can't compare Big Tomato to a taxi because taxis do not receive 90% of their business from drunk or high people. And urinating in a taxi is much different than being a little slow or loud.

Have you been to Fong's pizza? They cater to a very similar crowd, but without the attitude; get this, they actually appreciate their patrons! I have no contempt for those in the service industry - only contempt for those in the service industry who offer poor service and then blame customers for their shortcomings.

Your most recent response does clear things up a bit, however, as it seems that it is the idiots who throw things, break things, steal things, and puke on things are the culprits responsible for the initial response. But please, give your patrons who (other than being a little loud or a little confused at times) are respectful a little more respect. Berating customers for asking about how many people a large pizza feeds is juvenile and you and I know what the questioner is really asking.

Finally, this is a website that allows patrons to review restaurants, not the other way around. If a patron feels that he or she experienced poor service, then he or she experienced poor service. It is completely subjective and each patron is entitled to his or her opinion, especially on a website dedicated to the expression of such opinions.

Since customers get to review Big Tomato, I think it's only fair I get to review the customers.
So lets make this a thread, continued from below.

Hojo, your restaurant review is full of assumptions that tell me one thing: you're a pretentious prick.
In your post, you tell me that because I work in the service industry, I should accept it when people interfere with the conduct of my business, verbally and physically assault me, and are oblivious assholes who waste my time.
Not only that, you make it a point to emphasize that I'm "CHOOSING" (nice caps, asshole) to work in the service industry.
Well silly fucking me! Jobs are just a matter of choice! If I would've know this sooner I would've picked gold miner or porn tester. Whoopsy.
Your contempt for those in the service industry tells me you're
probably some rich dandy who likes to shit on people who're paid to deal with you.
Also, your analogy is poor at best. Yelling at the annoying drunk customers isn't like a bar bitching about drunks, it's like a cab driver bitching about the drunk who pisses in his cab.

Tell me, have you ever been able to drink and not be screaming at the top of your lungs or throwing shit everywhere? If so, then you've met the expectations I have for my late night customers.

As for you, chris07gtcs, I want to try an exercise.
A) You try, in your 3rd sentence, to imply that I'm stupid. It's very clever: "Oops, sorry for the big word."

B) The 'big word' you used was "inebrieated (sic)", which you spelled wrong.

C) A + B = You're a jackass

QED bitch.

And we would never, ever spit in your food. If we thought you were such an idiot, we wouldn't waste the time making your food in the first place.

For All You New People:
Here's a list of things for all customers to keep in mind. This will make for a smooth Big Tomato experience and delicious pizza in your mouth, whether you call us or stop in for a tasty slice:

Know your name.
Know your address.
Know your phone number.
Know what you want, or what you like.
Don't scream.
Don't throw things.
Throw away your trash.

If you can do these six things, I bet you'll have a great time at Big Tomato.

Anybody who batches about Big Tomato is a snatch. Hands down the best pizza in DSM. So what if the help might be hung over or a bit tense ... it takes a ton of stress to make these masterful prized edible pieces of art work. :-) I like the super freak staff at BTC. I bet none of the delivery guys have ever been robbed either. It really is great pizza and I encourage anyone who hasn't had it to try it and see for themselves. Good stuff Maynard!!!

Best Regards - Kingman Blvd

Hey hojo, Amen to that brother! And as for you Tomato guy, Wanna know why your clientele appears to be inebrieated? Oops, sorry for the big word. What I meant to say was drunk. On account of you've got to be stinkin' plowed to eat your product. One time, And only once, did I venture through the doors of your fine establishment. It was early evening, And I had nary a drop of the nectar of the gods. I ordered at the hole in your wall, sat and waited. What a freak show. Some dingbat young female came in and sat down by me. This idiot had a clear plastic container full of, Ready for this? Newborn, in the pink, no fur yet, HAMSTERS! Yep, Taking them out for a stroll down to the old pizza joint sos' her manchild boyfriend working there could have a visit! Pathetic! That sums up this joint! Best of Des Moines is a joke. Just a bunch of morons trying to have an opinion. Turns out it's usually more of an agreement. Anyways. Want to know what kind of place probably spits on your food, 'Or worse'? It's places that employ ingrate assholes like the one who wrote the comedic rant. Be thankful for the drunks and idiots you dickhead. If it weren't for these people, How could you feed your Hamster family? Think about it. Oh, and could you please buy your freak girlfriend some shoes?

Well, in case anybody had any doubt about the service, there you have it... That said, to the Big Tomato employee who posted - you CHOOSE to work at a pizza joint late at night that caters to "drunk assholes" - don't be pissed at me because you dropped out of high school and are now some douchebag who hates his job. We didn't make you work there. You are in the SERVICE business, so whether you like it or not, deal with the drunk assholes or quit your job. Most people dislike some aspect of their job, whether it's the customer, their coworkers or their boss, but we adults DEAL WITH IT. Appreciate your drunk, annoying customers, because that is the bread and butter of your business - for you to tell them off is like a bar bitching about drunk people. So fucking stupid.

Here's the secret answer to a lot of the problems I hear:

You got super plowed with some friends one night and tried to order Big Tomato, or someone did with your phone or gave us your number.

Or it may be we got your number by accident because for some odd reason, whenever I ask for a phone number, the joker on the phone has to shout over their shoulder "WHAT'S THE NUMBER?!", always followed up by the "WHAT'S THE ADDRESS" and "WHAT DO WE WANT?" and they usually get it all wrong, including the phone number, and as it turns out by chance they gave me your number. Maybe if you gave the person all this information before they called, then they wouldn't fuck it up. Do you people go into Wal-Mart, grab a cashier and say "HOLD ON A MINUTE I'M GONNA SHOP"

So anyway, after the bullshit shenanigans you people pull when I'm getting your info and taking your order, you passed out or forgot to stay where you were or whatever. The next day, you wake up all hungover and don't remember a thing.

But we do.

Or, better yet, you get the pizza and eat the whole thing, then call back and complain that it was inedible because of the spices or some bullshit, because customers are always, ALWAYS trying to score free shit. Why do you need a new pizza if the first one was good enough to eat the whole thing, cow? It never fails. Tell someone to speak up if there's a problem, and they will. Every time.

Oh no, is your pizza cold after you took it out into the freezing wind on the way to your car? Maybe if you weren't a fuckwit I would give you a new one, but you're obviously too dumb/drunk to remember that it's winter.

Did you hear some scary curse words? I bet you came in on a weekend when the line was full of drunk assholes getting ready to drive (into the nearest pedestrian). I swear, is there any other business where you scream like a fucking banshee when you're in line? The only way we can shut these blathering assholes up and conduct business is to shut them up.

Fuck it, don't come in. I swear to God if I hear "How many people does a large pizza feed?" I'm gonna have a fucking aneurysm. I don't fucking know, lady. One really really fat person? Sixteen not so hungry people? Christ, how do you dumbasses manage to breathe?

I was once a huge fan but they did me wrong I mean way past wrong. I have been in a fan since 1999 and have spent thousands of dollars at their establishment. Don't use a credit card cash only or you will regret it. They crossed the line this time left my pizza at a totally wrong address and then told me they called and knocked though that was a lie cause me and my wife were right by the phone the entire time. I have given them great tips well over 25% and they screwed me once to many.

This is the most authentically Italian pizza I have tasted in Des Moines. My only complaint, and the reason I give it 4.5 stars instead of 5, is that the temperature is very uncomfortable inside the shop. Even in the winter, it's way too hot in there. Perhaps they could figure out a way to vent that glorious pizza oven.

Great Pie, with an attitude. Just as mentioned before this place has got it all. Anything and everything you've ever seen on a pizza, and things you never want to. They really need to advertise that they don't have seating but, oh well. Luckily me and my dad got there on a day they were dead and had two open seats. Try the 'Stop, Drop, and Roll' with Graziano's sausage.

good unique pizza, served by the slice (on a paper plate) or by the pie. toppings such as peas, spam, fresh pineapple (it annoys me that so many places use frozen).. they are also the only place in town I know of for wheat crust. the service is definitely lousy - I've been cursed at multiple times. it's also expensive and inconsistent, but I keep going back.

Their pizza is fine. I'm impressed by the choices they give you in toppings and crusts, etc. But, their sign in the window, "Lousy Service" is not lying! Their service sucks! But it sucks so bad, it's funny. They always have an attitude when you place an order. I've called to order pizza with them 4 times, and actually recieved a pizza only once. The 1st time, they insisted they don't deliver to my address, which is downtown. They so deliver downtown, why wouldn't they? And the one time i managed to get them to deliver, it was to a hotel downtown, so, they were just too lazy to make the trip. The next 2 times, i placed an order and they just never showed up. I tried calling back and they didn't pick up. It was late, but any other place in the world says, "Sorry, we're not delivering now," instead of taking the order. So, if you want Big Tomato pizza, make sure to have a backup plan incase they don't show, or you'll go to bed hungry. Despite all this, i give them 2.5 stars cause, you know what? Des Moines needs a place like this. If we want to be a big city we need a funky little pizza place with a really bad attitude

I didn't try the pizza because there was no place to sit! I chose to meet a date at Big Tomato based solely on reviews of how great it was, only to show up and find it was a carry-out window.

(I'm sure the food reviews are fine, but the accomodations are lacking.)

They have a plethera of choices in crusts, sauces, & toppings, and it's by far the BEST pizza in Des Moines.

Easily the best late night place for something quick (as long as there isn't a line) after the bar. The staff are pretty nice (considering they are dealing with buzzed people who can be obnoxious) and the food is ALWAYS good.

Big Tomato is one of those places that could win on selection alone: with a choice of crusts, sauces, and a topping list more varied than the competition (doritos? corn? I've seen both on there), it'd be just worth checking out. Add the fact that the ingredients are quality and pizza by the slice during late nights, it's one of the better pizza places in the area.

Big Tom's is an amazing pizza place. You order through thier "pickup window". There is a multitude of pizza's available. This is a great late night eatery after some good drinking on Ingersoll. The place isn't big, seating of 8 max I'd say. The thing about these guys is it always tastes good and the service is a bunch of kids just cooking it up having a good time. Probably the biggest reason for the 3 stars is that at 3am they will still deliver a great pizza, hot and fresh from the oven. Atleast that's what I remember but it's a little hazy. If you aren't a gourmet pizza eater then you have to try it just to make sure you didn't miss it. It's good eating.