I have been a caterer, server, bartender,cook, Restaurant Manager, Banquet Manager, and Assistant Director of F&B. I know about the Food Service Industry. Big Ed's Pizza has a Killer Reputation that is TOTALLY undeserved. I have been there TWICE and will never go back, even for free. The first time I went w/ a group of friends. It was Friday night and I KNOW that this was peak hours for any restaurant.Understandably, it took us 30 minutes to be seated. It took another 20 minutes to have our order taken. ONE HOUR LATER WE RECEIVED OUR PIZZA. Seriously, one whole HOUR! But wait, that's not the worst part.. THE ENTIRE BOTTOM OF THE PIZZA WAS BURNED BLACK!!! I wanted to send it back, AND I HAVE NEVER HAD TO SEND FOOD BACK IN MY WHOLE LIFE! But, at this point my friends were so starved, we all finally agreed to just eat what we could. I picked up my slice (which was easy considering it was burned stiff) and let a stream of ORANGE GREASE gush off onto my paper plate (yes, a PAPER plate) and form a POOL. We ate about half of the pizza, the rest was unfit for Human consumption. Then we had to wait 30 minutes for the check. Finally, we threw money on the table and walked-out. I can honestly say that this was the worst restaurant experience I have ever had. \r
Years later, my best friend and I were in Oak Ridge and decided to stop for lunch. He suggested Big Ed's Pizza because he had never been there. I told him my experience and asked him if he still wanted to go. He said ""yes"", so we went. It was a Wednesday afternoon, and they actually had a few customers inside....AMAZING! We were seated and served in a timely manner. This time the pizza was slightly UNDERCOOKED. It was limp when picked-up. ORANGE GREASE and toppings fell on my paper plate. I ate my slices w/ a fork. My friend commented on how GREASY the pizza was! Yeah, big surprise. \r
Both of us will NEVER GO BACK!\r
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If you don't believe any of this, then by all means eat there yourself and find out first hand.
Pros: Simple and straight forward menu. Friendly, helpful staff.
Cons: Pizza is ALWAYS greasy.
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