We, too, ate at Stratto's last day as an actual restaurant, but I am sad to report that our experience was somewhat disconcerting.
The last time we brunched at Stratto's, our experience was pleasant. So we were happy to make reservations for the final seating at 2 pm on Easter. We brought a number of family members who had not eaten there before, and assured them that we had complete confidence in choosing Stratto's.
We arrived 20 minutes early to check in, but were not seated until 3 pm - a full hour after our reservation. We had stood in line in a near cattle-car atmosphere. When we were finally seated, the room was a sty. The floor was full of the droppings of those fortunate souls who had gone before.
I rushed to the food serving area, only to find there were no plates. When plates arrived, there were a few meats left, but no salad or vegetables. Eventually, someone drummed up some salad, but by that time, most of the meat was gone. There were apparently some pasta dishes served earlier, but we couldn't be sure, as they never re-appeared.
OK, that should give you enough of a picture of how our meal went. The beginning was the good part. It went downhill. By the time we got our drinks, they were breaking down the food line, and we were left to sit and wonder what in the hell happened. I will mention that the food servers were doing their best in what turned out to be a horrible situation.
Our waitress was at least personable - which was a modern day miracle, as she, and the entire staff, had been informed at 11 am THAT DAY
that they would no longer have a job at the end of brunch. It was inconceivable that these employees, apparently, the skeleton crew that stayed despite the bad news (many bailed, which may have served the owners right, but certainly served their "guests" quite poorly, thank you) would leave us only to go home to their own 'EASTER DINNERS' to share the news that they were now unemployed. Happy Holidays!!!
Believe me, we ended up speaking with many of the waitstaff. They were understandably in shock, and completely resentful that they were fools enough to stay. Only, let's face it, they needed the money.
In fact, once they knew we were in on the news, they came out of the woodwork to tell us their stories.
Nor were we the only unhappy customers. But I think you've got the picture by now.
I know how hard it is to run a restaurant and make the magic happen without the manpower to back you. But Stratto's handled the situation poorly, with no apologies, no explanations, and they left their employees, and many of their customers, in the lurch.