Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Hmm, well read your article and tried the grandma pizza tonight. Pretty good, but I've got to say that the grandma from tomato and basil on 4th avenue is better. Has a much more concentrated flavor, and I want to say they put some Parmesan on there as well for a nice sharp touch.

Wow! WTF, people?? Waiting 2 hours or more for a pizza?? That's insane.

I trust you Mr Adam! I love the se sites and love that when I read slice I can pretend I am back on the east coast and not in a town where Pizza Hut is considered gourmet! (pity me,please)

I'm sure the purist thought is that all these issues stem from Lahey throwing the dough. All of this could have been avoided if he hadn't thrown the dough...sigh. ;)

I went there last week and was very impressed. tuesday at 6pm 9 of us were sat down right away. me and my 8 friends (my "pizza club") got to try almost every pie which i liked. Santo was by far the best though so definitely get this if you go. feel free to check out my pizza blog: www.idreamofpizza.com

When I read AverageJoe's comment, it sounds like the party (later said to be JGV's) had already ordered pizzas before they sat there - perhaps at another table. Then, there this on Eater:

"Jean-Georges Vongerichten occupied a big table with an entourage, that moved to another table when the Food and Wine group arrived."

So, maybe they weren't getting preferential treatment at all.

Also, I've known places where the chefs were expected to dine at the restaurant regularly for quality control and similar purposes. And good chefs generally taste all the food they can while they are cooking. But you can't just take slices of customers' pizzas for QC, can you? If a (non-slice-joint) pizzeria wants to ensure they are making great pizza, they have to reserve some of the dough for QC. Most of the time that's not an issue. When a place newly opens and is running out of dough, it becomes an issue. But that's also the time when QC is most necessary.

Analogy time (yuck): Toyota couldn't meet demand when the Prius came out. Should they have canceled crash-tests to make a couple more customers happy?

Of course, maybe the mgr could have been nicer, maybe they should make more dough, yada yada yada.

Jim Lahey seems like a really chill guy, but I highly doubt the respectable (and lovable) Kuban is shilling for him. I will admit that we had service problems I was able to overlook; I understand that most restaurants get a week or two to get comfortable and work out the kinks. Co. instead got slammed from the moment the doors opened. It doesn't help that two tables are communal. As far as running out of pizzas, you might want to blame some of your fellow customers. We witnessed two different sets of people taking pizzas they hadn't ordered. I'm honest to a fault so I refused all three that came to us that weren't ours. Again, the table numbering and lack of experience likely had something to do with this.
I too would serve an investor before a customer, especially in the beginning, if only to put their mind at ease about the product they have invested in. They probably had some dough in the back 'just in case,' or maybe JGV called earlier saying he'd be by.

Four pies aren't what will make or break this or any place. I assume they didn't kick everyone out of the resto after JG had his pizzas. The manager fucked up. Big deal. It's a new place, service is always bumpy at first. Diner1966 needs to wash the sand out of his vagina.

You see that is where you are wrong!!! Customers first!!!!!! Always, so finally people who read this get it. You people think that 20 people who were waiting for pizza got out of restaurant and investor got 4. I rest my case!

Haha Adam, great entertainment! Since when did Slice start hiring clowns for juggling pizzas the Shanghai way? Ooh, ooh, be careful, that one on the end looks like it's gonna fall....!

Hmmm you sound like friend of Jim, all I said that people will only go ONCE and never go back like me. I am not going to go so low as you calling you clown. I am just honest New Yorker who was there and had this experience and it is not up to me or YOU to decide about CO. lets leave it to New Yorkers. Not you or anyone else can't stop me post what i experienced and what I know about CO., one more thing WHERE are those positive posts??? I haven't seen any here AT ALL!!!!!!

@Diner1966: Please either post the proof to all the world or reveal your "good source." Otherwise this becomes (s)he said–he said. I'm curious where you're getting your information, as are, I'm sure, the other folks paying attention to this thread.