Paisanos: Got a strange answer when I called
 

First- I really love Paisanos.

I'm just curious about a phone conversation I had with the person answering the phone.

I called and asked, "Is there a line waiting to be seated- or do you have seats open"? The young woman answered, "I'm sorry, I can't divulge that information". Huh? Why would that be protected information- who might be at risk?

If you are sure you dialed the correct number then I would ask a manager the next time you go there. Not that there is a good answer (there isn't) but it will let the manager know that one of his/her employees is potentially costing him business.

Ouch.

Wow and that person earns a salary for doing things like this

everyone, in case you are a whacko who wants to do something stupid. . . don't assume everyone is nice especially if you didn't identify yourself. . . . could be the intonation of your request, etc. could be all kinds of other reasons why public gathering places don't won't to give out too much information. .

for the same reason many don't answer phone calls from numbers they don't know, business has to pick up the phone, and then go from there. . so I get it. . you may have sounded like a lunatic to the woman answering the phone. . especially with all the ethnic stupidity going around at the moment. . .

this time i side with the pizza place. . but stop in during a quiet time of day, ask for the manager and ask him about the response. His answer might surprise you.

Maybe there are mass shooters out there that will only bother if there is a full house.

Piesanos, not Paisanos. Paisanos is another pizza chain up north.

I do recall some advice out there that restaurants shouldn't say if there is a wait or a line. IIRC it did have to do with bad guys targeting people. I can't find a reference to it now. It's a bit paranoid but that's probably the only reason.

Plus the place sounds like it's got mobster issues anyhow. :D

For our area pizza is better than average but still not as good as a good NY one

Personally, you couldn't pay me to eat a piece of their soggy, greasy, awful pizza. I even gave them 3 tries - which was 2 more than I should have - because it was so highly spoken of here. Otoh, it lowered my faith in the opinions of some others who post.

Thank you for your meticulous attention to detail. Now I'm concerned that folks here were stumped as to what I was asking. I should probably post my question again with your correction.

So if they said there are empty tables and by the time you showed up, a line had formed - would you be okay with that?
If they said there was a line, and you decided not to come, and the line had cleared up by the time you _would_ have come, should they be okay knowing that they cost themselves a customer in you that night?

On the other hand, if you had just asked if you could reserve a table, they could have told you "we don't accept reservations and there's a line around 20 minutes deep" or "there's no wait time, just come on in."

Maybe competition is fierce and competitors call around to see who's business is doing the best.

Were you trying to get seated at the CIA dining room?
Next time go to McDonalds no reservations needed.

Sadly, you are correct. That's exactly what occurred last night at 8pm in Lewiston, Maine.

There was an active shooter situation in a restaurant and a bowing alley. Mass killings and injuries. I just saw it on the news.