My comments are for the Maggiano's in Schaumburg, Illinois with a note regarding a semi-fraudulent coupon for all Maggiano's restaurants.

The bartender in Schaumburg named Scotty was very rude, although he seemed to pay attention to his regular customers who, by the way, were not charged for their drinks. My drinks were expensive and were virgin at best. It would have been hard pressed to find any alcohol content in them, even though the cost of them was excessive, even for a restaurant of this "esteem." I wouldn't complain if this was a one time deal, but it happened several times (the food is good, so I kept trying to go back there, but I finally decided I couldn't afford a half glass of wine that cost as much as my meal).

Regarding the semi-fraudulent coupon I recently received: The front of the coupon states Pick Two Meals, Pay For One. The inside specifies Buy One Pasta Meal for $12.95 Today and We'll Send You Home WIth Another Pasta On Us!* Pay close attention to this asterick, because what the very tiny fine print states is that this offer pertains to a half-portion. So, in essence, you are not buying 2 meals for the price of one. You are paying the full price for one meal, and then taking home a half-portion at no charge. This isn't a terrible deal, but the verbiage is very misleading!

I went to Maggiano's in Friendship Heights (DC/MD) last night and was not impressed.

For an appetizer, we ordered the crab and asparagus bruccheta. The four pieces were bland, there was little crab to be found and the asparagus dominated the dish.

For an entree we had the lobster ravioli. The 6 ravioli on the plate were small and tasted like they had been warmed in a microwave. The vodka sauce (if you can call it that) was watery and bland. A better tasting entree could have been had with Whole Foods fresh ravioli and Paul Newman's sauce. This plate was not worth $20.

For dessert, the creme brule was decent (and large), but certainly not anything special.

About the only food item that was respectable was the bread, and I made sure to order seconds. The service was acceptable, though at 7:30pm only 1/4 of the tables were full and it was mostly by tourists.

Overall, Maggiano's is consistent with a typical American chain restaurant (like Olive Garden or Chili's). If you have a choice, I'd recommend going someplace else.

I LOVE this place. It is only good for large groups, since most things are family style. The food is delicious and there are lots of choices.

The service is generally good, but I went there on Thanksgiving and they seemed kind of rushed and distracted.

The desserts are excellent, so be sure to save room for them!

I went to the Bridgewater, NJ location. Poor service, rude ushers, food was bland at best. Drinks were weak. There are many better chain restaurants. I will not eat at this chain again, nor would I recommend it to anyone.

My two Maggiano experiences are limited to Dallas and Chicago. I really enjoyed their food and the service level was excellent. I was not too excited about waiting, but that is my problem right? They offer great options for groups so you can buy trays of pasta for example to dole out to the troops. Drinks were decent - more alcohol needed!

9/9/2005 - I had a great time at Maggiano's. Quality wise, the food is not great but good. It doesn't come close to a trip to Little Italy, but how many places do? The large quantity of food makes it enjoyable, especially with a large group of people. Its definitely a place I would go again if I had to take a group of people, as long as they were all ready to eat. If there were some light eaters in the group, the money would be better off spent going some other place. 

UPDATE - My wife's family loves this place and I've been there a few times over the last year to do the whole family-style meal. Sounds good, but with a group of more than a few people it just doesn't work. I'd rather order for myself than have a group order for me, especially since the food isn't that great. The food is bland and unoriginal, and after more than one visit I didn't look forward to it. The wine menu is way overpriced as well. I'll admit that visiting Maggiano's was a fun experience the first and even second time, but its a gimmick that I have gotten over. It might be worth it for those who visit with like minded eaters, who would prefer quantity over quality.

Food was a microwaved lasagne. Service was distracted, even when we were directly responding to the waiters questions. Check had phantom additions, which when challenged were removed, but our Credit Cards were still swiped for the original amounts. Neglecting to challenge TWICE, I just reduced the tip accordingly, leaving it at a still-generous 15%. Days later I found on my credit card statement that the waiter had taken the liberty of increasing his tip without my consent. That says it all really.

I would'nt reccommend it at all, the service is poor and the ushers are totally irresponsive.. we had gone to celebrate our VP's birthday with an advance reservation, but the waitress did not pay any heed to our request for a mini celebration. Not a pleasant experience since some of the staff including the manager have no sense of guest entertainment.

Hands down, my favorite chain Italian restaurant. I have eaten at the Indianapolis Keystone at The Crossing location. If you get the full meal thing that is family style, be prepared to eat, and eat, and eat! Great atmosphere! Must try it out!

TAMPA, KENNEDY BLVD. NOT REAL ITALIAN HOWEVER, PRETTY GOOD FOR A CHAIN RESTAURANT. ONLY GO HERE WITH A HUNGRY GROUP THAT REALLY WANTS TO EAT, NOT WORTH THE MONEY FOR LIGHT EATERS. ACTUALLY PRETTY EXPENSIVE PER PLATE CONSIDERING JUST ABOVE AVERAGE PRE COOKED FOOD. DRINKS ARE RIDICULOUSY EXPENSIVE, WARNING- $9.50 A MARTINI AND A GLASS A WINE, VERY HIGH FOR THIS KIND OF PLACE. THE SERVERS ARE JUNIOR CONSIDERING THE MEAL COSTS, THEY KEEP STICKING THEIR ARMS ON THE TABLE TO TAKE YOUR PLATE WHILE THEY SOMETIMES ASK "ARE YOU DONE" ? PLUS THEY TALK TO MUCH (SMALL TALK) WE WERE NOT INTERESTED IN THEM (MOSTLY KIDS) BUT OUR FAMILY GET TOGETHER, GO AWAY AND JUST SERVE US PLEASE! THANK YOU... LASTLY, IF YOU WANT THE "GOOD FOOD" LIKE SHRIMP, VEAL, BEEF MEDALIONS ECT, ADD $4 PER PERSON.

Maggiano's in Bellevue, WA. The management staff is terrible. The food is only okay! For the price it should be a lot better. If you have a problem in which you will do not bother asking the management for assistants! They only give you excuses. Very poor customer service!!!

I got sick there..not because the food was bad. On the contrary, it was so good, and the portions so large, I couldn't stop eating! Word of warning: Fast for a day before eating here.

Maggiano's is the better of the two major family-style Italian chains as far as food and decor are concerned (Buca di Beppo being the other). Keep in mind that family-style means huge platters meant to be shared around the table, so my 5-star rating only applies to groups of 5 or more. For big, hungry groups in the mood for Italian and a fun (read: loud) atmosphere, Maggiano's is hard to beat.

Thats not good italian food big servings are a fooler

Horrible. Spent 3.5 hours there on New Years eve. Biggest mistake of a dining choice ever. Our waitress took our appetizers away because our entrees were coming soon. They didn't show up for 45 minutes. She promised us free drinks to make up for the slow service and a few mix-ups and then changed her mind. Inexplicable.

Seriously, just ok. However, still one of the very best chain restaurants. Chain restaurants are like godless societies. They lack any originality and passion. Maggiano's is well done yet it is a chain and the food is just above average, the service is very good for a chain however.

Went to the one in Schaumburg, Illinois on a business trip. The portions were huge and good. Good atmosphere, loud, but good. look forward to going in my own city.

I went to the one in Boston when I was there on business. The food was EXCELLENT! The service was good. The atmosphere was a bit loud, but still pleasant. The prices are not bad at all because you get HUGE portions!