content: DISCRIMINATION AT PIO PIO.\n\nPIO PIO WAITER BANNED ME, MY PREGNANT WIFE AND 3 KIDS FROM THE  RESTAURANT FOR ASKING THEM TO BE MORE ATTENTIVE TO US.\n\nI really like the food here but the service is the absolute worst.  The waiters definitely tend to the non-minority patrons before the minority customers and treat them better.  Guess what I am? Yep, you guessed it,  a minority. \n\nOn one trip to Pio Pio, the really skinny, delicate looking guy/girl (I'm not sure) waiter with the overly plucked eyebrows forgot 2 of my kids's kids meals.  Maybe it was because we ordered so many dishes that they got confused and it just got lost in the shuffle.  Good thing we ordered so much because my kids ate plenty and their dishes were not missed but we kept looking out for their meals to arrive during the entire meal.  We figured they never placed the order but when we received the check we were billed for it.  I had them remove the charge but they had this look on their faces like we ate the meal and were trying to get a freebie (2 kid meals for $4 bucks each or so). I let it slide and left a full 20 % tip because we still had a great meal and lots of fun.\n\nOn subsequent visits the service was typically and terribly slow but on my last visit I was forced to let them know how unacceptable their service towards us was.  \n\nWe sat outside, which was a big mistake because since we were not in their immediate line of sight and vicinity, they seemed to have lost track of us.  They were painfully slow to take our orders, serve our drinks, bring out our food, and fill our waters.  We ordered an additional rice and beans side dish during the course of the meal and waited 30 minutes for it to arrive when we were already done with the meal.  We asked for more water and the head waiter/head bus boy/manager agreed.  15 minutes later he passed by to tend to the table next to us and I asked him for water.  He said okay.  15 more minutes he passed by again empty handed and I asked for a water refill.  He angrily said he will get to it and that they were busy.  I asked a passing waitress for the bill which she got to us about 20 minutes later.  It took another 15 minutes for them to pick up the credit card that I was going to pay the bill with.  15 minutes later when she finally brought the credit card slip back for me to sign I still had not gotten a water refill and my pregnant wife was really thirsty and irritated.  No one came to check on us and I wrote a note at the bottom of the credit card slip letting them know that we are regulars that have spent thousands of dollars at the restaurant and have been continually given poor customer service.  I let them know that this was not right and needed to change.  I did not leave a tip which they did not deserve, which is not usually smart if you are a return customer because they will undoubtedly spit in your food the next time you come.\n\nI returned 3 months later with my even-more-pregnant wife, my 3 kids and a head teacher of the local school who became a big fan after we introduced her to the food.  She has since turned 8 of her friends onto it as well.  As I walked towards the restaurant, I told my teacher friend that I had serious issues with the service at Pio Pio but the food is too damn good to deny. Little did I know I was about to be denied.\n\nWhen I walked through the door we were greeted by the skinny overly-plucked eyebrow person.  He walked past me and spoke to my wife with a big smile in spanish and basically told her the owner said we were banned from the restaurant for what we did the last time we were there. What? You mean tell you guys to treat us better? I asked to speak with the owner and was told he was not there.  We went back and forth for a minute or so and decided not to beg to eat there and we left.  He felt pretty good about kicking us out because he/she had a big old smile on his face. I decided we would handle the issue with the owner directly.\n\nMy wife called the restaurant asking to speak with the owner, who we've actually met and spoken with on several occasions.  He's a fellow New Yorker and was super cool when we met.  The head waiter/head busboy/manager guy who wouldn't refill our waters on our last visit answered the phone and said the owner will stand by what they said.  He then said if we have so many problems with the restaurant then why do we go back.  We did not call to speak with this idiot so we did not bother to explain.  \n\nDear Pio Pio owner- your waiters are horrible.  Today they kicked out 3 kids, a 7-month pregnant woman, a head elementary school teacher and me- all because we let them know that they need to step up their customer service.  You have lost our business and hard earned money.  You have lost our teacher friend's business.  You have lost her 8 friends' business.  All because of your waiters that don't treat minorities as equals.