"Whenever I get the inclination to write a review it’s usually because it’s so good and I want to shout about my experience to everyone… however this is not my usual 5* recommendation! As locals we have visited this cafe on a few occasions for breakfast or a coffee stop. It’s a great location, nice decor, dog friendly and delicious food. What’s not to like? Well, the staff, or more specifically the owner! She lacks any customer service skills, she smiles through gritted teeth, orders her staff around while she stands observing (or waiting for an argument . Each time we’ve visited she’s had an issue with something. Once she argued with me because I asked for my latte to be served in a cup rather than a tall glass. She proceeded to try and educate me on coffee making (I’m barista trained ! She reluctantly gave me it to me in a mug with a jug of extra milk which wouldn’t fit into the mug anyway! More recently we arrived, it was quiet, and chose to sit in the window (the largest table as we had our dog and didn’t want him to be in the way. She rushed over and demanded we sat at another table because she “couldn’t afford for us to take up a larger table”. We moved without an issue but she was very confrontational (as always and made the rest of our dining experience uncomfortable. So uncomfortable in fact that despite being ravenous we almost didn’t order. The cafe remained quiet throughout our time there, plenty of empty tables and yet she proceeded to use the larger window table to accommodate her staff, herself and a friend who popped in. How is that fair? So my advice to you as a fellow catering/ hospitality manager is… Learn from your Trip Advisor feedback, Book yourself on a free customer service course and lead by example and if you are worried about costs reduce the number of staff. 5 staff on duty in a cafe that seats approx 25 people at full capacity is not needed. Maybe the owner should put her feet up at home and let the lovely younger people do their thing. They all look so nervous around her and are almost too afraid to speak. I’m sure they’d do a far better job without her monitoring their every move. Even the Chef (her husband maybe? looks petrified of her!! Certain people are not cut out for customer facing roles and she is one of them! I’m pretty sure she doesn’t read any of these reviews as she’s been like this since my first visit 5 years ago!! What a shame. This place could be a thriving business and a welcoming village cafe but I’m sure her confrontational attitude and unwelcoming nature put people off from returning. Such a shame as the food and coffee are delightful"
