Caffe Nero

1. I went to this café yesterday 20th of October around 5 pm to deal with the most irresponsible staff member ever, no idea what her name is but I hope the managers can identify her by date and time.

   I asked for a chai late with dairy free milk no cinnamon “do you have lactose free milk?” I said and the lady said yes so I said then that one is good. She asked laughing (kind of mocking me) “which one?” So I responded: “I thought you just said that you have cow milk without lactose” to what she answered “no, that’s not a thing, we have alternatives, so which one do you want?” “I don’t know then, how about almond?”. “That’s the only one we don’t have” she said laughing again. I then said: “That’s the second one that you don’t have so why don’t you tell me which ones you have instead?” Out of the ones she said I chose soya milk. She then asked me if it was an allergy so I explained that it’s an intolerance even though I didn’t think it was his business. I have worked in a café before and we never asked that question, we treated every request as important because even if it’s an allergy, intolerance or veganism, you clearly don’t want cow milk in your drink and that should be respected no matter what.

   The best part came after when she said: “I can’t guarantee that I can a avoid cross contamination” (the first time I didn’t hear it because she had decided to serve us over the big fridges instead of over the lower counter like her colleagues so she said it again and when I looked shocked she said in a very rude manner “you didn’t understand me, did you!?” So I said: “I understand, I just don’t like what you said” In the end, since I know my own intolerances, I decided to accepted and watch what she did. To avoid cross contamination with something like that, you basically have to use a clean cup, clean spoon, clean jug for the milk and, very important, clean the milk wand on the machine thoroughly. She cleaned the wand with the cloth that was next to it, basically the one that they use every time which obviously has been used to clean the same wand full of cow milk. She then gave me my drink and I said “I asked for it without cinnamon” so instead of making a fresh one, she went to a different part of the counter full of dirty spoons and cutlery (she was really not going to try to avoid any cross contamination) and basically got rid of the foam with a spoon over the sink. She then gave me my mug cover in sticky milk and cinnamon all over the sides and didn’t even say “thank you” “sorry” “enjoy” or anything for that matter.

   Important message to her, the team and especially her managers – if I had an allergy I would be dead, but also, you don’t know how bad can someone’s intolerance be so treat it with care and respect. I have worked in a café before and I have never seen anyone do such a careless work. Unbelievable.

   To top it all up, my friend and I went to have our drinks upstairs and the sofas, the tables, even the walls were disgusting and cover on stains. The toilet didn’t have soup and the door had a latch which mean that every person that had been there, had done their business, not wash their hands and then touch that latch so if you wanted to get out you must carry germs from every other person who had been there. What a horrible experience! It’s a good thing we are not germofobic! Unbelievable.

2. Staff seemed bit disorganised. Food items had wrong labels… Chocolate muffin was labelled as blueberry muffin. I noticed how they messed orders up forgot stuff here and there.

   The place was but buzzing with plenty of seating. We sat upstairs but kinda regretted it.. it was more compact with fair few people with the problem that it was just too warm, stuff and lots of condensation on the closed windows. Had to sit on a big shared table and I think the couple sat next to us wasn’t comfortable with that…

   The latte I had was ok in terms of taste but it got cold after I took one bite out the muffin… by the time I had almost complete it, it was just too cold, for a coffee.

   The tea seemed better value for money and was warner as it was kept in a teapot..

3. Our party of ten ladies visited this cafe Nero last Wednesday as we were on a trip to visit Leeds art gallery. Being such a large group we obviously would have caused a delay in the queue for other customers but Nero’s team dealt with the situation very professionally by dedicating one of their team to deal with us entirely. This allowed the other customers to be served quickly and efficiently. The lady who served our group was amazing. She took every order accurately and processed payment quickly. Everything went like clockwork and the food/drinks were delicious – what a great team! Well done for using your initiative and keeping everyone happy. Thank you.

4. I ordered strawberry and peach fruit boost and milk tea, it was terribly sweet and strong peachy syrup only. Not worth its price and tea was coldish, and strong tea only.

5. As a regular customer, I appreciate the inviting atmosphere and the quality of coffee and snacks you offer. However, I have encountered a persistent problem that has impacted my experience over the past one and a half months.

   While working on my laptop, I have noticed that the power outlets around the couches area do not seem to function. This has made it inconvenient for me to charge my device, forcing me to move around the café to find a working outlet. Often, I end up sitting on the long chairs, which are not comfortable for extended use. Despite repeated apologies from one of the staff members, this issue remains unresolved.

   It seems that very few customers use the charging facilities, and it has crossed my mind that the power outlets might have been switched off intentionally. This situation has caused considerable frustration and inconvenience, and I am not happy with the way this aspect of the café is being managed.

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