Review anger ... A cafe owner has fired back at a negative review on TripAdvisor. Picture: Thinkstock
A CAFE owner has been applauded by other business owners after he fired back at a negative review on his company’s TripAdvisor page.
TripAdvisor user Hannah C left a scathing one-star review of Bennett’s Cafe & Bistro in York, describing it as “overpriced” with “very rude staff”.
She had visited the cafe with a group of friends for an afternoon tea, and was charged $AUD4.10 (£2) for a glass of hot water and a slice of lemon.
“... which, firstly, did not arrive on time with all my friends (sic) cake and drinks,” Hannah wrote in the review.
Shots fired ... Hannah C slams Bennett’s Cafe & Bistro in her TripAdvisor review. Picture: TripAdvisorSource:Supplied
“I was then charged £2 for the hot water and a thin slice of lemon. When I asked why I was being charged so much for some water, the waiter rudely said ‘well, do you know how much a lemon costs?’ Yes, it’s definitely not £2. He then went on to wrongly inform me that a ‘pot of tea for one’ (which is what I was charged for) is the same price as a lemon.
“To show just how ridiculous this is, my friend ordered a slice of chocolate cake which was £1.90.”
Hannah described the business as a “dreadful place” that she would not recommend to her friends. She also suggested that the “rude waiter that served me should be sacked”.
“I will not be returning and will be advising friends and family not to go there,” she said.
But cafe owner Mike Fisher decided to defend his business — which is the 11th most popular restaurant in York out of 696 venues.
He started off by apologising that she felt like she was ripped off, but went on to explain why she wasn’t.
“You entered the cafe and the waiter showed you to your seat, gave you a menu, waited for a time and then took your order,” Mr Fisher wrote.
“He entered it into the till, collected a cup, saucer and spoon and took them into the kitchen. There, he selected a knife, chopping board, got a lemon from the fridge, cut off a slice and put it in the cup. Then, he returned to the dining room, drew off the necessary hot water and carried the cup to your table.
“When you were leaving, he printed off your bill, took it to you, processed your credit card payment and cashed off the till. After you left, he cleared away your cup, saucer and spoon, took them into the kitchen, washed and dried them, along with the chopping board and knife and put away the lemon.
Controversy ... The owner of the popular Bennett’s Cafe & Bistro in York has fired back after being criticised on TripAdvisor. Picture: Bennett’s Cafe & Bistro/Facebook
“Then, returning to the dining room he restacked the cup, saucer and spoon, wiped down your table and replaced the menu, awaiting the next customer. That’s at least 2-3 minutes work for the waiter.”
He explained the cost of the business overheads, for things like rent, electricity costs works out at £27.50 per hour of trading.
“I pay my colleagues a decent living wage and after taking into account holiday pay, national insurance and non-productive time prior to opening and after closing, the waiter who served you costs me £12.50 per hour,” he said.
“Therefore, together the cost is £40 per hour or 67p per minute, meaning that the cost of providing you with 2-3 minutes of service was £1.34 – £2.00. Then the government add on VAT at 20% which takes the cost of that cup of fruit infusion to between £1.60 and £2.40 irrespective of whether you had a teabag costing one and a half pence or a slice of lemon costing five pence.
“I have to pay my suppliers otherwise the facilities won’t be available to other people who use them in the future. I accept that it makes the price of a cuppa in a city centre cafe look expensive compared to the one you make at home but unfortunately that’s the cruel reality of life.
“It’s actually the facilities that cost the money, far more so than the ingredients. Perhaps, the rudeness that you perceived in me was triggered by the disrespect that I perceived in you by your presumption that you could use our facilities and be waited on for free.”
The review has now been deleted off TripAdvisor, but not before media outlets and other business owners spotted the response.
Impressed spectators have taken to the Bennett’s Cafe and Bistro Facebook page to share their approval.
Cathie Rainbow congratulated the owner for “taking a stand and responding to the unreasonable customer”.
Manhattan coffee shop owner Nick Tsinias commended the owner for his response.
“It is nice to see and educate people how hard sometimes it is to run a restaurant. And how much go into a cup of hot water with lemon,” Tsinias said.
“Bless you and best of work!”
The restaurant currently has 438 ‘excellent’ reviews, 11 ‘very good’, 18 ‘average’, six ‘poor’ and seven ‘terrible.’
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