I'm so saddened to be writing this review but I feel I have to in order to save anyone the disappointment I've had.
I used to be a solid regular of the coffee lounge as I'm retired and living in the village, visiting at least 2-3 times a week. About a year ago, the owners decided to divorce and the husband continued to run it and I suddenly realised where all the skill had been! The homemade cakes stopped immediately, the fair trade coffee and products were replaced by sainsbury's basics but still advertised as fair trade!! (I wheedled it out of the young waitress there before she finished due to poor treatment).
All in all its just terrible now, which makes us very sad here in the village. The owner doesn't live in the village (from up in Pontypridd) and has no care for his regulars or locals. The opening times are totally unreliable now and seem to be purely on his whim. I was in the shop just last week having just been served my lunch at 12:00 and he flicked the sign to closed on the door and refused to serve anyone else with no apology just attitude!
When my latte was made too cold by the new waiter, I returned it and asked for another one. He took the late with no apology and litterally threw it in the sink in the kitchen. I think he thinks that just because he steps into the kitchen that we can't hear anything out in the shop! But I've often been sitting on the sofa and heard him mutter 'fuck off' in response to a customer request or having a temper tantrum and slamming plates around!! If he's not behaving such, the he spends his time on his phone texting whilst his underpaid staff are working hard to keep up with orders and taking the flack from customers for his lack of stock!
I felt very sad and defensive of his staff, in particular Sue who supported him constantly during his strife, doing her job and the cooking to help. He paid her nothing but minimum wage and would cut her hours when he couldn't be bothered to come in. Sue is loved in the village and to be completely honest I timed my trips to the coffee shop ONLY on the days when she was working! We all wanted her to buy it but whilst he was allowing her to build a business plan he sold it to another Pontypridd boy who also owns a fish and chip shop. So I doubt it will be better. I feel bad for the lad who's bought it as if he's paid for goodwill, the current owner has driven his customer base into the ground and to be perfectly honest I don't want to sound snobby, but we don't want another rough owner here, we want someone who loves the village to own shops here like the card shop and the florist.
Don't waste your time, go five minutes to the next village and eat at Snails in Rhiwbina - that's where I eat now a days despite it being a bus trip and I won't be frequenting the next owner either. A former fish shop owner from the valleys in Llanishen? No thank you! read more