A Cafe Etc. — Restaurant in Adelaide

Nearly seven dollars for a coffee in Brighton SA........Yes thats right!

I and friends have been visiting this cafe for over 17 years.The place has always had a genuine charm and ambience about it. That in my view has long gone and now just seems to be another cash cow.

I recently ordered a large skim latte takeaway in these here Covid times.In view of my opening comments the only reason i ordered and purchased a coffee from there was because every other cafe on the strip was busy with people lined up waiting for coffee.I now know perhaps one of reasons as this place was empty of customers inside and out.

Charging just under seven bucks for a large takeaway coffee is appalling.That would be a five to six hundred percent mark up on one coffee.

Why is it that a coffee purchased in Brighton SA in a cafe ( Not a swanky hotel or restaurant) be more expensive than the centres of Melbourne,Sydney,Brisbane,London or New York, beggars belief on all levels.Its not just the price they are charging customers but the principal.

Businesses that want repeat custom should understand that people vote with their feet in situations like this.Also why do the menu boards in this cafe have no prices on them? Most cafes and food establishments do as a curtesy to the paying public. Smoke and mirror practice in my view.

The coffee itself once i recovered from the shock of the price charged was pretty ordinary and the taste strange almost like a chemical taste which was bitter.Most of it went in the bin.

I am only one customer and wont be returning based on quality and the exorbitant cost.This is SA ,not the French Riviera. No justification at all to charge prices at that level...

Salads were not available, nor the salad sides for mains. It was a public holiday and hot, so this is somewhat understandable. But public holidays are known years ahead, and weather a week or two, so a competent restaurant manager will plan.

After all, anyone can make one tasty dish for their family, the skill is in making a dozen different dishes for fifty different people coming at different times. This is why chefs do a 3-4 year apprenticeship.

No discount was offered for the absence of sides for the mains.

I had a burger, and the patty was good. My dining partner had a chicken focaccia. They were both the same bread, heavy and dry, neither traditional focaccia nor burger bun. I assume this was for the same holiday reasons as the absence of salad.

My partner had an iced coffee which for reasons unknown was served in a jam jar. We were given glasses of water but no top-up.

The service was reluctant and desultory, it was obvious they'd got in whoever they could for the public holiday. The waitress shoved the burger at me and it would have slid off the plate and into my face if I'd not taken the plate in one hand and the burger in the other.

The decor was nice, the place is known as the Marilyn Cafe because of all the pictures, though nobody can say what that has to do with its name.

Again, on a public holiday and hot day something less than perfect can be expected. But these are things which can be planned for, and they're also times when cafes bring in a lot of money - and if they do it well, get regular...

My first visit. Interesting venue, with rustic charm - very casual.

It was lunch time - about 12.30, so not very late in the day. We ordered, but then were told there was no salad left! So we chose another option: bacon and egg muffins. The order arrived - it was bagels - they said there were no muffins left! Okay, accepted that; (but wouldn't an establishment usually tell you that prior to serving?) The food was nice, but the cutlery came in rather dubious, damp-looking serviettes.

Then we ordered a coffee and cup of tea. At that point another couple came up to order, but left due to the lack of salad.

Whilst waiting for our drinks, the waitress came to the table with $5 refund, because they couldn't supply coffee. (Unsure of the reason - maybe machine not working.) We asked for a refund of both drinks and went elsewhere.

It was a public holiday, so I guess that may have an effect on supply, but they are a long-established cafe, so it's a bit surprising; It's not like we turned up late in the day looking for a meal. My lunch companion has been before and not had trouble previously.

Staff were friendly and attentive.

Menu boards are on the ground and hard to see when customers are standing in front of them, and one board was partially behind a table with customers sitting at it. I felt almost rude trying to read it. I wasn't aware of any hand held menus.

Very hot day - be prepared that they only have...