Laurent Bakery East Melbourne — Restaurant in Melbourne

I've been a loyal customer of Laurent Bakery in East Melbourne for four years, indulging in their coffee, bread, and pastries around three times a week. However, my recent encounter with the manager, Ashley, was nothing short of disappointing and shocking. While I don't adhere to the outdated notion that "the customer is always right," I do expect a certain level of respect and professionalism in customer service.

Upon placing my usual coffee order and engaging with Ashley, I was met with an extreme level of rudeness and sarcasm. She asked me what I ordered and I said “the coffee” absentmindedly. This is where her rudeness began. Her response to my innocent answer was “urgh, a coffee, how helpful” and then she rolled her eyes. The tone was extremely condescending, sarcastic, and rude and it took me aback. This initial encounter set the tone for a series of unpleasant interactions. I questioned why she was being so rude, and instead of apologising for her rude behavior and attributing it to the stress of a busy environment, which I would have understood, she continued to escalate the situation, refusing to take accountability for her rude comment, and refusing to serve me—a loyal customer of four years—simply because I hadn't been specific enough with telling her my order and that I questioned her rude attitude.

Despite my efforts to maintain a calm demeanor and address the issue constructively, Ashley's responses became increasingly hostile. She not only belittled my request for information on how to provide feedback but also resorted to personal attacks, sarcastically remarking on my supposed "lack of computer literacy" and "inability to use google", and "didn't I have better things to do with my time". Her inability to manage stress and communicate effectively in a customer-facing role was evident to all present.

Even as I attempted to de-escalate the situation, Ashley threatened to involve the police, incorrectly labeling my inquiries about providing feedback as "harassment." She then pretended to call the police and continued to shout at me to leave the building in front of a whole cafe full of customers. This extreme reaction only further underscored her unsuitability for her position and was highly inappropriate in front of other customers. At this point, I didn't want to cause more of a scene then she already was, so decided to leave the cafe, and called another branch who kindly gave me the informaition I was looking for with out a problem. I might add, at this point she could have quite calmy explained that she was too busy to help me locate the information I was looking for, but that I could come back later when things were a little calmer and we could talk then - a perfectly reasonable response, but for someone with Ashley's emotional intelligence, shouting and losing her temper was the only way she knew how.

While I understand the challenges of a busy café environment, Ashley's behavior was unacceptable, particularly when contrasted with the courteous and professional demeanor of the other staff members. It's clear that she requires additional training in managing stress and communicating respectfully with customers when under pressure.

As someone who values the experience at Laurent Bakery, I urge upper management to address these concerns promptly and provide Ashley with the necessary support and guidance to improve her customer service skills. Failure to do so may have adverse effects on the...

I just came back from Madrid and Paris, tried a variety of sweets whilst there, was disappointed and deeply puzzled. After visiting a dermatologist today, I thought to myself why not get 3 croissants and 3 pieces of cakes for the Lunar New Year? Then I googled “patisseries”, and managed to find this 3.9 star Laurent Bakery nearby. The shop display wasn’t fancy, nor it has outstanding visual appeals of any sort, it’s customer service was pretty good, a lady jumped my queue, and I received this phone call in store, which annoyed the hell out of me. Then I developed a very ‘real’ hunch that the cakes will taste bland, or perhaps too sweet or greasy by the look of it. After dinner my 4 year old kid wasn’t particularly looking forward to dessert, neither did I. Nevertheless, we both had one scoop to try it out, and my daughter suddenly burst into excitement by crying out a big “wow”! I just couldn’t believe my tastebuds, I was sure to complain as well, but I couldn’t. This piece of cake deserves 10 stars! It has a light touch of sweetness, also filled with delightful aromas, and its smoothness goes perfectly along with the cake’s layered textures. We can now all forget about Paris, and stop trusting Google stars ;) Thank you Laurent Bakery for a wonderful surprise, and your cake...

This is easily one of my favourite cafés in Melbourne. It is just so welcoming from the moment you walk in, the interior, the seats by the window, it's all so European and has a great vibe. Staff wear a uniform which I think is really classy, but not pretentious. And the class also flows on to the people, with the staff really welcoming and friendly. It's hard to put my finger on it, but Laurent is the perfect balance of class mixed with a polite, friendly and warm charm. And then there is the coffee - excellent - and the food. Mamamia, the food is at first, a feast for the eyes. More than once, whilst sitting near the service counter, I heard people asking for a moment before they ordered as there were just too many good choices on offer. And I can relate. I was after a pastry to take home for my better half, and I spent about ten minutes looking trying to make a decision. Eventually I chose a berry danish and the quality is seriously good. Finally, the prices. For a café of this class and attention to detail (in decor, cleanliness, staff attire, coffee and food), I was pleasantly surprised by the price. For the centre of Melbourne, with excellent service, high quality food, Laurent is a must visit. HIGHLY...