Magnolia. Nelson Bay — Restaurant in Nelson Bay

We visited Magnolia this morning as tourists in Nelson Bay excited for a warm breakfast but what we experienced was shockingly unprofessional and deeply disappointing.

When we arrived there were several groups waiting and plenty of space inside so we politely asked if it was possible to bring in an extra table or two. The request was dismissed without any effort to help. When a table became available we sat down only to notice staff behind the counter clearly talking about us. There was no greeting, no warmth just cold energy, literally and emotionally.

The cafe was absolutely freezing. Both doors were wide open allowing wind to rush through the space. We (along with every other group inside) politely asked if at least one door could be shut. A young blonde staff member rudely replied, “We need to leave that door open” as we all sat there shivering. The cold was so bad and a pigeon actually flew inside and flapped around aggressively even colliding with a child at a nearby table. It was distressing and completely avoidable. This wasn’t about access to outside seating there was no reason both doors needed to be wide open.

I calmly explained to one of the waitstaff why we needed the door closed and asked to speak to the manager. Instead of coming out to speak to me the manager stormed out from the back aggressively flung the door wide open again and said to all of us “Do I come and tell you how to do your job?”

This was not only incredibly inappropriate but completely unprovoked. He showed no interest in resolving the issue and no sympathy for the cold conditions my children were literally shivering and were under the blankets supplied. There was absolutely no care for the comfort of his customers. It instantly became a staff vs. customer environment. There were three families and one couple in the cafe all of whom had asked for the door to be closed. His response was hostile not just to us but to every group present. We left because the atmosphere had become so tense and my son was crying because he felt attacked by a grown man and his team.

Even takeaway customers commented as they walked in “It’s freezing in here you need to shut the doors.”

To top it off when we left and I said “Thank you so much for such a terrible experience,” the same blonde barista behind the counter smugly replied: “Have a terrible day.” That response sums up the attitude of the entire team.

I’m not a cafe owner but I am a business owner and I can confidently say this was one of the worst customer experiences I’ve ever encountered. There was absolutely no regard for customer comfort, no effort to manage a very simple issue with care and a complete lack of professionalism or hospitality. If you value kindness, warmth or basic respect this is NOT the...

Don’t enjoy leaving negative reviews but our experience was not good. The staff member who took our order made a mistake, when our food came there was some confusion and she came to the table and told me that I needed to come in and pay extra because she had taken down the wrong order (which she did acknowledge) so I got up from the table to go in and pay. When I got to the counter another member of the team had no idea what I was there for so I explained my food was on the table and I just needed to pay an additional $3 for an egg for my daughter because the other person had taken the incorrect order. Then the girl stared blankly at me and turned to one of her colleagues and asked what to do. The colleague told her to ask the kitchen for another egg… so the person taking the order wandered off towards the kitchen, still not processing my $3. I was standing there with my card ready to pay but I didn’t want my food going cold while they navigated what seemed like a really basic issue so I walked back to the table. No egg ever showed up, it all just seemed totally disorganised. There was no consideration for the fact we had just paid over $120 for a breakfast that instead of sitting down to eat with my family, I was instead inside fixing their mistake. I run a business and being focused on the experience your customers have is the difference between people being your raving fans, or leaving feeling completely disappointed. I used to work there 15 years ago, back when it was a different name and taking my family back there for breakfast each day when we’re in the bay is a highlight but we will not be going back there. Food came fast and tasted good. Location is good. Service needs a lot of training on both the functions of working there but also the...

A disappointing experience this morning. It was absolutely freezing inside and when we politely asked if the door could be closed a young staff member snapped that it needed to stay open. Multiple tables around us were visibly shivering even with the blankets supplied and agreed it was far too cold. A pigeon flew inside and actually startled a child at a nearby table yet the doors were still left wide open and not for access to outside seating as those tables were already reachable. When we asked to speak to the manager he stormed out aggressively pushed the door back open and was rude not just to us but to other families nearby who were also uncomfortable said if you don’t like it then leave and that he doesn’t come and tell us how to do our jobs. I said “Thank you for such a terrible experience” and the blonde barista replied “Have a terrible day.” The attitude and customer service unacceptable. We holiday here regularly and we won’t be back. An awful experience the team clearly need a reminder on hospitality and...