The Borrowed Table — Restaurant in Sydney

The food was good, but the customer service was disappointing. I would have rated them a 4 but they were incredibly rude. My friends and I decided to bring our mums here to treat them to a nice surprise Mother’s Day lunch. We requested to move to a bigger table after another group had left so that we could comfortably accommodate the 7 of us together. However, they said they couldn’t move us, because they had to close part of the cafe so that they can leave on time and complained that it would be too difficult to clean that table later. We were there at 12 and the closing time was 1:30. Instead, they decided to stand our mums up, so they could drag three small tables together thinking it was an easier solution, instead of moving us onto the one big table. They then continued to make passive-aggressive comments such as, stating that they "had mothers to go home to as well", and that they all started working at 7 am. They then asked us to put tissues under one of the tables because it was wobbling. Our group didn’t mind the wobble and the staff did apologise, but of course, they had to quickly follow that up with “we’ve never had to move tables together like this for other groups before”. They didn’t have to move tables together like this for us either, we just wanted to move to the one big single and empty table.

I understand that hospitality can be a difficult and demanding job, but these comments were completely unnecessary and unprofessional, especially when we were simply requesting to move to another table, an hour and a half before their closing time. This was just disappointing and not a good look in front of our mothers.

You guys are a customer service business. If you don’t want to serve your customers during Mother’s day, just don’t stay open during those hours or on that day for that matter. You don’t need to make sour comments to us and spoil the nice lunch for our mothers. We would be more than happy to go someplace else. This review was written in retrospect due to our busy lives, but when our mums brought up the incident again during Father's Day, we knew we couldn't...

I've been coming to this place on and off for over 6 months now. It's a great example of when the staff don't match what the business is about. If I went to a mass produced fast food chain like KFC or McDonald's, I'd except someone there with no personality who just took my order and gave me my food without any pleasantries or a smile or any acknowledgement. On the other hand if I go to a business that's more boutique and specialised, the staff is more attentive and friendly. A smile, a hello, a little character. The staff here have the personality of a wooden borrowed table. I come here at least 3 times a week every week and to this day my experience is the same - Approach counter, order coffee to someone who doesn't even make eye contact or smile or acknowledges you beyond taking the money. The hills is an area where it's locals visiting businesses they build relationships with. If this was in the CBD or some popular location where the focus was on mass consumption with no relationship with your customers I could understand. But to be in a residential suburb where locals frequent it is all about making people feel welcomed and acknowledged. That's why people come back because they aren't just a consumer they are a customer. The owner is the only person who is remotely personable. Everybody else has the personality of a cardboard box, for a place that thrives on speciality ingredients and speciality coffee, you need staff that can at least create a customer experience that matches the quality of your product and the vision of your business. Everything here is good.. But I don't feel welcomed or acknowledged in any way shape or form, there is no human connection at all, and that's exactly the reason I don't come here. Every other coffee shop here has a better personality and personable people and I will continue to go where my business is appreciated rather than just being another sale that walked...

The Borrowed Table is a hidden gem boasting some of the best cafe food in Sydney. From their Mediterranean-Modern Australian inspired menu to their mind blowingly delicious selection of fresh cakes and pastries, the food here is always exciting, innovative and certified delicious. Also, they have the best almond croissants ever! We highly recommend the Italian eggs with a spicy Calabrian chilli paste, which pair greatly with Haloumi and sausage on the side. Another banger is their blueberry frangipane pancake, which has a baked-in sugary crust, creme anglaise and whipped ricotta cheese. It was to die for. Not to mention they also have an extensive drinks menu (including cool specials like coconut cold brew, cacao elixirs with medicinal mushrooms and their own take on the Hailey Bieber smoothie)! I take everybody here when I want to find a brunch date to impress. Plus, the airy ambiance is perfect for summer.

Parking is accessible and the staff are always super friendly and polite. You must take your friends and family here for your next...