Homestead Artisan Bakery + Cafe — Restaurant in Barrie

I’ve supported Homestead Bakery for a long time, but today’s experience was deeply disappointing and showed a complete disregard for fairness and customer integrity.

I called ahead to ask if they could hold a sourdough loaf. I was told they had six left, it was “fairly slow,” but no holds—first come, first serve. Fair enough. I made the trip over and stood in line, only to watch the customer in front of me get the last loaf. She mentioned she was also told the same thing over the phone. Again, I accepted that—she was ahead of me.

Then the real issue: behind the counter was a bag clearly labeled “Alex” with loaves being held—despite their "no holds" policy. When questioned, the staff admitted they were reserving them for a “long-time customer.” So the rules apparently only apply to some people. That’s not just bad business—that’s unethical.

If you advertise “first come, first serve,” then it needs to mean that. Don’t mislead your customers, waste their time, and then selectively enforce policies based on favoritism. Loyalty isn’t built by bending the rules for a few—it’s built by being fair to everyone.

This wasn’t just a miscommunication. It was a double standard, plain and simple.

After I pointed out the hypocrisy of holding loaves for someone else while refusing to do the same for me, I demanded that I be treated fairly. I was upset—and rightfully so. I was assertive and made it clear that what they were doing was wrong.

Rather than acknowledge the issue or take responsibility, the staff retaliated by abruptly telling me to leave and kicked me out of the store. I was treated with complete disregard simply for standing up for fairness.

If this is how they treat paying customers who expect to be treated equally, it says a lot about the values...

I love the bread at this bakery. I felt strongly about supporting them and started on line ordering since the first lockdown. At first it was great, however, I have been really frustrated during the last few months. Twice in a row my order was wrong. One of the times I had to go to another customer's home who had part of my order. I ended up with extra bread with their compliments but I did not get one of the breads that I ordered. While I appreciated the extra bread, it was too much for me and I gave it away to my neighbours. I can only eat certain breads and cannot eat any with seeds. After 2 orders in a row were wrong, I stopped ordering for a while. Then I decided to give it a go again. Guess what, my new order was missing my 3 loaves of bread which was the primary reason that I order from here. The person who answered the phone was very nice but told me that my missing bread was not on the truck and that I could come and pick up 2 loaves. I was quite upset because this was now 3 times in a ROW that my order was incomplete. Upon my insistence she agreed to deliver my 3 loaves as ordered the next day. I have mostly been house bound this winter due to health problems, that is the reason that I wanted delivery. I cannot understand why it is so difficult for them to get the delivery orders correct. I love most of their baked goods that I have tried, my grandkids especially love their brownies but I am not a fan of their fruit scones. I ordered them last time but will not again, they were way too heavy. In my opinion scones should have a much...

They’re known for their sourdough and their bread is a slam dunk. The loaves have a nice chewy texture which is tender and slightly moist with thin-walled cells. I’ve tried many varieties but I always come back to the country blonde. It’s good just with butter but it makes for the perfect sandwich bread since it holds up nicely.

Their multigrain croissants are also exceptional and I get those every once in a while.

Homestead gets it right with the bread but gets a lot wrong as well. Nearly every sweet baked good I’ve tried hasn’t been good at all. They were on a food network show and had new menu items added. I bought them all to taste and nothing stood out as something I would ever want again. The work that goes into making the pistachio cake isn’t worth it and they sell blondies which are the worst I’ve ever eaten. Their pumpkin pie had a nice flavour but the crust was absolutely terrible and was not worth the $21. They also sell waffles you can take home which are dense and not fluffy like they should be.

Their decor was updated on the same food network show and the vibe and design was better before.

The coffee is good but you have to make it strong to get that flavour. I’ve bought the beans they use and found the flavour weak when made like one would.

For the price, most foodies won’t be impressed and the service is average and could be more organized.

Homestead Artisan Bakery + Cafe - 3/5

Food - 3/5 Vibe - 3/5 Service -...