Sprout Bread — Restaurant in Kelowna

My friend and I walked to this location hoping to get some coffee and bread for our lunch today. Some reviews said the sandwiches here were lots of bread but not much meat or innards… so we decided to just buy the bread and take it home instead.

We walked in and really enjoyed the atmosphere inside. It looked like a great place to do some work or have a meeting, in fact, I did spot a group of people upstairs having a business meeting! They even have a kids table with small chairs in the front of the shop for the kiddos.

Something that confused us a tad was that there is another coffee shop beside Sprout Bread that also serves coffee… so there is two coffee shops side by side… why? We don’t know. It’s called sprout x slowside. After some inspection, it looked like slowside had some automatic pour over machines while sprout had espresso machines for the coffee. My friend said that most people don’t really know much about pour over coffee or order it for that matter and most people get lattes and stuff from coffee shops… and if they do in fact order a pour over, they want a barista to do it, not a machine. Where is the personality of the coffee if it is done by a machine!? And those machines are expensive!

Servers were often walking back and forth between shops which seemed a bit strange and unorganized. Also it looked like both shops had different baked goods at their counters. They also they had 2 coffee grinders. Are they grinding two different types of beans? So many questions, so little answers.

Anyways, we ordered a flat white, a cappuccino and a rye bread from the lady at the till. She was very friendly and was quick to serve us! We got our bread from the counter and waited for our coffee to go. We waited for quite a while for the coffee .. maybe around 8 mins. It’s a good thing that there were lots of things to look at in the shop like plants, coffee beans, the bakers in the back who knead the dough. I would say that they are on the ‘slowside’ (pun intended) when it comes to making coffee.

Eventually we did get our coffee and it tasted pretty good! I had the flat white and it wasn’t too bitter and it was definitely a smooth beverage.

When we got to our air bnb we were excited to try the bread!! We got out the 2 serrated knives in the kitchen and one of the knives could not cut it so we had to try the other knife. It took a lot of patience and some strength to really cut this bread as the crust was really thicc! We had to really let the blade go back and forth quite a few times to cut some slices. Sadly my friend didn’t have the best of luck cutting the bread and he cut it unevenly which made the toast difficult to toast it well on the frying pan for his open face sandwich. The bread did not contact the pan very well because the surface of his bread was not very flat at all.

All in all though, the bread was delicious. The inside is moist and complex in flavour and the crust isn’t too hard to bite as it has a good chew.. after a while though, my jaw was a bit sore from the workout.

UPDATE: It has been a few hours after eating the bread and drinking the coffee and we both have noticed that we are a bit gassy!! Is it from this place? It’s still a mystery..

Now, would I go back to this place for coffee and/or baked goods? Heck yes! I would even enjoy studying or...

Coffee shop is big with a lot of seating options including the patio. Food was good but not great! Sandwiches lack the filling, you can taste more of bread and less of filling. Got 2 Americano Coffees, 1 Crispy Potato Bowl, 1 Vegetarian Breakfast Sandwich, and 1 Gardener Sandwich. Total was around $45, they didn't issue bill for the 2nd order which they said they would send with my order but they didn't, hence attaching 1 bill. Crispy Potato Bowls were good but the sandwiches were ok. Very less stuffing (pic attached). The gardener sandwich comes with the beetroot hummus and I don't think my sandwich had as it was orange colored hummus and they didn't bother to inform. Coffee was good in taste but was not served hot. It was not even served with like a Rosetta (Latte Art). Coffee Shops like these should. There was no milk available with the coffee, just the cream so had to ask the person at the counter to get it. Such a big coffee shop should have all the options available without having to ask. Coffees were any which ways served cold so asked if there is a refill and we were told we don't do refills with Americano but we do with regular drips so we said to refill with the regular drip, they said we don't with the Americano order. What sense does it make? You charge more for Americano and less for regular coffee and still refill is available for regular and not for Americano? With the Americano purchase, there should atleast be the refill of the regular coffee. Rates were a bit high compared to other coffee shops. When I asked the lady at the counter about the soup, she said we have Cauliflower Ham Soup and when I ordered within 2-3 mins, she said we are out of it 🤔 She could have told me before. They were out of soup at 1pm. They should make more considering the demand. Plus to get more ketchup, you need to ask at the counter and they get you from the kitchen which takes more than 7-8 mins ending up your food getting cold, is kind of annoying. Why can't it be freely available for someone to refill? Overall, the place has nice vibes but the experience and food...

We were really looking forward to visiting this place during our weekend in Kelowna, especially after it was highly recommended by friends.

We waited in line, placed our order at the cashier, and eventually the food began to arrive. However, my breakfast was missing. I informed the server, who left without much explanation. About 10 minutes later, I followed up again, and she brought another staff member who asked, "What did you order?", clearly indicating that my breakfast had been forgotten.

As a restaurant manager myself, I recognized the situation immediately and asked to speak with the manager. Nearly 10 minutes passed before the manager arrived. Before I could explain, she bluntly said that, according to their system, I had not ordered the missing breakfast. I pointed out that we were a party of three.. Why would we have only ordered two meals?

Rather than taking accountability, with an attitude she questioned whether I had confirmed the order with the cashier, essentially placing the blame on me. I found this defensive attitude extremely unprofessional and unacceptable. She then offered to make me "something quick" so I could eat.

At that point, my family had already finished eating, and we had been waiting over 45 minutes. I didn’t want something "quick”. Eventually, I was refunded $14 in a bill and loose change, which we saw her take directly from the team tip jar. Frankly, it was shocking.

The lack of accountability and empathy from the manager was disappointing. Mistakes happen, but how they’re handled matters most. In this case, the resolution felt careless and dismissive. I understand the pressures of working in a busy restaurant, but it’s crucial that leadership be prepared to handle customer concerns with respect and professionalism.

I sincerely hope the owner takes a closer look at the way the team is being managed, this place has potential, but guest experience must be a priority.

No need to say, I would never come back or recommend it to...