The Roost Cafe — Restaurant in King

I came here on a Saturday afternoon, and as soon as we arrived there was a line up of about 10 people ahead of us. Didn't think it would be too much of an issue but we ended up waiting in line for 35 MINUTES before we got to the register to place an order. The place is also way too small and cramped for a lineup to be inside. Since there was no room to wait, we had to constantly be moving in and out of the way of staff and other customers walking through the small place, grabbing ingredients or going out the door. Since the place was so busy it was difficult getting a table. I wouldn't blame the staff for this except for the fact that it was just a free-for-all trying to grab one. People getting up and switching seats, no one to direct you where to sit, and the seating arrangements were very cramped. For how busy it was, there needs to be someone helping the customers with this. It also seemed they didn't impose any time limit to people sitting there with laptops and not eating/drinking, despite it being the busiest time of day and clearly having a sign on the wall saying there is a time limit. When it was finally time to order, the food we wanted was unavailable due to how busy it was. The person I was with has a quinoa allergy so we asked if one of the salads could be made without it. We were told no as it seemed all of the salads were prepped before hand. Not a big deal, but that limited our options even further. (You would also think they would be prepared to deal with people with allergies though?) We ordered a frappuccino, iced chai, avacado toast, and chicken avacado wrap. This cost a whopping $40 total, which is ridiculous. The frap was decent, and the iced chai had way too much cinnamon (is it supposed to have cinnamon?). Considering the frap and iced chai were over 5-6$ EACH I was not impressed at all. The avacado toast was PITIFUL. 11$ for a small store bought piece of bread and a little avacado, it was also bland, no taste at all, does not justify the price. It feels like a scam to pay that much for what we got. The chicken wrap was okay, but again, for poor quality grocery store ingredients it does not justify being over 11$. I did identify a lot of things were bought from costco or other grocery stores. At that point, why not just go to the grocery store myself? While I was waiting in line, I got to see the other food that was going out. I saw half-full bowls of soup being sent out, which I would hate to be the one receiving it. After we finished our food (and being there for over an hour at this point, most of which was spent waiting) we had to go across the street to the sushi place for some proper food. We were both extremely unimpressed. I thought this food would be better given the 4.7 star rating this place currently has. Overall I would not recommend this place from the experience I had. I am not sure how this place is so highly rated if people receive the service I did. The food is very over priced, the place is way too small and cramped, and there seems to be no organization by the staff whatsoever. Usually I am not the type of person to write a poor review, but this...

To anyone interested, I want to address a few of the recent low ratings the Roost Cafe has received. As someone who has been visiting this cafe for over three years, I believe some of these ratings are unfair. It's important to remember that the Roost Cafe is a very small, family-owned business, unlike large corporations such as Starbucks or Tim Hortons (no disrespect to those busnesses). It operates on a first-come, first-served basis and doesn't take reservations or seat customers at tables. Like any popular establishment, there is a long wait during busy times, especially on weekends. If you're not willing to wait for more than 30 minutes, it might not be the best choice for a weekend outing. The cafe's popularity is due to its charming location in King City & quaint character. Note they are open Tues – Sun 8am-4pm and closed on Mondays & holidays. While some items may seem a bit pricey, they are comparable to prices at Starbucks or Balzac's (no disrespect to either business, both are great!). What sets the Roost Cafe apart is that they prepare their food and desserts fresh on-site daily. The soup bowls could have more generous portions for the price, but it's worth noting that the cafe supports local businesses & sources local produce as much as possible & it is common for cafes & food chains to purchase cold cuts & other ingredients as required when they run out from supermarkets. The Roost Cafe focuses on supporting local businesses and providing quality ingredients. Additionally, they give back to the community through donations. I'm not suggesting that everyone must love the cafe or its food, but leaving a bad review without any explanation isn't constructive feedback for the business. It's always better to provide specific feedback so that they can understand areas for improvement. In summary, the Roost Cafe offers unique qualities such as fresh, on-site preparation of food and desserts, support for local businesses and produce, and community involvement through donations. Before leaving negative reviews based solely on personal preferences, it's important for people to consider these aspects. Light &...

Generally this has been a pretty good cafe, good atmosphere, good food and beverages, but the customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

I had a couple of gift cards that were 2 years old since my parents gave them to me as they hadn't used them. I was excited since i like the place and have been there a few times before.

Upon trying to use the gift cards I get told the system isnt reading them as they have upgraded the system recently, ok thats fine, however I wasn't responsible for them upgrading the system and would like for my cards to accepted. They then tried telling me there was no money on the cards (there was), that the cards expire (there was no expiry date on the giftcard or any indication or signage saying otherwise), and that finally that the business had been recently purchased a year ago by new owners and therefore the giftcard cannot be used or is valid. Imagine if tomorrow McDonalds gets purchased and now none of the giftcards people own and have paid for are considered "valid" anymore, ridiculous. And if i was claiming these cards had a crazy amount of money on them, sure I would be skeptical too, but each card was $7 and I would have had to pay money still on top of that for my order.

In the end the manager working put her foot down on the issue, i wasnt about to continue holding up the line and it sure as heck wasnt the cashier's decision and arguing wouldn't have done anything so i just paid the full amount and went on with my day.

This entire thing has left a sour taste in my mouth and really didn't feel in any way welcome or valued as a repeat customer. The money that was already paid to the business is in someone's pocket and I am just generally displeased with the lack of professionalism. Well honestly hope the $14 was worth it, don't think I'll be returning. Otherwise the place is good, honestly and its a big shame because I did like the place, but can't recommend buying any giftcards or similar things at the establishment since you dont know if it...