Ruth & Dean - Luncheonette & Bakery — Restaurant in Oak Bay

On 12/10/19 I emailed and asked if it would be a good time to place our order, they said yes, so I sent over some reference pictures. They gave me a quote and I asked if they could provide me with a phone number and time to call to pay our 40% non-refundable deposit on 12/12/19. They did not respond, and I emailed again on 12/18/21 asking if they would need us to come in person to pay (we live out of province), they replied to call, so I called and paid the $126 deposit. They emailed on 12/22/19 that they could deliver to Sooke (“I have checked and we definitely can do delivery to [Sooke] on your date!”) On 1/7/20 @ 9:02am they emailed and said Sooke was beyond the limits for delivery. Then on 1/7/20 @ 10:17am they said they could absolutely deliver the order to Sooke. (Confusing, but I assumed there was a communication breakdown somewhere on their end and didn’t worry about it) On 4/6/20 I emailed to change our date to 2021 with no issues, and then on 12/11/20 they emailed to confirm we would be going ahead with the wedding, I said yes. On 6/14/21 I emailed to let Susannah know we had changed our reception location and reduced our number of guests, both due to Covid restrictions (we changed from an indoor reception to an outdoor reception with less people) The change in location was still in Sooke, and was actually 15 minutes closer to Ruth and Dean than the original location. They then replied on 6/15/21 (Our wedding is on 7/25/21) saying that they can no longer offer delivery to Sooke because they laid off their drivers during Covid. They did not tell me this until I told them of the address change. In their email on 6/16/21 they said “I'm just keeping to this thread so we can find all relevant changes, etc... “ so I clearly didn’t know Susannah had deemed the thread too long to the point of charging me. I said I could pick up on the day before the wedding (since we only have very close family at our wedding and so nobody could leave on the wedding day to drive the near 2 hours it takes to go there and back to get our cake) so I asked to pick it up on the day before the wedding. When I found out I would be going to the spa with my wedding party the day before the wedding (I was not aware of this until early July) and would be in Vic on the 23rd anyway, I emailed asking if I could pick up on the 23rd instead. From the time she emailed me saying they could not deliver, I sent 4 emails, 2 of which were me simply saying thank you, and one of which was notifying her I sent the remainder balance for our order.

This is what it took for Susannah to threaten to charge me admin fees for sending her emails about our wedding cake order that was already fully paid for. I understand it has been a stressful time for vendors, and our order was not a big one (it couldn’t be due to our reduced guest count due to Covid restrictions!), but it has also been hard for the rest of us trying to roll with the punches of Covid restrictions this past year and a half. I could go on about what I think of this interaction with Susannah, but all I will say is I have 3 business owners in my immediate family and they all agree that this was an extremely unprofessional and rude way to essentially take out her business related stress on a customer who was trying to figure out last minute arrangements due to their sudden inability to deliver our wedding cake. If charging customers admin fees for reading and responding to emails is how she is going to ‘recoup’ her lost wages….. this business is not going to last very much longer.

P.S. my partner called Susannah this morning (because as per her email, I was not allowed to contact her anymore through there) and got the money that was refundable sent back. I do not want any apologies from Ruth and Dean, and I understand that times have been very tough. I just wanted to warn other brides that unless you know you will only have to contact Ruth and Dean once to place your order and will not require any changes at all, do not trust them with your...

We visited Ruth and Dean restaurant in Victoria because one of our foodie friends in Vancouver suggested that we try it out. We didn't think twice about trying the restaurant because our friend and her chef-husband are always finding eclectic and affordable restaurants. We were not disappointed at Ruth and Dean.

We arrived mid-afternoon and were surprised by how small the restaurant is. The bakery goods, for which the restaurant is best known, were proudly and enticingly displayed in the front display case. Since our crew of three was there seeking a hearty meal, we began the mainstream event quickly.

We ordered two different types of sandwiches, a couscous salad, and two bowls of celeriac soup. The sandwiches were constructed with baguette bread. Usually, I find such sandwiches too filling and difficult to chew. Not in this case. The baguette was perfectly suited to its sandwich mission, delivering the perfect Parisian taste without the jaw-tiring crust. One sandwich was prosciutto and blue cheese. The other sandwich contained pork belly, aioli, and a sweet relish. It was creative, juicy, and delicious.

The couscous salad contained a symphony of savoury and sweet tastes. The vinaigrette was light and perfectly suited the leaves, baby tomatoes, feta cheese, and couscous that it covered. The celeriac soup was rich, flavourful, and hot.

We finished the meal, sharing a slice of chocolate/chocolate cake. The cake was enrobed in a butter icing and did not last long on the plate. Service was attentive and the price was reasonable given the high quality of...

My elderly dad and myself visited Victoria from Vancouver just before the long weekend of Thanksgiving. We were originally going to take one of those red double decker bus tours from The Empress Hotel but unfortunately & fortunately they were closed between Tuesday and Thursday so we decided to just get a day pass for regular BC transit buses and took the #2 bus to tour from DT to James Bay beach then back to DT and then eventually to Oak Bay beach area. As the result, we saved $70 for both (the red double decker bus is $80 for two) and we were able to find this cute corner bakery/coffee shop, “Ruth & Dean”. It totally looks just like a country side rustic coffee shop which I like personally, and we decided to grab some drink and sit outside table on the side walk under the beautiful old huge oak tree. And I had chai latte with almond milk (lactose intolerant 😵‍💫🥛) and it was delish! Their baking goods looked also so good but unfortunately we were already full with lunch earlier so we saved for the next time. Their beautiful cake looked so good, the ladies ahead of me ordered a big slice of it and she said it’s very good! And I believe her. 😂 The place is very spacious, nice outdoor tables and nice cozy and peaceful atmosphere all around that area. I recommend anyone who likes to have a little get away, find this little cute community with some other shops and restaurants. The gorgeous clean beach is just a few blocks down on Estevan St. It was such a nice treat for both my dad and myself to relax and refresh ourselves from living in the heart of...