Café RICARDO — Restaurant in Saint-Lambert

After driving from Montreal we had a nice welcome at the Saint Lambert entry shop. I walk into the cafe with a starving 2 years old toddler in my harms and for my surprise the welcome was kind of strange … the cafe was far from being full though tables maybe reserved, but what shock me was having a child in my harms and with some waiters chit chatting at the back of the counter I had to ask if we needed to wait to be seated! This was the moment that the initial nice welcome started to turn sour, not only by the way my question was answered but also as I saw the waiter in charge kind of showing himself busy preparing something to a customer (which I never saw to be delivered)! He finally spoke to me mentioning that were no table available … I was never asked if I would like to have a coffee, a quick bite or a three course meal! I could not believe that the same waiter I saw being so nice to a little blond girls of the same age of my son could be tossing me out by offering me a place at the counter (when I had a child in my harms)!!!! I travel the world for pleasure and business, I spoke in French with most probably a Belgium accent as it was the francophone speaking country I lived the longest and I felt for the first time in more than 40 years of my existence discriminated! Yes, my child was a little bit active in my harms as he wanted to eat but it was far from a tantrum and as I was holding him my wrists or fingers could not be seen. Being Canada known for its tolerance and multiculturalism and Ricardo so vocal about helping others and associate with different social causes I ask myself if the same are not only some outdated marketing campaigns to sustain a kind of...

This review will not deter people from going, but I felt the need to mention nonetheless that this is not a wheelchair and baby friendly place, which is disappointing because I always saw Ricardo as a family brlrand It's not inclusive unfortunately. I have been to this cafe numerous times since I recently moved to Saint-Lambert from the Old Port and have brought many of my friends and family there, but this afternoon when I went with my parents, I was told by a frantic waiter (brown hair, glasses with earring) - I get the place was busy - that there would be no place for us and our stroller for at least '15, 30, 45 or an hour' and that 'it's hard to fit a stroller in the cafe since the seatings are 2 seaters and the restaurant is tight'. And he kept saying, 'it's up to you if you want to wait this long. In other words, it's best you leave. It's not the first time I have been told by this restaurant that it's difficult to accommodate a stroller, which I suppose the same will go for a wheelchair since wheelchairs are larger. Not sure why they have a wheelchair ramp then. Just thought in this day and age that restaurants would be more inclusive to different type of people and needs. Also, the waiter did not even apologize or finish our conversation and just left the minute another customer asked him something. So we definitely felt rejected. I will not come again even though my whole family is obsessed with Ricardo (not sure why).

Also it's funny I was reading a lot of the reviews that said that staff was disrespectful to those with disability...

Food is fantastic, cute restaurant. I love that you can go browse the boutique while waiting for your food. Twice we went and had an older lady with short grey hair as our server. She is so unfriendly. She's bossy and mean and controlling. She doesn't smile and is overall very unpleasant. Every other worker is great, accommodating and friendly. At first I thought maybe she was just being rude to me because I am English speaking but all my quebecer family with me said she was very rude to them as well. Telling us how far our seats needed to be tucked in and pushing our chairs closer to the table. And when we went in the winter she tried to force us to hang up our jackets in the hallway when every other table had their jackets on the backs of their chairs. Many of us had our wallets in our jacketd and didnt bring purses so we a few kept their jackets on their chair. I hate confrontation so i just hung mine up in the hallway to not cause a fuss. Another thing is they try to squeeze in as many tables as possible but the space is small which makes it very hard for the servers and customers to move around. Over all I will keep going because the brunch is fantastic but the server really shouldny be in costumer service. She obviously doesn't like people. Might be...