Balzac's — Restaurant in Toronto

Where to begin. I fly through this airport fairly frequently, and my experience with Balzac has been consistent every time.

The baristas are dead pan, exchange next to no words, do not even look you in the eye as they're addressing you or vice versa. It's like they're trying their absolute best to appear cold, non-chalant, unprofessional. Strangely enough, it almost seems personal? And I'm not singling out any barista - this has been consistent across the board with every rep that has attended the counter. For lack of better term, it's uncomfortable and weird. The reviewers that posted before me can attest to that, I'm sure. And believe me, I've worked as a waitress/hostess for several years in my highschool and university years, and I throw every nicety at them: please/thank you/have a good day, etc.

Take a leisurely scroll down to the older reviews, and you'll find some fairly decrepit photos of sandwiches. They'll charge you a hefty sum for them. And yes, those photos are accurate. The bread is dry. The paper brown bag is drenched in oil, so bring your baby wipes. The sauces are lacking, nearing non-existent. The fillings are carelessly tossed on. Maybe your fillings will touch, but likely they'll be located on opposite ends of your bread. It's so offensive that it's honestly hard to not find the humour in it.

Yes, the drinks are equally bad.

If they're trying to give the bare minimum, they're excelling at it. I honestly never feel compelled to write reviews because I generally have much better things to do with my time, but wow, they've compelled me.

Failure in management. Look at those reviews - 2.5 stars. Is there any shame? Any pride at all in running your business? Good day. Maybe one of you will step up and respond to...

Other than speed of getting food, there is nothing positive to say about this cafe. We purchased a sandwich on the do-it-yourself kiosk/screen and after the order went through, were called to the front by the staff to say that they were missing a key ingredient to make the sandwich. They offered to make a different sandwich for us from their menu, which cost less than the one we purchased. I asked if we could do a refund for the sandwich, since the new one is less expensive, and place a new order, and they refused. We were laughed at by the staff and completely ignored by the manager for requesting the difference for the item. It's not the money, it's the principle. You should not be selling an item you don't have, and you should not be stealing (yes, stealing) from customers. I wonder how many times they get away with pocketing money from customers for menu items they don't have. An embarrassing experience, and the sandwich was the quality you would expect from an airport. I don't recommend this...

I can't believe my 2-star rating is actually going to increase their average.

The Americano was actually good. It's not what I ordered, but that's ok I guess. The service is deplorable. Super unfriendly, almost downright rude to people.

Workspaces look cluttered and dirty.

Yet another establishment that only exists because people have no other options.

My suggestion: Walk up to counter and blurt out what you want, do not make eye contact (they likely won't bother reciprocating, anyways) Pay (they likely will not repeat your order, it's likely that you won't get what you ask for .. mentally prepare for this and be open-minded in advance) Take whatever drink they put on the counter (they won't say the order number or what it is, so it's a fun game to see what you get!)

I guess I'll be back. Not many...