Rooster Coffee House — Restaurant in Toronto

Rooster used to be one of my favourite cafés, but I feel as though it’s gone downhill recently.

While the coffee and tea offerings have remained relatively consistent, they have become very lax in regards to food safety for those with dietary restrictions. I have gluten intolerance, and I used to frequently get the peanut butter chocolate oat bar. This is no longer offered, however, when it was, the baristas used to take extra care when giving me one. They would use separate tongs, and also either keep the bars separate from the other treats, or get me a new one from the container.

Recently, this has changed. The gluten free items are placed - and often touching! - items with gluten. When I asked if I could get a fresh item from the back, one of the baristas even scoffed! Luckily, the other one was kind enough to fulfill my request so I could eat.

I understand you can’t guarantee zero cross contamination. However, you can minimize the risk. Why offer those options if you’re not going to even bother implementing basic food safety? Not everyone is celiac, but it’s ridiculous to not even try and do the bare minimum for those who avoid gluten for other reasons. Unfortunately, as of late, I feel as though this location doesn’t care to provide that service (despite it being quite simple to do). It’s a small change that makes a big difference to a consumer who has to unfortunately navigate food intolerances.

There are other coffee shops in the area that do offer food that cater to alternative diets. If you are gluten free, I would advise you to be cautious should you...

This place has a serious service problem and a less serious decor problem. First, service: there are two ladies that operate the till that are a combination of at best indifferent, and at worst rude, cold, and selectively friendly. One is the short-haired white lady with the glasses. She could be seeing you literally every day but would greet you with the same coldness, one-word replies, and brevity she would with a first-time customer. The whole point of a neighborhood coffee shop is develop a connection to the place, and part of that is the staff recognizing the usual faces and getting to know their names and usual orders. The staff at this coffee shop are unlike any baristas I’ve ever seen in that they never recognize as having seen you before. Absurd. They wouldn’t even ask how you’re doing or how your day’s been. Anyway, the other culprit is the taller blond girl.

The decor suffers from neglect. First off, there’s that low fridge that’s empty and just sitting idle to the right of the big fridge. Then there is the lighting. On what could be a perfectly sunny day, this place would still require all the lights to be on from the morning - otherwise it would feel too dark. Anyway, someone at this location taking some ownership or responsibility to mix up the layout of the furniture every once in a while wouldn’t be a bad idea, but I don’t expect much of what seems to be a disinterested demotivated staff. The staff seem too comfortable in their jobs.

To the owners: please train your staff, ask them to improve their attitude toward customers, otherwise,...

The food is good, but this is the first time I have given one star to shop. Service is terrible, and they all are angry and want to sell the order in sec. I just asked to know about a cake that I saw on the Internet she replied no and gave me a look that I didn't know anything, stopped smiling and started looking at another customer. and started explaining that l had to say the size of the coffee along with the order—making me feel that I ordered a large coffee and wanted to pay for a small coffee. When I completed the order, she started smiling with another customer, making me feel different. As I tried to explain this to another employee about my order without saying a large word during pay about the coffer, they ignored the topic. Also when I was using my phone to read the name online, one of the guys kept looking at my phone as if I was doing something wrong. I calculated that they don't want people with regular clothes. They want people wearing coats, having ties, and holding iMacs. If you want to go to this shop, have a specific corporate suit. This is the type of shop that wants to become a golden egg by judging customers. I think the people sitting on the sofa with laptops are fake. This shop is just making a...