Origin Gluten-Free Bakery — Restaurant in Victoria

As someone who is 6 years into their gluten free journey, I'm always excited when finding a gluten free bakery. I have been to Origins in person, without ordering ahead, and was lucky enough to try their baguettes (delicious, even if they are smaller than "regular" (ie wheat) baguettes) and a ganache cupcake (amazingly delicious, highly recommend).

This week, I was trying to order through their website. I was very excited that I could order ahead, especially as I was planning on visiting Victoria 3 days later and would be able to pick up my order while I was down there (I live about an hours drive away, so going to Victoria is not an every week or even every month occurrence).

I was unable to put through my order on the website, because it was giving me an error message that my postal code didn't match on my billing address (it did, I even tried the postal code with and without a space between). I tried everything suggested on their website FAQ and emailed them as well, asking if there was any way to fix this or if I was able to order another way. I was disappointed to get an email back saying that they require 2 days notice for what I was wanting to order and hope I get it sorted out. The FAQ on their website states that the only way to order is in person and through their site, they won't take orders over the phone or over email. While I understand that having multiple ways to order only leads to orders getting lost and not made, unhappy customers, frazzled staff, etc I'm really heartbroken that I have no way to get my Origin fix anymore. I hope that this can get resolved soon, because as a "far away" customer the only alternative to the website being in person doesn't...

In general, there is a dearth of good, safe and well-informed Gluten-free cafes and restaurants on the island. And so, when you find one you go in with high expectations not only in terms of the quality of food but also the service you receive.

I am someone who reads a lot of the reviews before visiting a place. And I do not like to give unfair or bad reviews because I believe it hurts the employees more than the owners. So here are the pros and cons of this bakery.

Pros: The bakery has a really good spread to choose from. I have not tried everything there but it all looked good. I am eager to try the savoury treats next time I'm there.

I have to admit, the eclair - I was not particularly impressed by it but was not too disappointed either. I felt the sponge/bread portion of the eclair could do with some improvement.

Cons/Areas of improvement : First and foremost- Customer Service. When one enters a cafe they expect to be greeted with a smile and small talk. Unfortunately, that is not the vibe of this cafe or of the staff, at least when I visited the cafe. Quite possible - they were having a bad day?

Next: Policies are meant to help support your business not harm you. And I am sorry, but telling a customer that you can not hold the cake for an hour as they are on their way to pick it up is just disappointing beyond belief. Please take a hard look at your policies and consider revising them. Or at the very least provide the customer with a decent answer so they don't feel like they are not being...

I like the bread, just not the rigamarole to get it. Living up Island it has been incredibly difficult to be able to organise a way that Origins feels acceptable to accept my money in exchange for bread. I phoned in to see if they had stock in their Westshore location, was told that a delivery was coming in at 11ish. I asked for some bread to be put aside, the answer was no. I was encouraged to come in to the store and pre order. I went into the store, later, prepared to pay for 4 loaves of bread and pick up the next day. I was told that was not an option.After the really nice young woman (Winnie) made two phone calls to her senior manager and then the general manager, a "one time only" exception was made for me. Yay, lol! I paid my $40 and left. The next days delivery was late so I could not pick the loaves up myself so my wife went in to pick them up but was subject to a lecture about why they would not do this again. I find it crazy that Origins cannot realize that sales and customer satisfaction are incredibly important these days and my willingness (or stupidity) to pay $40 for 4 loaves of bread justifies them to give me a lecture and grief. I desperately want to support local but where do I draw the line and just buy one of the numerous and growing Gluten Free brands across the street at Thriftys? Be better,...