Vero Food - EUR — Restaurant in Rome

It’s quite surprising to see how defensive and overly emotional your response is — not to criticism about your coffee or service — but about the fact that someone dared to speak English in your shop.

Instead of acknowledging a customer’s feedback, you chose to write a dramatic response that revolves around one employee’s supposed shyness due to not knowing English. Why turn a language barrier into such a personal and emotional narrative?

Also, why is this the only comment you’ve responded to so passionately? Why this one? Because it was in English? Because it made a valid point about service and attitude?

Let’s be honest: this is not about “language” or “laws” — it’s about professionalism and how you treat customers. If you truly valued feedback, you would have engaged constructively — not with passive-aggressive justifications and irrelevant excuses.

This isn’t about “gratuitous criticism.” It’s about how you chose to handle it. One star for the service, and another star revoked for the tone of your reply.

Not knowing English is absolutely not a flaw. But turning every piece of criticism into a personal drama — and then attacking the customer with passive-aggressive, mocking remarks? That’s where the line is crossed.

You wrote “mamma mia quanta voglia di scrivere ciao e grazie” in response to a review — a clear attempt to ridicule and belittle. Let me be clear: I will not allow anyone to mock me for simply speaking a different language.

When a business hides behind cultural pride to excuse condescending behavior, it’s not about culture anymore — it’s about arrogance and prejudice.

This isn’t about language. This is about the attitude you choose to show your customers — especially when they dare to criticize you.

Mocking others doesn't make you right. It only makes you look insecure.

If your ego is running the business, don’t be surprised when...

First of all if you cannot speak italian, don’t even try to come here! The lady at the counter, before I started to speak english, she smiled and said “Ciao☺️”, after she heard that I’m speaking in english, her face literally dropped. Then I asked for and “iced” americano but instead I got a warm filter coffee with a three pieces of ice. So my suggestion is that if there is a law in Italy that says iced coffee cannot be sold, please do not put it on the menu. If you do it, make it iced and give the people what they want.

Since you made such a comment, I have the right to respond. I regret to reiterate that you haven't grasped a single point I was trying to make. The issue isn't about whether people speak English—of course, not everyone has to speak English—but the real issue I wanted to convey was the way I was treated.

And I believe iced Americano is the same everywhere in the world. It has nothing to do with whether you speak English or not. I just ordered what I saw on the menu, nothing more. As I said, my complaint was about the attitude, that simple. It's even more ironic that you called my comment offensive and then wrote such an aggressive comment.

And as a second piece of advice, I think you should take negative comments seriously, because I'm not and won’t be the first and only one criticizing.

Buona...

Pago il caffè e mi dirigo verso un tavolo interno per sedermi e parlare di lavoro con un cliente. Il proprietario mi blocca e mi intima di andare a sedermi fuori (caldo, sole e 30 gradi...) perché ai tavoli interni adesso è vietato lavorare (!). Obbietto che in quel momento tutto intorno a me è pieno di gente che studia e lavora seduta ai tavoli interni... ma niente, secondo lui i tavoli riservati a studio e lavoro sono finiti ed io, anche se ci sono molti altri tavoli vuoti, devo andare fuori. Capisco, e lui conferma, che il suo problema è far rendere i tavoli, lasciandoli liberi per chi verrà dopo e (forse) consumerà di più, e mettendomi nei suoi panni provo ad ordinare dei muffin. Niente da fare, devo uscire! Gli dico che mi sembra assurdo e lui, dichiarandosi "molto nervoso" mi sibila un "si sieda". Vado a sedermi pensando che sia finita lì... Mi sbaglio, alle mie spalle un forte schianto segnala che la porta della cucina si è chiusa violentemente... Dopo pochi secondi mi raggiunge al tavolo e, mentre sto già parlando con il cliente, mi interrompe e si mette ad inveire con un soliloquio che dura diversi minuti. Di tanto in tanto provo ad interromperlo per fargli capire l'assurdità del suo comportamento ma non smette e rimane accanto al tavolo ad aggredire verbalmente. Sfinito mi alzo e me ne vado, lasciando il caffè (non bevuto) sul tavolo. Forse avrei dovuto...