the flour mill bakery & cafe — Restaurant in Franklin

1st time visitor but probably won't return unless it's to takeaway food. The noise level inside (and it wasn't overly busy) was so loud, my wife and I, sitting across from each other, were having to really raise our voices, as were neighbouring tables around us. The kitchen door was open and you could hear loud voices, bunches of cutlery being thrown into drawers, the clatter of dishes, literally reverberating around the cafe. The food and coffee were superb, although prices were well-above downtown Auckland prices. So not the place to go to if you're counting your pennies (packets of 6 plain buns leftover from the day before, according to a staff member, was $4.80 !) Not sure what can be done about the noise - leave the doors open, open windows, turn the skylights into windows that can open or put carpet down - but something definitely needs to be done. I overheard an elderly couple near us saying to each other "Let's get out of here, it's just too noisy". Sad because otherwise a very nice cafe. But truly the noise echoed like a gymnasium changing room. Not endearing to...

I was told this was a really nice bakery but that was definitely an understatement. The variety of food on offer is amazing so it’s gonna be so hard to choose but I did it😂 I had a chicken and Camembert Pie with a Mocha. I did have to wait a bit for service but that is expected in a busy bakery. 💕I found a new favourite Pie filled with chunks of deliciousness. I know I’m gonna crave this one. And the Mocha ☕️one of the best to date! You can sit and enjoy. The Flour Mill do have a loyalty card you definitely want to use and they have on offer a pack of 8 mixed pies for $27 I think. This is such a good idea cause you can heat up a pie for dinner, whip up some mash potatoes and veggies and you have a quick, easy dinner. ✔️ They also have small decorative cakes on display that can be used for a small gathering or party if needed. Man I will definitely be back faster than you can blink an eye so I will see you soon💯Flour Mill. Thanks to the staff and owners, I could see how much hard work goes into running...

I swear to god. Sometimes they just need to get there act together. 1 till open. 1 person servicing the till. 5 other staff not really doing alot. Queue of 10+ people waiting to be served. Queue out the door. Cafe customer service 101 team. Take the orders and sort your team out. Open another till!!. I walked out after 10 minutes. Queue budged 1 person in that time. Loads of frustrated customers. The boss wasn't there so hoping that's not the reason they were so lost. Crazy...

EDIT: typical response from the store trying to condone the inefficient service and convince themselves they are doing the right thing by chastising me 🙄. Well done 👏. What you should have taken from this was how do I better provide a customer centric service rather than the chaotic choke point of the one till and staff poorly lead. For shame 🫠.

Oh and I'll visit the store when I see fit to see if service has...