Common Ground Eatery — Restaurant in Hibiscus and Bays

Original experience wasn’t great—but the owner’s follow-up made it worse.

We arrived at 12:05. My wife ordered before I even got there. We left at 12:39. That’s over 30 minutes waiting for food that hadn’t even been started.

When we asked, we got a casual excuse about the wifi not working. No sincere apology. No offer to make things right. I even paid for my coffee at the counter—zero effort to comp it or offer anything to smooth things over.

But here’s the kicker: the owner initially responded to my review accusing me of lying, claiming I “only waited under 30 mins,” that I got a “free dessert” (I didn’t), and that I “accepted it without complaint.” Then they edited that response to remove those claims once it was clear the facts didn’t stack up.

Instead of owning the mistake, they tried to rewrite history. That says more than any review could.

Won’t be back.

Original response from owner. Who has since hidden their poor response. Dear Scott，we’re frankly puzzled by your review, given how the situation actually unfolded. Here’s what really happened: You waited under 30 minutes (not "over 30") before checking on your order. The moment you asked, we immediately prioritized your food, explained the brief WiFi issue (which delayed ticket printing), and apologized sincerely. To make up for the wait, we even gave you a free dessert—a gesture you accepted without complaint at the time. So, to see you now claim we "couldn’t care less" is not only unfair but simply untrue. We did everything possible to fix an unforeseen issue, yet you’ve chosen to misrepresent the facts. We stand by our service and won’t apologize for things we didn’t do. If honesty and reasonable patience aren’t your priorities, then yes—perhaps our café isn’t the right...

The cafe was busy when we were there so we had to wait a bit for a table. Service was haphazard when we came in but the staff looked pretty busy so we waited. Ended up not taking the large table that said reserved but no one came the whole time hour or so we were there so maybe a missed opportunity for the cafe. One table left without even ordering - we took their table. Another left without eating their cake, returning it to the counter as it was too dry.

Based on other reviews, it looks like our experience was based on the day we were there but for the price I wasn't too impressed overall and we only had the brunch mains, no drinks before leaving. Kimchi fried rice was just rice and frozen mixed veges with a heap of sauce. Found the...

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