Whitechurch Durham — Restaurant in City of Durham

The Whitechurch Cafe: Good Coffee, Confused Operations - 3 Stars

I'd heard great things about the Whitechurch Cafe in Durham. Being a bit of a coffee enthusiast, and seeing the consistently glowing reviews, I decided to brave the crowds on a particularly busy Sunday, smack in the middle of University Welcome Weekend. I was hoping for a sanctuary of excellent espresso. What I found was a case study in operational confusion, which unfortunately overshadowed a genuinely excellent cup of coffee.

The chaos started with the ordering process. A queue snaked around the counter, blocking the ingress and exit of the staff, and after a good twenty-minute wait to finally reach the counter, I, and several others, were abruptly informed that we needed a table number first. This meant being redirected to a completely different member of staff for seating, only to be told to go back to the exact same counter we had just left. It was a pointless, frustrating loop that easily added ten minutes to the start of my visit.

When I finally did place my order, I was told there would be a reasonable 20-minute wait for drinks due to the volume. I accepted this, but after 30 minutes, and no sign of my coffee, I gently enquired. The server, who was lovely and clearly trying their best, confessed my order had been misplaced and promised to expedite it. When the coffee finally arrived, it was, to its credit, excellent quality—rich, balanced, and clearly made with care. But the long, confusing wait had soured the experience.

From a hospitality management perspective, the operation was fundamentally flawed. The poor person on the counter was trying to do far too many jobs: taking orders, processing payments, managing the sprawling queue, and directing other staff. Meanwhile, the staff member dedicated to seating seemed surplus until a customer managed to present themselves, table number in hand. The whole system was utterly disjointed. If I were advising the owners, I'd suggest a total overhaul. I would clear the counter completely, dedicating that space solely to expediting drinks. The crucial 'meet, greet, and seat' function needs to move into the dining area. Servers could then be equipped with POS tablets to take orders right at the table, sending them directly to the barista area. This would let the baristas focus purely on the art of coffee, while the front-of-house staff focuses on the guest experience. The coffee is worth five stars, but the chaotic service dropped the overall rating to a generous three. The product is there; the process is not.

I will return in a couple of months and re-review. Fingers crossed I'll have a better...

Very disappointing visit for Sunday lunch yesterday with son and wife (December 22nd 2024). The service was abysmal and it took over 2 hours to be served with 2 courses. The main course was definitely not worth the £17 each with the Yorkshire pudding overcooked and black along with roast potatoes that were also overcooked and very difficult to eat. One small mini carrot underneath one small tablespoon of red cabbage was the sum total of vegetables and the chicken supreme consisted of two very small chicken wings , which I find very poor value . The cheesecake costing £7, was served deconstructed and was merely a pile of crushed biscuits scattered on the plate, topped with a spoonful of cheesecake mix with a spoonful of berries plonked on top, not even chilled or put together, which looked at though it had been thrown together in haste when they had ran out and had no time to make the expected version. Then on top to add insult to injury, we were slammed with a £10 service charge in addition that was not notified on the menu. . We will not be going there again. The place was cold and there was no...

Eaten here a few times now and it’s usually been alright, came a couple of weeks ago and after paying the bill and leaving a tip I mentioned the chicken supreme dinner was very small but I ate my girlfriends as she doesn’t eat much so wasn’t an issue, categorically said it was constructive feedback and nothing more, hence why I said it after I’d paid. Fast forward 2 weeks, this is the amount of chicken in the chicken sandwich, I only looked as the first half I could only taste salad but didn’t really want to start de-constructing my food in a restaurant. Anyway the lad behind the counter assured me this is the size of the fillet. Well guess what, it most definitely shouldn’t be the size of the fillet, and if it is use two, the sandwich was £16. Not only this, the chicken was wafer thin and was more batter than chicken. I could not believe the way he handled it. Anyway I eat out multiple times every single day and can’t think of a time I’ve ever left a review so that’s...