The Dedham Coffee Collective Tea rooms — Restaurant in Colchester

Visited today for a piece of cake and cup of tea. Cake and tea was okay. I’m not complaining about it. I am however, complaining about staff attitude. The lady who served us could barely crack a smile, was very stiff and quite frankly, as a result, came across as very rude. When I asked her something relating to the flavour of the cake, all she said was “I don’t know, I haven’t tried it!” Fair enough but she could have been more helpful/ at least replied in a more pleasant manner. In my opinion, the attitude of staff makes a huge difference in the overall experience when at any cafe/restaurant etc. Also one other issue- NONE of the staff were wearing face masks! Only visors, which do absolutely nothing in terms of covering nose and mouth, all they do is protect the eyes. Given the recent changes in guidance which clearly state that all indoor staff in hospitality, retail and leisure must now wear face coverings (unless exempt), I do wonder why none of the staff present were wearing them. Surely they are not all exempt and surely they/the employer understands that visors only protect the eyes!!...

The food was first class, the salad garnish was crisp and fresh. The jacket potato was hot and cooked to perfection and the quiche melted in the mouth. The fruit crumble flan with ice cream was equally impressive. There was a nice little touch of giving you a pot of hot water together with the pot of tea in case you wanted to top it up. I'm going back on Monday with my parents and I can't wait. I would go there every week but I live 45 min drive away so sadly not possible. My favourite used to be the popular Tiptree Jam Tea room The Essex Rose a few hundred yards away but since eating in the Dedham Centre Tea room I will not eat anywhere else because the food and service...

Visited here today with my mum and the staff were rude to us, we had sat at a table and a lady came out and told us we had to move even though the cafe was empty and the table wasn't reserved. She pointed to a table for two in the far corner and said 'Go and sit under the clock' in a really rude tone. My mum and I were shocked at the way she spoke to us, we have been coming to Dedham Centre Tea Rooms for years and have never been spoken to like this. We got up and left and the staff in the kitchen laughed at us as we left, needless to say we will not be going...