GAIL's Bakery Berkhamsted — Restaurant in Dacorum

Gail’s does the best bread in town, I’m happy to pay the higher prices, and the cafe is open longer into the late afternoon than most others locally. So far so good. But in the four or five times I’ve used the cafe I’ve found the staff not to be customer-service oriented. A group of three of us had coffee there today (2/6/23). Three members of staff were working, the cafe tables were only half full and there was no queue at the counter. I have no issue with the table we wanted to sit at not having been wiped since the previous customer - maybe they had only just left. But when I pointed this out, and asked for a cloth, I half hoped the member of staff I spoke to would offer to wipe the table, especially as there were no other customers at the counter. They didn’t. Having wiped the table I then stood at the counter for a while with the cloth in one hand and crumbs in the other, until a (different) member of staff took the cloth and brought a bin. After half an hour our group ordered a second cup of coffee each. When these were ready - and again with very light traffic at the counter - the order was called for collection. It would have taken only a few seconds, would have been a nice touch, and regularly happens in other coffee shops, for the coffees to be brought out front, and the person who ordered them located. Higher prices should go with higher service levels, but regrettably at Gail’s in...

Gail’s has expanded out to the town of Berkhamsted which doesn’t really need another chain coffee shop yet stepping into Gail’s rarely feels like that. Plenty of seating, freshly made pastries and savoury treats and the usual selection of teas and coffee on offer. If you’re eating in and want something hot, order from the wall menu rather than the counter as they won’t reheat for fear of killing customers in house (of course it’s some health and safety statute whereby reheating on their premises puts them at risk of being sued whereas reheating at home is on you. Bacteria and all that) but coffee and cake is a winner. Depending on who the barista is that day, you might want to ask for “extra hot” which usually causes them to do an inner groan / eye roll because of burning milk but the front doors are often open and your coffee will get cold quickly. Nevertheless the staff outwardly grant your wishes and are friendly. It does seem like it’s run by a bunch of teenage girls though 😂

Gail’s sweet treats are divine and their sausage rolls are heartily packed and flavoursome. The cafe is clean but a bit more table wiping after people finish / have left wouldn’t go amiss. Grab a table and enjoy a small slice of London in this busy...

Poor service...I popped into Gail's bakery in Berkhamsted (not my first time) with my sister who is vegan, confident that they would cater to varying diets. Not seeing too many vegan options, I asked the gentleman behind the counter regarding their vegan options and he pointed to a cinnamon bun or similar pastry. We were hoping for a small bite for lunch so I enquired further and was told they had nothing suitable. I asked specifically about the bagels and was told they were not vegan (it has butter) rather dismissively. No interest was shown. In my experience, it is usual for most cafes to at least offer to make a sandwich or bagel without butter for example. Or if they absolutely cannot make anything on the premises (!), at least explain that in this instance, they cannot cater to our needs rather than being so dismissive to potential customers. Poorly done and very...