Black Sheep Coffee — Restaurant in England

Popped in for a coffee and breakfast this morning while shopping with my wife.

Ordering on the screen was easy and there was a lot of choice, which was great.

However, upon ordering, we then waited near on 20 minutes for our order to be made. There was around 7 staff all working in chaos and customers hanging around for an age for their order. I heard multiple people moaning about the delays.

One other issue is the tiny area where they place food and drinks to hand to the customer. It’s barely wide enough for a tray, so customers were having to balance their orders to take over to their tables and the staff can only complete one order at a time, between so many staff!

After 15 minutes, a young lady at the back of the counter called my name, as my food was ready. But no drinks (black coffee and an orange juice) were handed over, as she was only prepping food. I continued to wait for our drinks, and after another 5 minutes of holding the plates of food, which were getting cold, I asked the team where the drinks were. The coffee had been made and was sitting on the side behind the staff and the bottle of juice was in front of the coffee machine in front of the staff. They handed them to me and then tried to say that they had called my name several times but I hadn’t come forward. This was a blatant lie, as I had been stood there the whole time, 3ft from them and I saw and heard every order they called out! I obviously called the lady out on this lie!

I understand that there can be delays at busy periods, and I am fine to wait, even if it takes 20 minutes to heat a wrap, grab a bottle of juice from the fridge and make a black coffee, but to lie to my face and make out that they had done their job right was unacceptable!

May I suggest to the management, that some professional training take place at this coffee shop, and maybe some better planning for the customer collection area.

As for the food, it was cool when we ate it, but I’m sure it would have tasted better if still warm. The coffee was actually very nice, so at least they...

I was in Queensgate today with my 5 children (including 3mo baby). My plan was to get there at 9, do the shopping we needed to do and be home by 10:30 when babys bottle was due). We had finished our shopping and my older children had taken an interest in the life-size, interactive, safari animal display. I could either insist we went home, or find somewhere to help me warm the bottle. Having been in a similar situation a few times before over the years I know that lots of cafes and restaurants will not provide hot water for this purpose. I spotted Black Sheep and having never purchased anything from there before I was apprehensive that they would be able to help. I was fully prepared to pay for a full price coffee in exchange for hot water in a take-away cup, especially as I wasn’t purchasing anything for myself. When I got to the till and asked a barista if she could help me. I explained I was happy to pay for it. She and her male colleague could not have been more helpful, and they refused my offer of payment! We had a light conversation and they were so lovely and personable. They really were, without a doubt second to none of any of the other baristas I’ve encountered at coffee shop chains. I cannot rate Black Sheep enough and I didn’t even get to experience their menu! My partner works in town and I’ve since told him that he is no longer allowed to support any other coffee chain besides Black Sheep, going forward! 😂 Next time we’re in Queensgate, I’ll pop in for a coffee...

Today, I took my family out for hot chocolate and waffles, and the food and drinks were flawless. The two young ladies and the young gentleman working there were incredibly hardworking, doing their best to serve all the customers efficiently. While waiting at our table (231, table 17), I noticed how overwhelmed they were due to the sheer number of guests, which left them with no time to clean the dining area. I decided to help tidy up out of empathy for their situation.

I would like to urge the café owner to reconsider the shift planning, as expecting only three staff members to serve and manage hundreds of guests is unreasonable. Adding at least two more employees—one dedicated to maintaining cleanliness and another to assist with service—would help prevent burnout and maintain service quality. Displaying bins outside near the tables would help the staff manage cleaning more efficiently, as customers would be encouraged to clear their own waste. Additionally, having a trolley for collecting dirty dishes would be greatly appreciated and would support the team in maintaining a clean and welcoming environment. Thank you to the team for your outstanding effort and service. Your hard work and delicious offerings were greatly...