Box & Barber — Restaurant in England

I was recommended to visit Box and Barber for lunch. Arrived and as a wet day was quite busy inside, tho had a good vibe, and interesting menu from what id quickly read outside . There were a few spare tables so I sat down . Realised after short time that as no one came to table it was order at counter . I also noted after I had ordered, the couple in the corner who were in before me, had realised same thing, and weren't waiting for their food, but needed to order too. My coffee arrived and was good. Caught up on couple of emails , thinking my order was imminent. After about another 10 mins the order for couple in the corner came out, followed by the order for a table of 4 who came in and had ordered even later . After this wait, I had to go, as it was only to be a quick pit stop lunch. I asked a member of staff , who to be fair checked immediately, and said kitchen was just browning my wrap order . It now had to be a take out as I had an appointment which I was now gonna be tight for time. Just had time to eat 1 wrap towards my car, and leave other one til much later . Bottom line, good coffee and interesting menu, and flavours were good but had to eat so quickly I couldn't really enjoy. So some sort of a ticket rail system wouldn't go a miss in the Kitchen, and a clear sign to order at counter would...

In a land of uninspiring English breakfasts, finding something creative, fresh, delicious and worth the money can be somewhat difficult, nevermind an excellent coffee. Luckily for me, I hit the jackpot yesterday when I visited Box & Barber in Newquay after following Google reviews and intuition all the way from Wadebridge. One sweet and one savoury to share is tradition between my partner and I, whilst scrapping for the last morsels. The toasty breakfast burrito was stuffed with scrambled eggs, black beans, salsa, spinach and cheese and bursting with all sorts of lovely flavours. My partner and I couldn't fight over this one cause it was conveniently cut in half, otherwise we would have. Next came the vanilla buttermilk pancakes with creme fraiche, blueberry and lemon compote, bananas, toasted almonds, maple syrup and bacon. It was all out war, sneaking spoonfuls of creme fraiche off each others plates, nicking bananas... it was that delicious. And then the coffee. Skillfully brewed, my iced coffee washed everything down in the most satisfying way. Smiles from all the staff saw us out and guaranteed our return....

"10% holiday tax", In May half-term: I ordered a takeaway coffee and croissant. After paying, I realized that the amount was higher than I expected. I asked the lady at the till about it, and she explained that it's the "10% holiday tax." I pointed out that this tax wasn't displayed on the board or window. She showed me the eat-in menu with tiny writing that mentioned the 10% extra charge during holidays.

Curious about the purpose of the tax, I asked if it was for council upkeep, and she said yes, during holidays, everyone charges it. Later, I asked the barista, and he gave a different reason, saying it was to keep the business going, and again, everyone charges it.

This surprised me because, during my one-week stay in Newquay, this was the only place that applied a 10% holiday tax, and also, they didn't openly advertise it.

In response to the box&barber comment: I was getting a takeaway. I looked at the prices on the display board, which did not mention/include the tax at all. It is unreasonable to expect people to look at the eat-in menu to see there is a...