Kaspa's Darlington — Restaurant in England

7 of us went for the 1st time yesterday 1st of all we got told off as we all sat down without being shown or told where to sit (no queue and no one there near the entrance when we arrived we were'nt to know as 1st visit there) then the same person told us they had no clean cutlery and under no circumstances should we think about placing our order until some one brings the clean cutlery to our table, then we got told off as the 7 of us had spread ourselves on 2 tables next to each other so we were not all squashed up on 1 table and able to eat our food comfortably and were told are not allowed to do that and all had to sit at the same table, so that was our 2nd being told off and what we can and cannot do. So by this point we were all sat thinking do we really want to give this company our custom and hard earned money and felt like we had gone back to school but out children really wanted to try it out, so we thought we will give them the benefit of doubt, then the 1st item arrived which looked nothing like what had been ordered so we politely pointed this out showing him the picture of it on the menu and the guy just stood there looking at us but not saying anything then said they had ran out of some things but he would take it back and check something out? and took the item away when he brought it back it did look something more similar to the order. after our 1st visit and impressions we will not be going back to be spoken to like we were school kids and for what we got we thought its was expensive, shame as we wanted it to be good but need better customer service and lower their prices to survive in this tough market once the novelty has worn of from people visiting for the 1st time to try it out. Or perhaps their customer service may improve with time to help...

To be honest 1 star is being generous. One of the worst experiences I’ve had honestly don’t go to Darlington if you want better service go to Bishop Kaspas. I went to Kaspa’s Darlington with friends for a treat, and honestly, I won’t be coming back. From start to finish, the experience was a mess.

We were seated but not told we had to order at the till. At the counter, the staff didn’t even bother to ask about allergies — a serious oversight. I ordered a Blue Lagoon Mojito, which was neon blue and so loaded with syrup it was completely undrinkable. My friend’s infusion was wrong, had to be remade, and the staff didn’t even seem to care.

Our drinks took 10 minutes to arrive, the food another 15, and even then, they forgot my friend’s cookie dough entirely. When we reminded them, there wasn’t even an apology. It finally came out 25 minutes late, on a plate so scorching hot it burned her hands — and still no warning.

When we tried to raise these concerns, the staff weren’t listening at all. They were dismissive, rude, and even argumentative, making it very clear they had no interest in taking responsibility or improving the situation.

Not once did anyone check on us the entire time, despite the fact that the place was empty and ours was literally the only order. The service was appalling, the attitude even worse, and the whole experience was a complete joke.

If this is how they treat paying customers, I’d strongly recommend avoiding this place altogether. I would honestly...

We went on a Wednesday night and found the place to be moderately busy, but thankfully not full of the gangs of kids other reviews have mentioned. We were shown quickly to our table (for four - me, my partner and our two kids) and handed menus so that we could decide what to order from the large and varied menu of waffles, sundaes, crepes, cookie dough, shakes and ice creams.

We placed an order for one ice cream scoop shake, two waffles and a cookie dough which came to just shy of £25. I found myself wondering at this point if it might be worth them having options for smaller "kid size" servings.

A few minutes after ordering, the ice cream scoop shake was brought to our table. The waffles came a few minutes later (with clean cutlery - it isn't kept on the table but delivered along with the food) - our son was left waiting a while for his Smarties cookie dough. All in all it was about 20 minutes from the first part of our order to the last - I appreciate some of the order was cold and some hot, but I think it would be better to try and bring a whole order out together, if possible.

Service was friendly enough and the desserts were great. I can't say I saw too many of the problems raised in other reviews here or elsewhere, and I would probably...