Retreat Coffee, Kitchen & Accommodation — Restaurant in England

My friends and I—PhD researchers from various Asian countries, studying in a university in southern England—recently took a three-day road trip to Yorkshire. Having heard about the charm of Glassington Village, we decided to spend an afternoon exploring and relaxing over lunch at a local coffee shop. On a busy Saturday, we entered The Retreat Bistro and requested a table for six. A young, blonde waitress informed us that although no tables were available, we could wait 5–10 minutes for the only large table, which was about to open up.

We waited by the entrance for approximately 20 minutes. As the previous customers began to leave, another customer (white) entered and also asked for a table for six. To our surprise, the waitress seated this new group—whose friends hadn’t even arrived—at the table we had been waiting for. When we politely pointed out that we had been waiting for 20 minutes, we were met with nothing but confusion. The young waitress who had initially promised us the table was silent, while an older waitress with short hair looked at us blankly, appearing unable to understand the basic concept of queueing.

Although we felt frustrated and unfairly treated, we tried to be patient. Having visited several social enterprises where employees with SEND or neurodiversity are employed, I initially gave the benefit of the doubt, thinking the waitresses might need extra support. I simplified my question, asking, “Are you suggesting we give up our table to another group even though we were here first and waited for 20 minutes?” The young waitress continued her silence, while the older waitress merely responded, “I’m sorry, we only have one long table.” This response confirmed our feeling that the staff struggled to understand the situation.

We’re leaving a 1-star review because we left feeling that the treatment was unfair. We don’t want to assume any bias or racism, as we always try to see the good in people. If the staff weren’t acting out of prejudice, it may simply be a matter of limited intelligence—something we can empathize with. After all, not everyone has had the same educational opportunities or intelligence we have.

We ended up at The Cake House up the street, which had good coffee, Yorkshire tea, and a cozy, welcoming atmosphere. We enjoyed it thoroughly. We highly recommend The Cake House but, ironically, this Retreat place gave us nothing but...

Absolutely delicious food, very friendly service and free customer WiFi if you ask for the password at the till, which was handy as we had no reception at all on our phones. Food was prepared fresh so a short wait for food when we were there at a busy lunch time. We especially enjoyed the falafel wrap and soup of the day. One toilet which was popular so had a queue a lot of the time. I would love to give 5 stars overall, if only for the welcome we received, but the prices were definitely steep for the amount of food served. It was all great quality, no doubt using good produce, but the portion in the kids fish goujons and chips was so comically meagre, it even had our 4 year-old commenting on how it wasn't very big for £6.40. Same could be said for the size of the wrap + chips for £10. We'd come back if we're looking for a bit of a treat, but travellers on a budget might want to look elsewhere (though it does seem to be par for the course in...

What a gem! stopped here with the pup in tow as I noticed they had vegan options and are doggy friendly (the holy grail!) I was not dissapointed. Gorgeous food selection. Warm welcome from staff and owners, pup got a water bowl and biscuit and a fuss made of him. I chose a delicious coconut latte and homemade toasted banana chocolate loaf with dairy free spread. Partner had chunky sliced bread and fresh pea and mint soup (also dairy free so can vouch for the awesomeness). From the doggy selection, we also picked up 'a trio of mini iced woofins'. Adorable!

Will be back. Brilliant, cosy, friendly and delicious....