GAIL's Bakery Balham — Restaurant in London

Difficult interaction with the manager.

We went in during a busy moment with lots of people waiting for takeaway coffee. The counter staff were very polite and doing their best to keep up. We ordered coffee and food to eat in. The person who served me told us to take a seat downstairs and she'd bring everything. I was surprised because I know that you normally have to wait for the coffee but she insisted. I get the impression it was easier for the staff if we sat and waited, giving them time to clear the coffee backlog and then put our order together afterwards. We were very happy to wait.

Whilst waiting downstairs the manager told us "It's not table service, they're really busy upstairs, you need to go and get the coffee. If they said they'd bring it then they're just being nice". The implication was that were were being unhelpful. She wouldn't let me get a word in to explain that we were just doing as told. I then went upstairs to get the coffee, which just caused confusion and made the staff feel they had to drop everything to make my order ready immediately. We'd have been very happy to just wait as asked.

Manager needs to understand how her staff work and actually listen...

I still have to ask, where have the pastry chefs gone? There is far more skill involved than merely following the instructions and chucking them in the oven. A lot of the pastries are blind or part cooked and these usually come out ok. The items that are fully cooked inhouse just do not cut the mustard. Muffins raw in the middle, chewy blonde coissants and pain aux chocolates, dont get me started on the cheese coated pastry sticks, which go by the name cheese straws, and cinnamon buns that havnt bearly crested the ridge of the tin. I know i have gotten the the grumpy old git age but this must be affecting their bottom line of gross sales not monetary turnover. Gails used to be my rock in the mad times but since buy out and new partners they now have trouble getting and keeping staff and this is across the company. As a consequence the quality and consistency of cooking needs addressing. The staff are usually polite and friendly. It used to be my go to if i was in the area, now I try my luck now and again, I just can't stomach under...

There's nothing like a nice bowl of hot soup on a cold day, unless the soup is stone cold of course. So I went back in the shop and my soup was replaced with slightly warm soup, from the same tureen, despite the fact I explained my cold soup had just come from there. I drank it anyway as I was hungry and needed to get on with my day but the final straw was the slice of sourdough provided with it which was completely dried out but for the very centre. At that point I went back in the shop and complained and was given a long excuse about what might have happened when really I was just looking for an apology. I had to ask for the refund. I keep trying Gail's, the bakery goods are all delicious (if very expensive) and the coffee if fine but the service is disinterested and cool. Perhaps it has just grown too big and the management have lost their grip or, like many establishments, it's just using Covid as a cover for poor service. Time's up, I don't want to inconvenience them with my...