GAIL's Bakery Maida Vale — Restaurant in London

I love Gail's and was so exited that we now have one in Maida Vale. I have stopped by a few times already and while all of the lovely cakes are absolutely delicious and just plain beautiful to look at, the staff is extremely inexperienced in handling them. Twice already when I came to buy about 10-15 items such as pistachio/lemon/rose cake, honey cake, chocolate cake etc. either for my guests or as a present for my friends the staff ladies that were packing them did it in a very haphazard manner piling one on top of the other and I twice I had to ask them to lay them out in a box nicely. They are so beautifully decorated, so delicate and not exactly cheap. I ended up having to present my Gail's cakes crumpled and semi smashed last time because they did damage them on the first go while piling up but then said that it was ok and they laid them out nicely. Very disappointing, especially since this is a repeat lack of care for appropriate presentation and packing when selling Gail's products. Staff should really be better trained. If you go to Paul and buy even a couple of cakes they take great care to ensure they are packaged nicely and not damaged. I expected the same from Gail's. The standard and quality of Gail's products is so high, but a big let down on service for me. Hope it...

Really like the pastries, and savoury food items here - very good quality. Not a third-wave coffee shop though : Gail's needs to up their coffee game, as they have fallen behind. Not so keen on the heavy and hard sourdough breads, apart from the mixed-olive, which is superb; but, each to their own. Staff could be a bit happier. Gail's seem to be cutting back on staff training? Anyway, a nice corner cafe, and a quieter Gail's, with a pleasant ambience. Seating is limited: Queen's Park and Paddington have a space advantage, but are far busier. Come on Gail's, sort the coffee out! May 2023: possibly the most sloppy Gail's I've been to, actually: tables and floors not cleaned - I quietly observed the staff ignore the mess on the floor. Untidy. Hot drinks are insipid - whether that's the barista, I'm not sure. Toilet not clean. It's handily located, but they need to sort things out here. Gail's isn't cheap, so they need to watch the quality and hygiene. The staff were nice enough; just not being trained...

Repeatedly missing the mark. At the price point Gail’s needs to significantly up their game. It feels like they’ve sold out to profit over customer care & enjoyment.

Specifically : No hello - just a brusque and surly response to reasonable requests. If I’m on your conveyor belt then I’m not paying - you should pay me! Baristas who don’t care what beans they’re using or know what temperature to serve coffee at. A first sip of coffee closer to 40 degrees than 65 degrees is never ok. So : don’t waste your time or money with this business - better options in every corner of London. It feels less welcoming than Starbucks 20 years ago. Not aspirational at all!

(To be clear this is not a branch issue & I’m sure that individual staff members are all lovely, I just made the mistake of getting caught in the rain close...