Something More Productive — Restaurant in Manchester

Place always has some nice dogs around and people working so it's a nice vibe. All the food is pre-made however, no syrups and you're not allowed drinks/snacks from somewhere else inside

In reply to the owner: Hey, I just want to clarify that I didn’t ‘storm out’—I simply stepped out to grab a drink I preferred while my friends were enjoying theirs. I’m actually happy they had a good time!

I understand that cafés have different policies, but it’s not that strange to expect to be able to have an outside drink while sitting with friends who are ordering from you. The comments about my ‘mood’ and calling me a baby seem unnecessary and unprofessional. I came in and left in a good mood, just a bit surprised by the policy.

At the end of the day, I’m entitled to review an establishment however I see fit. And honestly, after the weirdly personal and defensive response, I’d say my review feels even more earned.

Second reply: It’s interesting that you deleted your original reply—the one where you called me a child—only to replace it with this. If you stand by what you said, why change it?

Again, I didn’t ‘storm out,’ and my friends weren’t embarrassed—so I have no idea where these unnecessary and rude comments are coming from. I simply stepped out to grab a drink I preferred while they were enjoying theirs. That’s it.

I understand policies are policies, but the way you’re choosing to respond here is surprisingly unprofessional. If running a small business is personal to you, maybe consider treating customers with a little more professionalism rather than doubling down on insults.

Anyway, I’m done replying to you. It’s half past midnight, and this is straight-up weird.

Final: Thanks for clarifying about the deleted reply—though it’s now been deleted again, along with the follow-up where you continued making personal attacks.

For the record, I didn’t 'storm out' or 'pull a strop.' I stepped out briefly to grab a drink I preferred while my friends were happily enjoying your café. I’m genuinely glad they had a nice time, but I felt a bit uncomfortable being told I couldn’t have an outside drink while just sitting with them. That’s not an outrageous expectation, and it’s certainly no reason for this level of hostility.

The repeated comments about my ‘mood,’ being a ‘baby,’ and now being ‘self-involved’ are not only false—they’re incredibly unprofessional coming from a business owner. Your replies have felt weirdly personal and defensive from the start, and deleting them after doubling down doesn’t help the impression you’ve left.

I originally left an honest and pretty mild review based on how I felt in the moment. After reading your responses, I feel it was more than fair—and I’m fully entitled to share my experience.

Anyway, I won’t be replying again. I wish you the best with your business, but this whole interaction has been a bit surreal

For transparency, here’s the owner’s original response before they deleted and changed it: 'Hi mate, just want you to know that you looked really silly as you stormed out of our café to buy a red bull from a corner shop in a little stroppy mood. Your friends had a really nice time and i remember chatting to them about our mugs and when they come back in stock. I even moved two tables together to make room for you guys when we were really busy. We make all of our food in-house every morning using locally sourced ingredients. We don't do syrups, but always offer up honey as an alternative in a friendly and non-condescending way (which your friends happily took). You came into the café hell0bent on something being wrong and i can't really be held accountable for your little mood. I'm sorry that we don't allow food & drink from outside our restaurant inside, just say that out loud and you'll hear how silly you sound ;) If you really wanna hear how stupid ya sound then tell me how on earth i'd have told you not to before you did it?! hahahaha. You went off in your little strop after your friends had politely got their drinks? How could I pre-empt you being a a baby? lol,...

Edit on 4th November 2025 after asking another friend to meet me here this morning he informed me he won’t support this place as it is owned by Zionists and showed me the companies house page and as an ardent supporter of Palestine I also won’t be back. The companies house page is public. Please check it yourself.

I moved to this area about a year ago, and my friend insisted I came here to meet her as it was her favourite spot, and it’s now become somewhere I go a couple of times a month. The coffee is the star of the show here. Served in quirky handmade mugs, with rotating guest coffees, it’s clear that the owner is passionate and knowledgeable about crafting a great drink. The selection of bakery goods is always good, the Babka being my personal favourite, although if you come nearer to the end of the day they do tend to be a bit stale and dry which is a shame and has stopped me coming in the afternoon. The sandwiches are nice, often with unusual or exotic flavours, but don’t justify the price in my opinion. It can be very busy, so don’t expect a lot of elbow room, but that does make it very cosy, especially in the winter time, and the outside area does give a bit more space in warmer weather. Unfortunately I have found the service really lacking on a few occasions when I’ve been made to feel like a problem for interrupting the staff having a conversation. While I do understand that the staff will want to speak to the regular customers and have a nice time on their shift, when you’re paying the kind of prices you are here you do...

Had a barista class here a few days ago and I can't recommend it enough. The guys teaching were all really fascinating people, easy to talk to and super down to Earth. The first thing I noticed was although there were only 4 of us attending the class, 3 of the staff members/ owners were there to teach us... Which I think just demonstrates how much they genuinely loved doing their jobs and sharing their love for coffee and community. I thought we were just going to be taught how to make a coffee but they knew EVERYTHING about coffee, not just how it's made but the science behind it and you could see how they lit up when they were talking about making it. It was super wholesome to hear about how serving coffee was their love language and their way of building their own community and giving back to it. We took turns to practise on the machines and it was crazy to me how tiny differences in the method could lead to a different taste. I left with a good foundation of knowledge and feeling totally inspired by their love for it. It's always so fascinating and refreshing to meet people who are experts at what they are passionate about and you can see how much positivity they all radiated as a result. I quickly realised it's not something I could master after one lesson as theres so much to it but it's all you need to get started and practice on your own if you have a machine at home. Thanks...