East & West Bakery — Restaurant in North Devon

I made a purchase for £3.10 and gave the assistant £3.50, the closest I could pay to the purchase amount, only to have it made clear to me in no uncertain terms that this was a major inconvenience as it pretty much exhausted their supply of change. 40 pence change can be given as a combination of five denominations - 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 pence pieces. I am hardly to blame if the staff are unable to manage their float effectively and/or lack the foresight to pop into to Barclays or Lloyds (both of which are mere minutes away) to obtain change before they run out. Unfortunately this is not the first time I have gone in as a friendly and polite customer, only to be served with indifference or rudeness. At a time when local, independent businesses are clamouring for trade and complaining about the incursion of major retailers, one has to question the wisdom of treating customers this way.

Regarding the quality of my purchase: I started eating my pasty as soon as I was out the door, to find that it was not even lukewarm, and the coconut cake, which is so far only partially eaten, is rock-hard.

[In reply to the 'Response from the owner'] -

Sorry it's taken me five years to reply, Graham; blame Google Maps who emailed me only today to say that over 500 people have read my review (the email also said that people like the review, but didn't specify what proportion of the 500+ that was).

I'm not sure that your response was a tailored one; it reads somewhat like a generic statement (although the substitution of "are" for "our" at least gives it a slightly human touch - nice won). Thank you for passing my comments on to the management team; I'm sure this resulted in the staff member in question receiving some much-needed training in customer service (specifically, basic good manners) and float maintenance (with particular emphasis on how to rustle up 40p from 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s and 20 pence pieces without moaning and groaning, and getting annoyed and flustered). Turn a negative into a positive, I always say. There are no problems, only opportunities to find solutions.

I was certainly not made to feel as though I were any kind of priority; the lady's only 'priority' was to see the back of me as soon as possible. No, the overriding focus was on what a PITA it was to give me 40p change, and on making sure I was fully aware of just what an inconvenience and imposition my custom presented. Perhaps she used to be a bus driver back in the day.

As mentioned in my original review, this was not the first time I'd been made to feel less than welcome in your establishment, despite being a polite and friendly customer - but this was the last straw. It even broke the camel's back. And, believe me, it takes one hell of an effing big straw to break a camel's back; I tried it myself once, and it took absolutely ages. Almost a whole year of unabated thrashing. With a straw.

How do you feel, knowing that you a lost an occasional, low-spending customer forever on that fateful day because a sulky, stroppy member of staff couldn't resist huffing and puffing about how awkward it was to give them 40p change? And to know that at least a proportion of the 500+ people reading their review would have decided to take their custom elsewhere? Absolutely gutted, I'm sure. Utterly disconsolate. Remorseful beyond all imagining. As empty as an unfilled pasty casing, bereft of beef, swede and potato pieces.

As for your suggestion about going back in: seriously? Given the major inconvenience I had already caused, do you really think I could have it on my conscience to return and dare to complain to your misery-guts employee about my pasty being near-cold? In any case, it was probably scalding hot when she embarked on her bothersome quest to make up that 40p change...

Finally, you'll be delighted to know that I finally 'completed' the cake, and with all my teeth intact, no less! Forsooth, I would have found it easier to bite into an actual coconut, although I don't for a second believe that all your cakes are that rigid - just the ones that are a...

I always seek out Independents if it means I can support local businesses. This bakery is phenomenal, and seems to be absolutely thriving, which makes me very happy

I was down for a total of 10 weeks at the end of the year, and visited Butchers Row daily, and the bakery frequently

Each time I purchased, everything was consistently top quality, and service was always efficient and friendly. Bert, my Sausage Dog, also enjoyed saying hello too, on the odd visit that coincided with our morning walk

August; November; December 2022 - 2-4 visits a week - Bread; Rolls; Doughnuts; Pastries; Sausage Rolls

I shall miss being down so often, but shall seek it out...

Absolutely 5 star's would give more if I could! The Cornish pasties have very thin pastry which means that there is a of delicious filling. All the food here is reasonably priced with a small Cornish pastie at £1.80 and large Cornish pasty at £3.20 the large sausage rolls are only £2.00 ( and they are large) All the pastry and cakes are baked fresh in the shop every day. In my humble opinion this is the best bakery is the best in...