Quotidian Bakery — Restaurant in North Hertfordshire

So there are good things and bad things about the Quotidian. Firstly, it is an independent, friendly, little bakery - and I always want to support these kinds of places. The food is pretty good - it actually seems to have got a lot better recently: less greasy, more refined, better flavours... I have not tried any pastries in a while, I hope they have improved because in my experience they tend to be overloaded and under-baked/soggy. But their bread and croissant definitely seem to have undergone a makeover - my last sourdough loaf was one of the best I have ever had.

HOWEVER, the thing which really lets down the Quotidian to me is the customer service. I'm sorry for the very friendly people behind the till (they are really lovely) but they frankly seem to have no idea what they are doing. They float around in a daze, VERY SLOWLY getting people baked goods in a completely haphazard way. Ask for something outrageous like a price list and their whole world seems to collapse, one begins to flap then the flap quickly (this is the only thing that does happen quickly in the Quotidian) spreads. Before you know it everyone is apparently incapable of putting a croissant in a bag or taking a payment because all their energies are focused on resolving the enigma that some unwitting customer has accidentally set them. The worst thing from my perspective is the lack of self awareness about just how unprofessional they are... one very nice lady actually sneezed on my loaf then CONTINUED TO PACK IT INTO A BAG in front of me! I was too embarrassed to say anything, so I bought the loaf then cut off all the crust before eating the soft bit in the middle. Even simple things like instead of chucking a bag at people then waiting awkwardly while they juggle shopping, handbag, phone, walking stick, child, etc. - just pack their goods for them. It's quicker, and actually pretty standard practice in small shops and bakeries.

I do feel bad for saying these things so bluntly, but I am really sick of having to just put up with the lack of BASIC professionalism in some of the small independents and alternative shops/bakeries/brands that I really want to support. Good customer service and organisation is not inauthentic, it is not something accessible only to big corporations and chains, it will not make you lose your homeliness or rustique chic. It's just basic and will make the whole experience better for the customer and the staff.

Of course, I will continue to support the Quotidian. I will continue to queue for ages to buy a single baguette and occasionally take a leap of faith on one of their more adventurous breads. But I really hope they buck up their ideas a bit on the customer service side - it's not enough to be smiley and friendly and informal, it doesn't make up for the fact that the front of house staff are barely trained and completely a l'ouest....

Posting on behalf of my mum and step dad. I will say in the past the quality has been exceptional and we have used you many times, so hope your just having a bad shift however we visited you today at around 8:30am and purchased a coffee and 2 almond crossiants. The coffee wasn't the best but the main offender were the crossiants, very soggy and greasy and felt undercooked, again normally they are the best you can find around but not sure what happened today. Unfortunately due to commitments they were unable to head back to complain in person and after this dramatic drop in standards have been put off using you for the foreseeable future. We hope that you do rediscover your previous brilliant standards but unfortunately for now you have lost...

An amazing little independent bakery in the heart of Hitchin. Get there early and the bread will still be warm. I buy in bulk and freeze several loaves, so that I can have their bread every day. They do a wide range of different breads and pastries, including 'proper' crusty baguettes. They also sell home made salads, pre-made sandwiches, and the odd pot of locally produced jam or honey. I think they also make coffee, although I've never tried that.

Friendly staff, wonderful food and reasonable prices make this easily one of the best bakeries I've been to in the UK.

Note that this bakery has nothing to do with the similarly named 'Le Pain...