Simmons Bakers — Restaurant in North Hertfordshire

A very disappointing couple of encounters.

I have been admiring Simmons’ sausage rolls for some time but, sadly, this burgeoning affair has been derailed by other encounters. First of all, having waited in line for some time the woman behind the till effusively and repeatedly served people behind me despite my futile attempts to wave her down. Secondly, I asked after whether they did eggs on toast and was told that they did - in the form of fried or boiled or poached. I felt relaxed to finally have service and clearly have a range of options available to me. I requested boiled and also requested tea. Then came more options. I was asked if I wanted milk. I did. I was asked if I wanted sugar. I did not. I was asked if I wanted sauce. I did not. What sort of bread? Thick cut? Thinly cut? What a lot of options. I felt in safe hands. But what arrived a matter of minutes later? A pre-boiled, old egg, cut into slices popped on top of dry bread. This was the kind of egg you would only expect within a sandwich. Potentially alongside mayo and cress. Not as a breakfast egg on toast. Perplexing. Especially given the considerable price. In short - if you can see the item and there’s no queue then have a go if within your budget. Otherwise, proceed...

If there’s an award for the worst customer service in Letchworth, Simmons Bakers would win hands down. Today, nine of us stood in a hot, cramped queue while four members of staff fawned over just three sit-down customers – two eating, one drinking coffee. We were completely ignored, except for being told not to block the doorway. The irony? There was nowhere else to stand, and serving us would have solved the “problem” instantly.

After ten minutes (and with 14 people now queuing), one staff member finally ambled over. No “sorry for the wait,” just a “Next.” This is not a one-off occurrence – this is how Simmons operates. Walk-in customers are treated as second-class, despite often spending far more than café customers. The person ahead of me spent nearly £30 while I spent £9 (and that was just two of us), and this is the thanks we get.

I’ve put up with this nonsense for over five years, but never again. With Morrisons’ bakery just around the corner offering equal quality and actual manners, there’s no reason to endure Simmons’ crappy service. Unless you enjoy long queues, stifling heat, and being treated like an inconvenience,...

I know this place is a 'bakery' but you would expect a few more options for gluten free (other than a packaged brownie), given that Greggs 'bakery' can offer more than this and is just down the high street. But lets assume bakeries do not cater for dietary requirements: We came to have breakfast. The food looks fresh and appealing on the counter but didn't seem as fresh as it looked when tried. 3 customers came in (not together) whilst we were there, from their individual dialogue it sounded like they'd each been before. One expected a cherry pastry, another a custard pastry and the final one wanted a blueberry muffin... they didn't have any of either... make of that what you will. Staff seem to know regulars quite well but the poor regular behind us was left waiting on account of it 'being busy'... there were only 5 other customers including us. Service was okay but the whole place could've been cleaner. Coffee is quite good though. Overall...