The Wee Olive — Restaurant in Scotland

A disappointing experience – a shame, as this café has the potential to be a lovely wee spot.

The decor is charming, but the service has let it down on multiple occasions. On two separate visits, we’ve received incorrect orders (e.g. coffee instead of tea), which in itself isn’t the end of the world – mistakes happen. However, it’s the attitude afterwards that’s the real issue. Rather than a simple apology or correction, we’ve been made to feel like we were the inconvenience, which really lets the experience down.

Today was the final straw. I ordered two slices of cake – one was absolutely fine. The other, however, was visibly falling apart, missing filling, and had clearly been sitting out for some time. Even the waitress commented on its poor condition as she brought it to the table, which shows how noticeable it was. I’d also seen that same slice earlier in a different cake display, raising concerns not just about freshness but about food safety and potential cross-contamination, especially given the different ingredients.

As someone with over a decade of experience in customer service and hospitality, I approached the counter politely and asked for a fresh slice – not one that was already crumbling and had been sitting in the wrong display. Instead of a courteous response, I was met with defensiveness and attitude. One staff member insisted it was fresh – “just saying” – and only swapped it with visible reluctance and very poor grace. When I said “thank you”, the waitress pulled a face and made it very clear that she was not happy, which felt unnecessarily rude and unprofessional.

Given the prices, customers should expect not just quality food but also basic professionalism and courtesy. Sadly, that’s been lacking every time.

A real shame as it’s exactly the kind of place that could be a wee gem for Renfrew.

Edit - thank you for your response, which almost perfectly highlights the attitude we encountered.

Thank you again for the response — though it’s disappointing to see more cheek than accountability.

Just to clarify: there was no “drama,” just visibly poor service and a slice of crumbling cake (missing filling) that had clearly been sitting in a different bell. It was not freshly cut and your own staff commented on its state. And yes, there was fuss from you when we pointed it out.

Mistakes happen, but it’s the dismissive attitude that followed that left a sour taste. If that’s your best, it’s not really good enough. We all have off days - it just would’ve been nice if you admitted it, rather than doubling down, because the service and product offered originally was definitely not the best.

Here’s hoping future customers are met with more honesty, a nicer attitude - and...

We were really looking forward to having breakfast at this place after the gym. Everything seemed fine at first, but things quickly took a turn when one of us ordered the chicken shawarma and was told there would be a 30 minute wait which we were totally okay with, since we weren’t in a rush.

However, we ended up waiting over an hour, from 10:35 AM to 11:56 AM, before the food finally arrived. What made it worse was that no one acknowledged the delay or offered an apology during that entire time !

The cappuccino and caramel macchiato were good !!

After waiting so long, we asked the waiter to just pack the shawarma to go, as we had already spent far too much time waiting. Attached is a photo of the food...

Just had my sons Birthday Lunch at the wee Olive, renfrew. From start to finish the staff were so polite, attentive and made sure we had everything we needed to make the day special. I asked for a table at the back and they were so kind as to allow us to bring balloons and napkins to make the meal special for my son. The food was absolutely delicious, so fresh and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. I would highly recommend this place, its truly a hidden gem. Not only a fabulous meal enjoyed by all but the staff truly made it special. Will certainly be...