Fresh Baguette — Restaurant in Alexandria

Well, let me start off by saying that what I got (a hot caramel macchiato and a chocolate croissant) was tasty, and the lady who served me was nice. However, I did not get what I ordered. I could not read the coffee menu as I am visually impaired and it was extremely far away from the register. When I asked what flavors they had, I was super excited because I heard they had pumpkin. I wanted both pumpkin and caramel, so I asked for a pumpkin caramel macchiato. Unfortunately I just received a caramel macchiato, which was very tasty but not exactly what I had asked for. I also asked if the chocolate croissant came warmed, which she said it didn’t but they could warm it upon request, so I said yes please! The whole interaction was very nice. The line was not long as it was about 4 or 5pm. I received my coffee in a reasonable amount of time and I started drinking it while waiting for my chocolate croissant. I kept noticing that the people who came in much after me, who had ordered things like sandwiches, were getting their orders before me. I heard them heating something up and I assumed it must be my croissant, but it was someone else’s (who was behind me in line…) quiche. It was not until everyone who had came in after me was served that I was even ASKED what I was waiting for. I was quite disappointed as I had waited nearly 20 minutes for my chocolate croissant! Finally the worker who was making the sandwiches asked me what I was waiting on, and I let her know that it was a chocolate croissant. Unfortunately, it was not warmed, but I had already been there for much longer than I had intended and I wanted to keep exploring Old Town, so I said thank you and just walked out, even though I had originally planned to eat it there.

Overall, the experience was disappointing. As a barista myself, I know the way that customers should be treated and I’m sure that this was not the standard that Fresh Baguette usually upholds, given that I hear many good things about it. But, this was MY first impression and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I’m visiting from Texas but I visit Alexandria to see family multiple times a year. If I do come back to Fresh Baguette, it wouldn’t be...

The staff all seemed extremely confused about what was happening and how to run things, to the point that I assumed this was the cafe’s first week open.

First, two cashiers got into a very long, tense conversation over whether it was possible to make an iced Americano or not. When they finally determined that it was possible, cashier 1 asked cashier 2 to make it for us and cashier 2 snapped that she couldn’t because she didn’t know how. Cashier 1 rolled her eyes at her.

In addition to the americanos, we had also ordered an almond croissant. We wanted to order more food, but during the conversation between the cashiers, she finished ringing it up and told us our total before we had the chance to ask for more. They seemed very rushed and like they wanted us to move on, despite the fact that there was no one in line behind us. At this point, I was already a bit thrown off by the interaction, so we stuck with what we had.

Then, someone handed us the almond croissant we had ordered, but hadn’t heated it up like we had asked. This was fine, as the cashier took it back from us to be heated. But then she got in another very long conversation with the worker who had handed it to us. He seemed to be having a really hard time understanding that we wanted it to be heated. We just watched awkwardly as she pointed to us and repeatedly explained this to him for several minutes.

We finally got our croissant, took it outside, and found that they had given us the wrong thing. A ham and cheese. I brought it back inside and told one of the cashiers. She took it back from me, hurriedly handed me a cold almond croissant, and walked away. At this point, I was over it and didn’t care if it was warm or not, so I just left.

The croissant tasted overcooked and had very little filling. The filling it did have was flavorful, but you only got about two bites with any almond paste. Very underwhelming. I’m not sure if it was all new staff, or if it’s always like this, but I won’t be returning and I...

I am writing to express my disappointment with the service I received during my recent visit to your bakery. As a regular patron of this establishment, I was surprised and dismayed by the lack of customer-centric practices that I encountered.

Upon placing my order for a Village Crogel sandwich and a pastry, I was taken aback when I requested a bag for my purchase and was informed that I would be required to pay an additional 12 cents. While I understand and respect the concept of environmental consciousness and the associated charge for bags, I believe that the manner in which this was handled was less than ideal. It is standard practice in most establishments to inquire about the need for a bag at the beginning of the order, not at the conclusion, and certainly not after the items have been prepared.

I was taken aback by the lack of discretion exercised by the manager, especially considering that my total purchase amounted to over 20 dollars. I would have expected the manager to recognize the inconvenience caused and be willing to accommodate such a modest request for the sake of customer satisfaction.

As someone who values the quality of products and service, I must admit that this experience has left me feeling disheartened. I have always held this bakery in high regard for its delectable offerings, but the lack of foresight and flexibility exhibited during this encounter has undoubtedly tarnished my perception of the customer service standards at your establishment.

I sincerely hope that this feedback will be taken constructively, and that steps will be taken to ensure that similar instances do not recur in the future. I would think twice before visiting this...