Crepes A La Cart — Restaurant in Breckenridge

I hate to give this place 2 stars, but I have to keep it real. I’ve been patronizing here for well over a decade, prob nearer 2. I used to come here when it truly was a street facing cart and nothing more. Now it’s all built out with seating, a computerized ordering system, etc. And that’s the nub of the issue I have with it today.

The crepes are pricey - a breakfast crepe was $20 - but they are good. A crepe is a very easy thing to make, so it’s really about the fillings, and they are generally pretty tasty here. However…you are forced to use their computer ordering system (despite there being a lengthy queue and a lady at a register oddly unwilling to check people out) which then…

Charges you an 18% tip! You are ordering the food yourself, and to get it, you stand by a hatch where a guy turns around and hands it to you! There shouldn’t even be a tip! But if you’re going to force a tip on customers, don’t have it exceed the standard 15%

They charge $4 + $6 for a reg or large bottle of water. Should be half that price.

The machine then has the audacity to charge you an additional dollar on your order to cover the use of a credit card…you can’t pay any other way!!!

A $25 crepe + bottle of water became $34 with all the charges + tax. The and, and, and nature of the charges felt like I was ordering from Ticketmaster!

This spot has sadly become a victim of its own success and has leant heavily into its tourist trap persona. But if a business is going to act like it’s all grown now from its humble a cart on a street beginnings, then the business has to be prepared absorb some of the costs that come with that. Don’t nickle and dime your customers like you’re still a mom + pop who has to pass those fees on to survive. When you’re selling crepes at $20 a throw, you’re doing ok.

Sadly, though, it won’t be my $20+ any more. These issues have irked me every time I’ve frequented this business over the last few years, so it’s time to just accept that it is what it is and that my money could be better spent elsewhere. And so...

WOULD NOT RECOMMEND. Went to the walk-up location on Jan 20, 2025. Their website says that their location“ exudes warmth and welcomes guests with open arms”. This was NOT the case at all. It was -4F and they didn’t have ANY hit lamps on and they ONLY had outdoor seating where most of the tables were still covered in snow from days before. There appeared to be several heat lamps on the patio but they were all OFF or malfunctioning EXCEPT one that was by the outdoor “kitchen”. NO ONE greets you to explain that there’s nowhere to sit indoors and it was FREEZING outside. Apparently you could order at the kiosk or with a person who was sealed in a single-person booth (presumably heated). So while we’re freezing looking at the menu and trying to order there’s a man (with a heavy Spanish) accent taking our orders. He said that the tap machine isn’t working bc of the cold and proceeds to manually enter my cc information number-by-number. He then says it’s not working. I ask if they take Amex and he says he doesn’t know. I tell him to try it again because my card has worked fine during my time in Breck. He tries it again manually and says it didn’t go through. I only have a physical AMEX car with me so my friend pays with a VISA. A little while later I see a charge in my AMEX card! Additionally we we overcharged for the crepe. It seems that the person we had the misfortune of dealing with didn’t know what he was doing and made for a not great experience. He also had a nasty attitude the entire time I had to deal with this. Now I have to spend time going all the way back in -4F to have this sorted out....

The crepes are fine. Worth the $12 or so they charge for a basic crepe. The issue with this establishment is their automated kiosk where you order. Others have complained about the double tip and the mandatory 18% on its own. Let me explain it to the owner who quoted it was state law to charge an 18% tip. We’ve all eaten at other places. Perhaps there is some employer minimum wage he has to pay but other restaurants are including this cost of doing business in the price. No one else on Main Street is charging a separate line item for a state required 18% gratuity. The second issue is the one that brought me here. The computer screens are tricky. When you get to the end of ordering and you see tip for the second time, you assume you are getting a chance to re-affirm the 18% or change it. Nowhere did I see the words additional tip. Now if on this kiosk there were disclosures, they need to be made more obvious. I didn’t see them. Next time I’m in town, I’ll record myself completing a transaction to see how the presentation looks. You have a good product. No reason to mess it up by making people feel ripped off. I didn’t like my total going up and realizing I double tipped but I thought it was probably going to the employees so Oh Well. So why am I here? I visited a different Crepes location in Silverthorne and that location does not include an 18% tip. It’s pretty straight forward. The Silverthorne location is not the tourist trap that Main Street is so perhaps he or she knows they can’t get away with it there. I’ll post the video soon so people know what to expect and don’t feel ripped off...