Rosie General — Restaurant in City of Kingston

I visited your establishment for lunch today and had a rather poor experience. This was my first time dining at Rosie’s, and I was very excited to try the food I’ve heard so many great things about.

I ended up waiting over 45 minutes for my food. I also work in the service industry, and am not one to rush service workers, but once we surpassed 30 minutes, it was clear to me that there was a mistake, or I didn’t hear my name get called. I attempted to speak to the counter person who ignored me and pointed at the long line. This was honestly a fair move, as the line was out the door and she seemed by herself for the most part! She was totally unsupported.

Eventually, a cook (I assume she was a cook) very nicely went out of her way to ask me if I needed something since I had been standing and waiting next to the counter for so long. When I told her I had been waiting for 45 minutes she looked up my order and said it had been sitting on a counter on some plates in the back for 20 minutes, which I assume means I did not hear my name and rather than calling it again, the plates were moved to the back. I placed the order to-go, so I hadn’t been looking out for it on plates from where I was sitting at the bar. I was also given no direction for where to stand and listen for my name. I never left the restaurant, I was constantly looking over at the counter for my order, and was actively listening for my name the whole time.

The cook who spoke to me put our order into to-go containers (rather than wrap up our sandwiches as we ordered them) and sent me on my way. Needless to say, my $40 order was completely cold, squished into boxes, falling apart, and the bread had gotten soggy. I don’t blame the cook for this at all, she was very busy and went out of her way to solve this problem for me, and honestly, the sandwiches we ordered were already cold and soggy regardless of being smushed since they had been sitting out for so long. She was incredibly kind and apologetic, and the only reason I ended up getting food at all.

I understand you are a very high volume cafe, and everyone working today was working very hard to the best of their ability. I made sure to tip 20% and I don’t blame them for this one order slipping through the cracks after seeing how crowded Rosie’s was and how overwhelmed the counter people and cooks were. However, spending $40 for essentially cold leftovers feels unacceptable!! I hope you can hire more staff because a lot of these reviews are reflective of a team that isn’t...

Rosie General is a truly charming spot with a beautifully designed space and a menu that hits the mark for both breakfast and lunch. The food was delicious, and the overall vibe of the place is inviting and thoughtfully curated.

That said, I did want to share an unfortunate experience that left a sour note. I visited with a group of 10 friends on our way back from celebrating a wedding weekend, hoping to grab some bagels and coffee before heading back to the city. While we understood that a group of our size might be too large to sit together, we made it clear we were more than happy to split up into smaller groups. Despite this, one employee, who appeared to be the barista, approached us immediately upon entering and told us we couldn't be seated due to our group size. When we offered to split up and reassured her we weren’t expecting to sit as a group, she insisted that if we sat down, she wouldn’t be able to serve others- despite there being more than 10 open seats scattered throughout the space. The café was busy but not overcrowded, and none of the other staff seemed concerned by our presence.

Unfortunately, this same employee continued to make us feel unwelcome even while we waited for our coffees, repeatedly criticizing where we were standing despite our best efforts to stay out of the way. We weren’t a rowdy bunch- just a group of women in our 30s grabbing a quick breakfast and keeping to ourselves.

While I understand that managing a small space can be challenging, I hope the team at Rosie General will address this, as it detracted from what could have been a great experience. The space and food are wonderful, and I’d love to return, but only if everyone feels...

there's not enough good things to say about rosie general. we went this weekend for the first time- foolishly only got one apple butter cookie to split about an hour before they closed for the day. when we tried it we were so upset we didn't get more- we didn't want to have to wait until the next day! very literally the best baked goods i've ever had. the next day we had a little more time and went for breakfast- the tomato bagel was unbelievable and my boyfriend got the BEC which he said was also excellent (with super thick cut bacon!). the coffee and chai lattes are great, the owners are amazing, everyone that works there is really sweet. the almond semolina, apple butter, and malted coffee cookies are all really really unbelievable. they also have an amazing selection of preserved treats like martini olives, bbq sauce, pickled scapes, etc. i wish we lived in kingston so we didn't have to only visit on the occasional weekend. wouldn't change a single thing about rosie general. just wish it was closer to home...