Au Bon Lieu French Creperie — Restaurant in Derry Township

Walking around Hershey today, my daughter and I saw the place and decided to try the crepes. Despite it being in the middle of their scheduled hours, the shop was closed. A sign on the door informed us that they would be back at 5:00 pm and if we returned and gave the magic word "butterfly" we could have a basic crepe free of charge. We shopped for a few hours, then shortly after 5:00 we went back. We were greeted, used the "magic word," and ordered. Not wanting to just come in and help ourselves to a free crepe, I also ordered another, so the shop would still make a sale. The crepes arrived and we were specifically told, by the owner, "one of those is free!" At the end of the meal we were charged for both crepes. The owner said nothing, while I asked him if the amount was correct (I even tipped them!) and paid. He somewhat reluctantly gave me the itemized receipt, and I gave him every chance to correct things. The place was otherwise empty. We were the only ones there and were apparently his only customers that afternoon. Finally I asked "which one of these was the free one?" Instantly his entire aspect changed to overly defensive as he told me "It's an honest mistake! It's an honest mistake! " over and over. I asked about a refund for the "free" crepe, but instead he offered us a gift certificate for a future visit. I told him to keep it, since we wouldn't be coming back, ever. Crepes were okay. Not a fan of their sales tactics.

Edit: Would have gladly accepted a refund on my credit card for the "free" crepe, or if that was a problem, three bucks of cash from the register. Or a bonus dessert, or extra snack, or whatever. ANYTHING in the moment. Nope. Instead it was the offer of a gift certificate requiring that I drive all the way back to Hershey some other day in lieu of the offer that enticed me into the shop in the first place.

I really wanted to like this place. And I understand mistakes happen. But how you respond to them is a big part of how you earn a loyal clientele, and I got...

After reading lovely reviews about this place I thought my friend and I had to go visit. I am a huge fan of all things French and particularly French cuisine having been there myself and falling in love. Arriving at Au Bon Lieu, yes it is a small place and very casual with a hole in the wall feel. That doesn’t deter me as those are usually the places with the best food. Ordered a savory and a dessert crepe each. While looking at the menu there was a description of the history of Au Bon Lieu. The description stated the chef was not just good at making crepes...he was “gifted”. This pretty much lowered my expectations because a truly talented chef doesn’t have to brag about how good they are...the food speaks for itself. The crepe itself was alright, but the ratatouille filling was very disappointing as the reviews said everything was made fresh, and the chef stuck it into the microwave and it tasted exactly like microwaved squash and aubergine...bland and mushy. The raspberry jam was also not a quality preserve carelessly tossed onto the crepe. The paper plates and plastic silverware while surprising didn’t altogether disappoint as it was a small place...until we noticed at the next table where the owner was eating he had an actual bowl and actual silverware. I appreciate there’s no dishwasher, but having worked in customer service my whole life... at your place of business you provide the best for your customers first, so if we’re eating off paper plates, I would expect the owner...

I don't know if the owners will read my review, but if you do, I am extremely happy. Years ago I was visiting with my family in the US (I am Canadian) and at the time I was very young. When both of you discovered that we were from the french side of the country you offered us a very sweet lemon crepe as a gift on the house, that nobody wanted at the table except me. I just wanted to say that your restaurant was the best experience I had in this whole trip! My english at the time was ''Yes'' and ''No''. So I never got to say thank you. That day I also spilled my hot chocolate over the table, and my three family members that were there had already paid for the meal and had gone through the door already. I tried to clean up the mess but suddenly got extremely scared of being left behind in a small corner of a street I knew nothing about. So I ran after them without being able to fully apologize and even clean up the whole thing. I just wanted to say today; I am sorry for my family's behavior. I recall nobody saying thank you to the both of you. And not one of them stopped to clean the mess. If it had happened today, I would've been able to tell you all of this in person. If I ever pass in this city ever again, I will stop by to enjoy the sweet environment of your restaurant. I wish to you and all your staff a successfull carrier! And again, I am...