GoodLife Cafe & Bakery — Restaurant in Fort Bragg

The food is good! %15 gratuity on every food purchase..automatic! WTH? You stand in line to order their food! I cannot recommend this to anyone! Are we seriously going to tolerate this preposterous "new" ask?

4

Share Response from the owner 6 months ago Dearest Madam, If I wasn't so overflowingly full of love and good cheer, I might be irked at this repeated complaint. But, I have just finished a sumptous bowl of our homemade soup, and I couldnt feel bad if I tried. However, please allow me to explain yet again; It is very, very expensive to live here. I really and truly wish that people, such as yourself, could be depended upon to tip generously, or at all, (as is the custom when you are receiving personal service) and we did not have to make this a compulsory act. The fact is, unfortunately, that some people, (such as yourself) do not feel inclined to recognize the twenty -odd people, (yes, living, breathing folks, with homes and kids, and dreams, and bills) who work their very hardest to bring you the absolute best food, as quickly and efficiently as possible. Hence, the 15% gratuity charge. Hey, at least we dont have a water surcharge. "Why not just raise the price?", you might say, well, Im a baker and cook, not a CPA, but I am told by some people who know these things, that a gratuity is the way to get the most of YOUR money into their hands, with the least amount of taxes. After all, you wanted a double half fat chai latte, with a dash of oatmilk, and a tiny bit of whipped on top right? And the less money from the sale of that goes into government coffers, the better, right? I hope this explains this (I wish were not necessary) practice. Good day, Sincerely, The Goodlife Staff

Gratuity has nothing to do with good food. AND I DIDNT ORDER THAT DRINK, NICE TRY. Glad your belly's full of your own food, my pockets are a bit more empty. Don't forget to give your server 15% gratuity...after taxes that is. And don't forget to VOTE, although that's not going to help...

A great option for lunch, or a coffee break (5/5 green stars) Even though there are a good number of places to eat in Mendocino, we ended up coming here twice (once for lunch and once for a coffee & pastry) – it’s the kind of place you’ll want to return to. Even when busy the staff members were friendly and welcoming. We collectively drooled over the new cookie that they’d brought out – a salted chocolate concoction that tasted as excellent as it looked. They make very good espressos, very good pastries, and also have some inventive savory items. Our Korean noodle salad was super-good. The veggie cake sounded better than it tasted but I think that was partly because I chose the wrong side (sour cream) and it ended up being a little bland – or it would be better if crisped up a bit before serving. Overall, it was a satisfying, healthy and affordable lunch ($5 for the noodle salad, $4.50 for the veggie cake and $3 for the cup of soup – kale and black eyed peas) made by people who cares about their ingredients.

I’m also giving them 5/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact, based on these reasons: • Their coffee beans are from local roaster, Thanksgiving (all fair trade and organic). • They use Clover milk and also have alternatives such as soy, coconut and even oat or hemp. • Good selection of vegetarian and vegan items (now including occasional vegan pastries). (Thanks to Jessika L. for sussing out the hemp milk and vegan pastry situation.) • For baking, they use organic flours and seasonal fruits. • They also use free-range eggs. • Many ingredients such as beans, rice and tofu are organic. Much is locally sourced. • They encourage waste reduction. • They appear to treat their staff like family – appropriate for a place like Mencocino. • They provide an outlet for local artists (great selection of ceramics for sale). Interested in writing green star reviews? If...

I love the vibe of the GoodLife cafe, the name says it all, the cafe is filled with so many yummy, healthy, organic, vegan, and even fair trade products.

Anyhow, the GoodLife Cafe is a medium sized cafe with a funky and organic vibe to it, plenty of seating on the inside, all along the perimeter of the cafe, and along the windows too. In the room, I sat in, there was art "for sale" all along the walls, I'm not sure if the art on the walls is actual paintings that were turned into photographs or if the art on the walls really are photographs.

Either way, in my humble opinion, I thought it was a great accent to the cafe. The GoodLife Cafe & Bakery is medium sized with plenty of seating inside and a small outdoor patio on the side of the cafe.

I didn't end up ordering any of their food or bakery items. But it looked like the Cafe served up both healthy breakfast and lunch items.

I did order a cup of their hot organic apple cider, and it was delicious, it was a bit on the creamy side, not sure what caused the cider to be creamy, but it was perfect! I could have easily ordered another cup, but I was only at the cafe for a mere 30 minutes ... a quick writing session!

I didn't take many pictures of the interior of the cafe, the day I went was overcast and on the rainy/sprinkling side. The cafe was really busy, I don't know if the cafe is always that busy, but it was also really cold that day. it was a mere 36 degrees at 2 pm.

I wouldn't say the cafe, is cozy, the table and seats, for me, weren't all that comfortable, but if you're not there to sit for long periods of time, then you'll be just fine.

While I don't know when I'll be returning to the GoodLife Cafe, the next time, I'm in the village, I would like to order food off their menu. The GoodLife Cafe is located on one of the main roads in the Mendocino Village, steps away from Pattersons Pub and Harvest Market...