The Rising Loafer Cafe & Bakery — Restaurant in Lafayette

I've never found a need to give online reviews but my experience at the restaurant was so horrific that it warrants one.

I came in with my 18 months old child on a wet, rainy morning, hoping to get a bite while waiting for the storm to subside. There was no one in the restaurant.

As I was trying to free my child's foot that was jammed in the umbrella, the woman server (probably the owner) kept yelling at me to put the umbrella in the bin provided. I understand that she doesn't want the restaurant to get wet but it was obvious that I wasn't going anywhere with the wet umbrella.

After I placed the order for a pancake combo (which was nothing special. The pancake was slightly burnt), I asked for an extra small coffee spoon (to feed the child with), the woman took my order and walked away.

Shortly after, she returned and said it'll be a split order. I explained to her that I want the food to be served on a single plate, there's no need to split the order (why waste water and energy to wash unnecessary dishes, and the irony is the restaurant touts itself as a water efficient business).

She said extra silverware means it's a split order! I get it that she wants to charge the extra $2 split order fee. Split order fee is to safeguard restaurants from losing profit for large groups who share orders, but seriously, for a young child too! I agreed to "split the order" so I could get the extra silverware.

The order came in 2 plates. One measly pancake, one srambled egg, and a strip of burnt bacon on each plate. The meal went on without much fanfare. I asked for a to-go box  for the food on one plate that was completely untouched. She came with the box but took away all the silverware leaving me with nothing to put the food in.I brought the leftovers and the box to her at the counter asking for silverware.

What she did next was unbelievable. She took the food and shoved it into the box with her fingers! What's her issue? Sorry, you can keep the leftovers.

I paid for the food and the "split order fees" and left. I support small local businesses, but if that's the way the business is...

My wife and I had lunch at the Lafayette location today. We received the poorest customer service we have ever had from the owner/waitress. So much so that we will never eat here again. I will also make sure to tell everyone I meet about my experience here. I used to eat here all the time, but now I remember why I stopped coming here. We ordered two sandwiches with potato salad. Our mistake was that we overheard the owner/waitress ask another customer if they wanted potato salad with their sandwich and we assumed that a side dish came with all sandwiches. We had not seen the small print that came after all the choices of bread and everything else that said "Potato salad is $2.95." It was only later that we found out that some of the sandwiches came with potato salad, but the ones we ordered did not. The sandwiches arrive with a small scoop of potato salad on each plate. My wife and I both tried a small amount of the potato salad and had the same reaction, it was horrible. We left the rest of the potato salad on our plates. We thought nothing of it, because it was a side dish and the sandwiches were OK. That is until the bill came and I noticed a $6 charge for potato salad. I asked the owner/waitress about the charge and she replied that it was on the menu and then proceeded to point to the small print. I then said "Obviously we didn't eat it, because it tasted bad, and if we had known we were being charged for it we would have complained about how horrible it was. The owner/waitress said, "Well everyone else ate it" and then this little piece of wisdom came out of her mouth "If we didn't charge people for food they didn't like we'd go out of business." So we ended up paying six dollars for food we did not eat. I am a classically trained chef and former restaurateur and this is by far the worst service we have ever received. I would avoid this place at all costs as the owners are only concerned with the bottom line. I hope the six dollars is worth all of the advertising I'm going to...

I had initially removed my review due to pressure, but I don't feel comfortable being silent.

"The food and customer service are excellent, but I don't appreciate how they treat their employees."

About a week after I left that mediocre review, one of the owners told my best friend, who looked at her as a mother, that my friend couldn't be her daughter anymore unless I deleted this review. And then my friend's husband basically told me to take it down because his wife's tears are more important than my convictions. However, the reason I left it in the first place was because I witnessed our other friend, who was an employee at the time, be told she couldn't do anything right and that no-one needed as much help on the clock as she did. How would you like to work for someone who told you that?

Today, my best friend was told that, because of a review that I left, which she had nothing to do with, she could no longer be the owners' daughter unless I took it down. My friend was also made to feel like it was her fault for "instigating" the discussion when all we were doing was showing support to a vulnerable young person who was feeling demoralized. I can't stand by a business that treats people that way. We all get tired and frustrated and we all have bills to pay. It doesn't excuse treating...