Leaf and Bean — Restaurant in Newnan

RESPONSE TO THE OWNER: Dear Ms. McWilliams,

It is unclear from your response exactly what was biased on my part about my review. It was based on my actual experience and that of my guest on two separate occasions.

As I stated, the atmosphere at the cafe is great; hence why I've frequented it on many occasions. I would still recommend the cafe. However, I, like many other customers based on their reviews, would avoid interacting with YOU the owner. You simply are rude.

It seems as if you have a hard time providing good customer service. Again, the many 1 - 3 star reviews can't all be biased and wrong. No one is conspiring against you.

As for my most recent visit, you are incorrect. I actually did not ask to be served. I simply came in to read a book and enjoy the atmosphere. Yes; there were at least 10 other guests in the cafe at the time. The employee was kind enough to let me know that the restaurant was closed and she would not be able to serve me food if I wanted any. I asked her if I could not stay. She said I could. So please do not twist the narrative.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: As a local resident and repeat customer of Leaf & Bean, I am very disappointed in the service offered by the owner, Cher McWilliams. Unfortunately, despite the cafe being a very nice and laid back space, her demeanor and attitude toward a guest of mine was very rude. She lacks tact and grace when speaking to customers as you can see with previous reviews. My guest was under refunded after first attempting to exchange her meal which was poorly cooked. She repeatedly over-talked my guest. My guest tried to handle the situation calmly, but was met with more aggression.

On another occasion, I visited the cafe well before their written and posted closing times on their website. I was asked to leave the cafe by the owner, who stated that the cafe was closed for the evening. When I mentioned that the website stated that the cafe closes at 11:00p, she immediately became rude and stated that the hours changed “this week.” (It was 10:00p) It was a Thursday night and there were no posted signage of time changes.

It’s sad that she treats customers with disrespect and is highly contentious. The reviews speak for themselves. It’s sad that all of the poor reviews point back to the owner, who is very defensive. I can see if only one or two people complained; but consider the number of bad reviews that have the same concerns in common. Why own a restaurant where people come to have a great time, only to treat them...

Read the reviews and responses from the owner closely, EVERYONE WHO WORKS HERE ARE RUDE AND UNPROFESSIONAL! Tonight we had dinner at a restaurant in the square where we were treated amazing, like we should be, and decided to walk over to leaf & bean for shakes & pastries, we walked up at 10:38 PM and when we looked inside, the store looked as if they were closed. They supposedly close at 11, but that didn’t appear to be the case tonight, because every chair in that place was flipped upside down on the tables and the staff were sweeping, mopping and cleaning up. We went inside anyway because we had 20 minutes before they supposedly closed. The staff seemed extremely annoyed that we were there and were very unpleasant and rude. We asked if we can sit in the back to eat our pastries and drink our shakes because we still had 15 minutes at this point before they were closing and they responded with a bad attitude and again proceeded to act annoyed by our presence. Tonight was the squares “sip & see” which brought a lot of people out. The square was still busy when we walked over to leaf & bean, other people walked by wanting to go in, but didn’t because it looked closed. I have never been somewhere where they start picking up chairs, sweeping, mopping & closing up before the actual closing time. Guess these people don’t want to make money while at the same time, don’t know how to treat paying customers.

This wasn’t the first incident we had at this place. My sister & I drive 1.5 hours monthly to visit our friend who lives in Newnan, we walk the square, have dinner and like to end our night here with shakes and pastries. Back in September we were kicked out of the place because it was 11 and they were closing. I have never been kicked out of a restaurant even when the restaurant was closing, they simply wait until their paying customers are done and they decide to leave on their own. Today was also not the first time staff has been rude to us.

Let’s just say leaf & bean WILL NOT BE A PART OF OUR MONTHLY NEWNAN VISITS NO MORE! They need some training on professionalism and how to run a business!! If I could give them 0...

UPDATE: They responded to my review below with little to no care about what I mentioned. I'm definitely not coming back now. That kind of patronizing response is not what fixes the problem your inappropriate music volume and lower quality, yet overpriced coffee create. Tried to be respectful.

Decent coffee shop with good wifi, but impossible to work and make use of it. Leaf and Bean is definitely an artsy, vibey place to hang out with friends and grab a bite to eat. There is a lot that I do enjoy about coming in, such as the sandwiches and decor, however the noise in this cafe is ridiculous. They almost treat it like a club or bar not a coffee shop. The last few times I have been here, I've come to read a book, meet a friend, and work on my laptop. When I call people, they can't hear a word I'm saying because the blender and the music are fighting for dominance World War 3 style. The employees have been sweet, but they crank up the music and it's impossible to study or do anything productive. It really really really drives me nuts. Also, the last few times I have gotten coffee, it has tasted like dirt. I am a coffee nut and will drink anything (and I did) but it was just not good. And for $8??? That's more than Starbucks and nowhere near the level of tasty. Heirloom Bakery does these things much better and their employees are a bit more professional. Time to reevaluate Leaf and Bean owners/managers, you're driving away working professionals. High school kids who like loud music and joking around on the job won't sustain your business. Hopefully if you visit, they will have taken this to heart and adjusted. I'd love to...