Cafe Stella — Restaurant in Norfolk

Cafe Stella is normally one of my favorite places to come and study. I have never had a problem before, and usually enjoy every experience, and generally we stay long after our drinks and food are gone. I don't know why this time was different, but, unfortunately it was and it left me feeling very uncomfortable. I had an essay to work on, so me and my partner decided to come here because it was our favorite place. I always buy coffee, but I've been broke lately, so I brought a super cheap bottled coffee (the cafe never has a sign up saying no outside drinks or food, and I usually bring something to snack on). My partner and I studied for a while, but he finished before I did so we agreed he could go home and pick me up later. He put away his empty tea pot and cups, and then left.

Not even 2 minutes after my partner left, the owner walked up to me and said "You can't have outside food or drinks." (my bottle was completely empty by now). I was sitting by the entrance, and I glanced outside to double check that I wasn't stupid and hadn't missed a sign. When I didn't see one, I apologized and said "Oh, sorry, I didn't see a sign.". His response? "it's common sense." I was taken back by his response, but tried to be polite and said "oh, well I wont bring it in again.", behind his mask he also said something about "the department of health", which I couldn't fully understand, before he walked away. Obviously it was my mistake for bringing the drink in, I just don't understand why he had to be rude about it. I also don't understand why he didn't approach me until my partner left, more than 40 minutes after we had arrived, and after I had already finished my drink.

I went back to working on my essay, except 5 minutes later, an Asian woman with black hair approached me, most likely from encouragement of the owner. I took out my earbuds to speak with her, and the first thing she said was "What can we get for you?". I replied, "I'm sorry?" confused since we'd already paid for tea. She followed up with "This cafe is for customers only." to which I replied, "Oh, my boyfriend and I got a pot of tea earlier, he just went home and I'm finishing up an essay". She stared at me and asked me again "What can I get for you?" and I had to repeat to her that we had already bought a pot of tea, before she stared at me some more and then finally walked off.

After this, I felt incredibly uncomfortable. I looked around the cafe and saw that half of the customers only had plastic cups of water, and hadn't bought anything. I was left feeling like they just wanted me to leave. Every cafe I've ever been to, as long as someone buys something, you're okay to study there. I wasn't even there for a full hour at that point. I have no problem not bringing in food and drinks, I just felt like it could have been more of a "Just for future reference". And to have the female worker approach me and tell me the cafe was for customer's only? My boyfriend and I came there together, and he spent money. It all left me feeling so uncomfortable, which is really disappointing and saddening since we literally went there every other day for our studying and coffee/tea fixes. It's really sad that we have to find a new place to go to. I just hope no one else experiences being singled out like I did.

In response to the owner:

With all due respect, we did purchase drinks. We bought a whole pot of tea, and I brought a $2.50 bottled coffee for myself. It was not full, and there were maybe 15 people within the shop, and since you recently expanded, there were plenty of open tables for patrons to sit at. I apologized and admitted my mistake, and was not combative at all. In addition to this, I am curious as to why you did not ask me before I finished the drink, 40 minutes after we arrived, and why you waited until I was alone to approach me. And since you still received our money and support, it simply doesn't make sense to be so condescending and rude about it. Perhaps a sign would be best to help you avoid having to have these conversations with...

This is a very long and detailed post of my exceptionally negative experience at Cafe Stella in Norfolk, VA:

Last night at around 8:30 PM, my sister, her boyfriend, my other friend, and I went to Cafe Stella to have some dessert after eating dinner. I had recommended the place because it usually has a good atmosphere and their cakes and beverages are decent.

I went up to the counter and the owner (the tall, large built man with black hair and glasses) came over to take my order. I was interested in buying a cake for myself and my friend, but I did not know the name of one of them. I told him I would show him exactly which one I wanted and politely motioned him over and walked over to where the cakes were displayed. He did not bother to follow me to the cake display and when I looked at him he did not even ask to clarify what I was doing. Confused by his behavior, I instead asked the barista who was standing near the cakes to identify the one I wanted. She was able to quickly tell me without any fuss. I thanked her, made my way back to the counter, and went to tell him my order.

Before I could get a word out, he looked at me sternly with a piercing, angry glare and told me in a very rude and condescending tone "You know I work here, right? Right?" He treated me as if I was inferior and scolded me like I was stupid. Of course I knew he worked there. He was behind the counter... I was shocked at his attitude, but I refused to show rudeness back. Instead, I told him very politely and calmly "Yes, I know you work here." At that moment I was truly confused as to why he felt the need to be harsh for no reason. I paid for my items and sat back down at the table where my friends were sitting and told them what happened. They were appalled by the poor customer service I had received from the owner.

After discussing the situation with them, my sister's boyfriend decided to leave a negative review online. It was very short and to the point: the owner was rude and condescending to paying customers for no apparent reason.

We sat there for about 45 minutes or so, enjoying our cakes and beverages for the last time there (because after that rude experience we weren't intending to come back) when the unthinkable happened. I'm telling you, this is where things went really wrong for NO REASON.

The owner comes over to us and singles out my sister's boyfriend. Apparently, the owner saw the review that he wrote and wanted to confront him about it RIGHT THEN AND THERE. The owner was looming over us, apparently trying to keep himself calm, but you could see in his eyes that he was angry and was not there to actually discuss the matter at hand. He asked my sister's boyfriend about the review that was written and my sister's boyfriend told him that being rude to paying customers for no reason equates to bad service.

Keep in mind, NONE of us were being rude to the owner at all. We were calm and trying to diffuse the ensuing conflict we knew he was trying to cause.

The owner then turned to me and asked me exactly what I THOUGHT had happened. I explained to him (in a very polite and calm manner) that I did not understand why he felt the need to be condescending towards me back at the counter when all I did was ask the other employee to identify a cake. Before I could explain any further, he cut me off and told me that he didn't hear what I said at the counter, but regardless of what actually happened I was in fact IN THE WRONG. Incredible.

Guys, by this time I was starting to get a bit irritated, but I did my best not to show it. I could not believe that the owner really had the nerve to come up to us and harass us about a negative review. He wasn't there to rectify the situation or try to understand where I was coming from. He was simply there to prove that HE WAS RIGHT AND I WAS WRONG. He kept repeating over and over again "You're wrong! You're wrong!" every single time I was trying to...

I am not one to write bad reviews but this place was just something. I was introduced to cafe stella by my friend and for the first couple of times, I ordered something small because I was hungry and had work to do. It has a great ambiance and most of the staff is nice. It is always crowded (not a complaint) and a good vibe. The other day, while waiting on my friend, I was told I 1. couldn't have my kombucha (something they do not serve on their menu). But, not a problem, I asked if she would rather me put it in my car and she told me no, your backpack is fine. She then tells me the table is for paying customers only and to go ahead and order something if I wanted to stay. I thought this was weird because no other cafe has a problem with people just coming in to a cool place to do work. I told her okay. Three minutes later, my friend came to join me. She said she was going up to order food but then came back saying that she would wait a minute because there wasn't anybody at the counter. Not 30 seconds after she sat down, the owner comes up to us and (very rudely) says, "Are you going to order something?" and as my friend was explaining the situation he interrupts her and says (again, very rudely), "You don't order with me, you order at the counter. This table is for paying customers only." I was appalled to put it simply. When my friends food came back, it was flavorless and dry. Even the man sitting next to us told us that he was being unnecessarily rude and that people come to Cafe Stella all the time without ordering anything. As an athlete who has very long days and am in search of a nice coffee shop or cafe to work later into the night, I will not be back here. I understand the whole small business thing but sometimes, I don't want or need anything to eat, just somewhere local with a good environment to do my work. I saw that the owner mentioned in another response that it was not a library. While I agree, it is a cool place to come sit and work in a busy environment (I can't do work in silent, still places). Anyway, I will not be back here. He could make Cafe Stella a booming environment where everyone feels welcome. But, that is obviously not the case. The place is always packed, me not spending $3.50 on a dry muffin is not going to send you out of business but it will lead me to writing bad reviews and telling my friends to not consider eating or studying here. There are many beautiful cafes and coffee shops around Ghent who would be happy to allow me a safe space to get my work done without the pressure of purchasing...