La Farine Bakery — Restaurant in Oakland

If there was a ZERO STAR, THAT WOULD BE FOR THIS PALCE. UNACCEPTABLE CUSTOMSER SERVICE! SMH. I’VE NEVER CAME BACK TO THIS PLACE SINCE MY LAST DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE IN December 2017. They messed up my order; and it was not the first time it happened. The first time was the cupcakes I ordered for my daughter’s birthday in 2014. The second time was in December 2017. I let it go the first time, no big deal. But I would not let it go this time because the way they treated me was TOTALLY WRONG AND I TOTALLY WOULD NOT ACCEPT IT. Now, I finally have a chance to seat down and write about my experience. Making long story short, back in December 2017, i talked to HECTOR over the phone that I wanted to order a log cake for Christmas. He said ok. When I came to pick it up, it was not a log cake but it was a regular round cake instead. I confronted with a lady there. She was NOT listening NOR care. I came back the second time, HECTOR was there but he was rude. JEFF, the manager who I spoke with over the phone, was also rude. He and his employees TALKED OVER ME; they did not let me talk NOR BEING LISTENING! What would you feel if it happened to you? It’s like being RUDE to customers is THE CULTURE HERE; or they’re just simply being rude to me...I don’t know. But one thing I DO KNOW is that I WOULD NEVER EVER in my life come back to this place. SERIOUSLY, this place needs to train their employees and MANAGER on how to treat customers...

A week or so ago, when I got home from La Farine, I discovered that my frangipane roll was overdone. The almonds were really burnt and the the filling had run out. When I called the shop, I explained the issue and said I wanted another one. The woman on the phone said OK. I said that because gas is so expensive, I would pick it up the next time I came in, and the woman said OK. I stopped in today to pick up a couple savory buns and asked for my replacement frangipane. The counter person went over and explained my request to the owner. He said they had to see the product, that I had 24 hours to return it, and he was not going to give me anything for free. His tone was accusatory and his attitude was unprofessional. I felt he thought I was trying to cheat him out of a four dollar bun. For years my family enjoyed the savory and morning buns and we often bring the large fruit tarts for dessert when we go out. However, that is over. I refuse to put another penny in the pocket of this rude hostile man. Very...

I've been going to La Farine for 18 years.... so old...sigh.... I don't go out of habit. I go because it's always, always excellent. The only better bakery in the bay, the galactic center of good eatin', is Tartine. Hmm... Tartine...Tatooine... Galaxy far far away...

Tartine. 2. La Farine. And Tartine is off in that far too expensive 49 square mile techie ghost town. Boo. Hiss.

This is serious. Sure you could eat other bread... but is that really living? You can only consume those calories once. Can you sleep at night knowing you could have lived your best life? Did you waste your day by eating stale, flavorless bread? We need to make it through the apocalypse. Why do it just eating to survive? You could get the rona and die tomorrow. So do yourself and your loved ones a flavor. Make this day a day worth living....