Blue Rooster Bakehouse — Restaurant in Oberlin

On February 14, 2020 Just had an horrible customer service experience by Carmen who works there over the phone. I have been a faithful customer to this establishment and appreciates they have vegan offerrings. Typically, the establishment employees are kind and patient. Carmen was rude and hung up on me after indicating she would get back with me. Answering a quick question of a phone customer with providing only a few choices would have been acceptable. Although slightly apologetic when I called the second time, the response and service given over the phone was unacceptable. Carmen needs training on answering direct questions of customers. I hope the owners are aware of such service she gives their dedicated customers. This experience is a damage to their image for me.

In response to owner's message immediately below...

Thank you for your reply and your phone call. I hope you are just as dismayed for not having your establishment fully staffed to provide quality customer service to all customers or potential customers in person or over the phone on such a holiday. I called exactly at 5:30 the first time and 5:33 the second time. If you know that a day will be "extremely busy", then you should have enough staff or stay longer yourself. I did not expressed any confusion as to why you had so few things because it can be the norm at your bakery at the end of a day which is why I called before coming. Your staff person did not encourage me to check your FB as I told you on the phone. Your staff person also did not tell me that she would call me back. She did say that she would get back to me but I didn't understand how since she hung up the phone and didn't take down my number. I waited until I noticed the call was disconnected. It should have been made clear she would "call me back", not get back with me since she doesn't know me. Answering a quick question or placing me on hold while she handles the line or specifically telling me that she will call me right back would have been more appropriate than just telling me she has a line. I did not hang up on her, she hung up on me. I called back 3 minutes later hoping someone new or you would answer. Yes, I did make the review before we spoke because I was not told you would call me back. I was just provided your name. Therefore, I decided to make this review instead of calling back again. Your employees working different shifts is irrelevant to what choices were available when Carmen started her shift at 1pm. Its not like there are 20 vegan items daily, there are only about 5 so naming a few would have been good enough. If it was stated she or you would call me back, this review could have been avoided and relationship maintained. Whether on the phone or in person, you and your staff should believe in all customers getting that "in-person" customer service experience. Being kind with those potential customers on the phone should be practiced at all times too. Some customer relationships start on the phone. Its apparent to me (and my husband that you spoke with too and confirmed the issue) that you are siding with your employee by making excuses for her response and for her not handling it in a different way. Its also apparent to me that you fudge the truth and ask other people to do the same to help your google reviews. I have no reason or gain to lie about or get others to lie for me about this experience. I also have years of customer service experience. This is just another learning experience for us all. Hopefully next Valentine's Day, you will make sure more people are working all day to ensure quality customer service for those in person and...

I am posting this review in response to the previous one star review from Ms. Banks. I was one of the nine customers in the line at the bakery when she phoned. Carmen was very busy, and yet still had a kind word and a smile for all of the customers waiting in line. I heard her interaction on the phone. As someone who has worked in customer service many times, I found her responses to the customer very polite, very straightforward, and professional, all while giving the best answers she could under the circumstances. Carmen very clearly let the caller know there were several customers in line waiting to be served and that the bakery would be closing with in half an hour. There was nothing in Carmen‘s tone of voice or words of choice that were out of place or in any way rude. Also, I was at the register when Ms. Banks called back complaining to the person on the phone about her previous call. Once again, Carmen spoke in a calm and measured voice, stating clearly that she was the person the caller had spoken with previously and apologizing if she had found her tone offensive. When asked who the caller should speak with in order to lodge a complaint, Carmen did not hesitate to provide the names of the bakery’s owners. When asked (in a snippy tone that I was able to hear through the phone), she provided her name so that the caller could point Carmen our particularly when she complained. Many of the people in line were shocked that the person on the phone had not only hung up on Carmen the first time, but had also called back to lodge a complaint. As a customer who was in the store in line at the time, I must stand in defense of the customer service I and the others around me received from Carmen, despite the fact that she was rudely interrupted by someone who would not wait for an answer to her question. I am very sorry for that negative review and I hope this one will offset it. I have always enjoyed the customer service and the quality baked goods I have received when shopping at Blue Rooster Bakehouse. I have given them my business since the beginning, and I will continue to do so. Thank you for being such an asset to the...

This is a very cute shop with good customer service. They have a lot of variety every day as well. They do cater the the gluten free crowd, unfortunately I haven't found anything there that I've enjoyed yet. Most of their gluten free baked goods I didn't finish because of taste or texture. I so appreciate their inclusion of the gf crowed, I think they just need to work on their recipes.

Edit: thank you for the reply. I'm actually allergic to wheat, so for the past few years I've only been able to eat gluten free. I do dabble in gluten free baking because of this. Although I realize gluten free baked goods will not taste the same as regular, there's a pretty good variety of different flour/flour blends out now that allow for good texture without the grainyness. As for the vegan part, I'm guessing thats probably where the taste differences come in that I'm not so used to. Wishing your...