Cafe LaLa — Restaurant in Palisades Park

Please do not waste your patronage on this establishment. The atmosphere is decent, but the staff are extremely rude, prideful, and condescending.

My cousins and I stopped by here for drinks after attending a funeral. The staff at the counter seemed annoyed that we took more than 3 seconds per person to choose our beverages rather than offering suggestions or trying to be helpful. She just stood there glaring the whole time..

Upon picking up our drinks at the counter, we were told that since we only purchased 5 drinks for 6 people, next time we would not be welcome here if we don't order at least 1 beverage per person. The youngest of my cousins was too full from the funeral food so he didn't want an additional sugary drink before having to return to work but still wanted to chat with us. Upon returning to our seats, one of our drinks was missing a straw so I went up to the counter to ask for an additional straw. The lady provided the missing straw but then bad-mouthed me in korean to the other worker as though she expected I didn't understand the language, saying that even though they obviously provided the correct number of straws, why I was asking for an additional one...

Their instinctive response seems to be to blame customers and look down on them. Even seeing how they responded to other critical reviews it is very clear that they see patrons as some kind of harvest to be reaped instead of as customers who are choosing to spend time and money at their establishment. They are very quick to place blame on customers instead of first apologizing for any mistakes or for fostering a hostile and snide atmosphere.

Please note that the suggestion to no longer patronize this place was received loud and clear. We will not be returning to give our business to such arrogant people that look down their nose at others. I would suggest that anyone looking to be treated as even the most basic of human beings not give this establishment a single iota of your time, money, or mental capacity.

Good luck Lala. As a word of friendly advice, understand that recurrent customers are not infinite when you run a local service business. Your customers are the lifeblood that keeps your small business operating. They should be treated with at the very least the most basic of courtesy. Don't roll your eyes at your patrons and don't talk badly about them in front of their face… You spend so much of your energy pinching pennies and treating others with such indignation that the very people that keep your business alive are ostracized and aggrieved. If you keep up that kind of treatment and attitude long enough, counting pennies will be the least of your worries. Just be kind and respectful or this place will not be able to stand the test of time.

Thank you for your response which clearly proves the way you consider your customers. Again to all those considering patronizing this establishment, please take note of the condescending attitude of...

I called Café Lara today to place a to-go order and specifically mentioned that I was with my dog. I asked them to have my order ready in advance so I could quickly pick it up without any issues. The staff member on the phone told me to come by in about two minutes, so I arrived around four minutes later.

When I went to the counter to pay, the owner rudely yelled at me, telling me to leave immediately because dogs were not allowed. I explained that I didn’t know about the policy and that I had already informed the staff over the phone about my dog. I also made it clear that I was only there to pick up my order and would leave right away after paying. Despite this, she kept shouting, “Just leave now!” as if I were some kind of crazy person.

I was absolutely shocked and offended by her behavior. I had already communicated everything over the phone, so I don’t know if there was a miscommunication with the staff, but I wasn’t even trying to dine in—I just wanted to pick up my pre-ordered food and leave. The way she screamed at me was beyond rude and completely unacceptable.

This is not the first time I’ve heard about the owner snapping at customers when she’s busy, and unfortunately, this wasn’t my first bad experience either. I’ll be warning my family and friends in New Jersey to stay away from this place because of the owner’s horrible attitude. If you don’t want to be treated with disrespect, I highly recommend...

Came in with husband two kids and mom twenty min before closing. I was told I need to buy at least three items if I wanted to stay there (20 min)so I did. I said can I get an extra cup and she goes you have to pay a dollar for an extra cup. I have never seen any establishment charge extra for a cup. Owner needs to be more polite. In response to your feedback. I told you I was only there bc of long line/ twenty min wait at Shaburo and we were gonna leave right away in less than 20 min esp since you were closing in twenty min. I wasn't about to feed my two kids caffeinated or sugary drinks before going to a restaurant to eat dinner. If you have a rule that each person has to buy a drink you should post that on the door so people expect it before coming in. The reason I asked for extra cup was bc my kid wanted try a sip of the tea and the tea was too hot. It is obvious you treat your customers based on how much money they spend. Also, it seems from the responses you have given in previous reviews, you don't want to apologize for offending customers. Just goes to show what kind of...