DreamWorld Bakes — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Check the "Update":

Original: The food here was good, but the service was disappointing. The woman at the counter, possibly the owner, was unfriendly from the start—no greeting, just a cold attitude. I ordered a few pastries, and when I asked for a strawberry matcha, she said they didn’t have strawberry. I clarified that I wanted a matcha, and she offered a “rhubarb drink.” Assuming it was a rhubarb matcha, I agreed, but it turned out to be rhubarb lemonade. When I mentioned the mix-up, she responded, “You can’t drink that?” with no apology. I explained I had wanted a matcha, and she said, “So I guess I have to pay for it.” To avoid further conflict, I said I can pay, even though I didn’t take the wrong drink. While she was running the register and about to charge me, the barista kindly stepped in and said she would cover it. Spending $40 on breakfast, I didn’t expect such rude service. It’s disappointing when staff in the service industry lack basic courtesy.

Update: I have to respectfully disagree your reply (see photo 2 in case it gets edited or deleted) — the drink is not “on you.” I paid for it, and I didn’t even touch the first (wrong) drink since it was pink, not matcha. You took it back, and I only accepted the second. From both a customer service and legal standpoint, when there’s a misunderstanding or miscommunication in an order, the customer arguably has the right to refuse the incorrect item and request a refund. How can you assume I was at fault and should pay for both drinks? I only offered to pay again because the cashier said, “I guess I have to pay,” and I was trying to be polite, not difficult. But I clearly asked for matcha, and the cashier, with a cold attitude, offered a lemonade without explaining. It was confusing and unprofessional. You did a good job as a barista, but if you’re also the owner, I believe you should take responsibility and not shift the blame to the customer. I now better understand the attitude I experienced...

The food we got was excellent. We did not get any drinks.

However, we found the woman at the counter/register to be pretty rude, unhelpful, and generally unapproachable. She answered our questions like we were stupid for asking them. I did not feel very welcomed here. We got 2 of our items right away while we waited on the 3rd item to come out of the oven (not a problem at all!). When the 3rd item was ready, instead of simply giving us another tray with that item on it, she made us bring our original tray back to the counter (in the middle of me trying to eat and enjoy other things) to get the 3rd item.

Additionally, the setup of the bakery is confusing. There’s a big chalkboard with the detailed menu items, but then also a display case under the cash register which is not visible if another customer is standing in front of the cash register. The display case of items is labeled with numbers, which I guess is helpful for seeing which items correspond to the chalkboard, however the chalkboard is not visible from the cash register/display case. I might’ve missed it but I didn’t see anywhere else to read the descriptions of the items (like a paper menu), which is definitely concerning to me in terms of knowing what allergens are in what items once you’re at the counter/cash register.

My last comment is that there was no clear place to return our tray once we were finished. We threw the paper trash away ourselves, but then had no designated spot to leave the...

Yes, the baked goods are excellent here and the proprietor is friendly. I have no complaints here and if you're interested in the surface level of food and service here there are plenty of reviews covering those.

I'm more troubled that this business sprang forth with zero transparency about what transpired here previously; namely that the building owner and operator of the former Franny Lou's Porch took tens of thousands of dollars from the community to buy the building and then promptly closed the business and disappeared citing a nebulous "owner dispute".

I'm one of those community members and, while the building owner has assuredly kept her distance from this new venture, she still owns the building and is now profiting from the community again whether from rent or whatever the situation is here. I wonder if the community will be getting our money back via dividends or profit sharing?...