The Press Cafe — Restaurant in Pleasanton

An unanswered email with follow up regarding a complaint sent March 1, 2023. They lost a business customer:

Hello Rebekah and Marshall,

I just left your restaurant and had a very bad experience with your manager/barista Lizzy today.

Unprovoked, she interrupted our breakfast, by calling us wasteful because we changed our order to ‘to-go’. This was a company brunch and I was with my colleague and between the two of us, we ordered 4 meals with the intent of taking food home with us. Lizzy did not know this nor did she ask for clarification, she simply confronted us and told us off. Either way we were taking boxes home, whether they were boxes provided via the kitchen or by the condiments.

When we we asked to speak to her to share that her confrontation ruined our experience she was dismissive and rude. She walked away mid conversation and apologized for “the way we felt” instead of her error. It was very apparent she wasn’t apologetic at all. If she had approached in a less confrontational manner, we would have corrected our mistakes, if we truly were in error.

Later we called to ask for her supervisor information, which was provided. She stated how she did not feel she was in error and did not allow for me to share how terrible she made our experience and ultimately hung up on us.

I typically come to this restaurant for work and personal occasions and have always had a fantastic experience, however it is never appropriate to interrupt a dining experience to tell a customer they are wasteful and then subsequently when the issue is brought up, argue and act rudely towards the customer. All other staff were incredibly friendly and courteous and the food was delicious.

I wanted to raise this issue with you first for resolution. I look forward to...

IT’S NOT AN ASIAN-WELCOMING RESTAURANT!!!!

I had my lunch today with my girlfriend in this "the Press cafe" on Santa Rita Rd. At first it wasn’t quite bad. The place was quiet, the menu seemed tasty.

After we seated, we soon realized that the waiter kept passing us by and to serve other tables. No matter how many times we gestured for him and we kept saying excuse me. Several times I thought he came over but he passed by and directly went to another table. I was sitting against the mirror and my friend was on the opposite of me facing the mirror. She said she can see from the mirrowr that the waiter was smiled warmly serving the otehr table but quickly changed his face icy cold when he walked back toward us, and passed by. Both of us were like wow, unbelievable!

The waiter has a dark brown hair, crew cut, and wearing a green top. The worst part is, he wasn’t even rude, he neglected us completely, except delievering the food to us(Thank God!).

We are all Pleasanton residents for more than 6 years, we hanging out in downtown area quite often. Most of restaurants are welcoming and friendly. This one is definitely the WORST. I know lots of restaurants having hard time during the pandemic and hiring workers are not easy for them too. So we are willing to dine-in locally and always pay good tips. We understand very well sometimes mistakes are made and small defects are found. But not deliberate neglects like this. I’ve been reluctant to use strong words but this time I did feel a touch of discrimination. Because all other "Caucasian" customers around us were well served! We felt that we don’t even exist in his eyes.

I attached a few picutures I took today. Well, at least the food is ok overall. Will never...

matcha latte ($5) tomato, basil, house made ricotta toastini acme organic whole-wheat sourdough, roma tomato, basil, california olive oil, seasoning jalapeño, bacon, cheese grits hobbs bacon bits, jack cheese, pickled jalapeño, clover cream avocado and three cheese panini acme organic whole-wheat sourdough, provolone, brie, cheddar, avocado slices

my top favorite item from here has gots to be their matcha latte and not only are the flavors there but the aesthetics of the drink is just heart eyes! something ive gotten almost every time is the tomato, basil, and house made ricotta toastini bc its so refreshing and all three items are everything i love eating too. when i came here one early morning i wanted something warm and kinda light - which is why i ended up trying the jalapeño, bacon, and cheese grits. it was my first time trying it and i wasnt too sure what to expect but it reminded me kinda like oatmeal but also mash potato? a slightly confusing texture and taste but with the jalapeños, bacon, cheese it was pretty good. might not be something id order again soon but id still order again in general. the avacado and three cheese panini was pretty good but i feel like if you're not a fan of strong cheese like brie esp melted and warm it might not be something you'd enjoy but potentially you can always switch out to some other cheese you like more of. def recommend yall stopping by and checking it out - perfect spot for catching up with friends, self care day, a date, or...