Zinneken's Belgian waffles | Providence — Restaurant in Providence

Disgusting and Dehumanizing Experience – Avoid This Place

I had an absolutely disgusting and unpleasant experience at Zinneken’s Waffles, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

As a repeat customer my friend and I came in to study quietly — we were respectful, peaceful, and had every intention of buying something after we finished our session. Not even five minutes in, a worker approached me in a hostile tone, telling me I couldn’t have outside food. I respectfully put it away with no issue, thinking that would be the end of it.

But 30 minutes later, things escalated in the most unprofessional and degrading way. A woman, presumably a staff member or manager, came up to us unprovoked, speaking loudly and rudely. She said, word for word, “people like you like to just come in and use our resources.” That phrase alone was loaded with judgment and extremely offensive. She went on to harass us about buying something, despite the fact that we had planned to purchase food after our session which is what we explained but she rushed us to buy something in that moment.

When we decided, due to their rudeness, to no longer spend our money there and peacefully got up to leave, she yelled after us: “Next time go study in a library, not here.” Is that how you speak to customers? It was beyond disrespectful — it was humiliating.

To top it all off, we took a photo of the establishment from outside for this review, and the same staff member ran outside and began cussing us out in the street. Unbelievable.

I don’t write bad reviews at all, but this experience was ridiculous. We were treated like we didn’t belong, simply because we hadn’t spent money yet. No one deserves to be spoken to or treated like this. Zinneken’s should be ashamed of this behavior. Until they address how they treat people, I would strongly recommend going...

I’ve ordered doordash from here and i was satisfied with my order the waffle was delicious, i came in person to have a waffle and the tiramisu waffle was delicious and perfect, but the brown sugar matcha was disgusting and undrinkable, i’m never picky with new drinks but this one was actually so bad i asked the staff if it was possible to get something else or a refund and i was told “there’s nothing i can do about it”. i love matcha but this one did not taste like matcha at all, it was watered down, it just tastes like the brown sugar and it was overwhelming. i didn’t want to be a burden and even ask to replace it but the snarky attitude really got it for me coming from the staff, he told me “it’s the most popular seller and i’m the first one to say it’s not good”. either people was lying to them or idk but it was disgusting. and also not everyone got the same tastebuds, but in the past, if i ever didn’t like an item, which is rare, as for customer service they would cater to the customer’s needs but this person ain’t even try to make efforts. honestly...

I was looking forward to Zinneken's opening on my street and had all my expectations exceeded when it finally did. It's a really convenient and delicious option for a quick drink (even easier now that they're on Snackpass!), something sweet, or a cafe to study at that's open past 6pm. The matcha speculoos latte literally changed my life - it's been my go-to drink since I first tried it a few months ago. Both the Liege and Brussels waffles are delicious as well and perfect for sharing, and I love the fresh fruits as toppings. Everything is such high quality and you can tell the products are made with care and intentionality. But what keeps me coming back here are the owners, Rex and Rachel, who are the friendliest people ever!!! They work extremely hard and manage the place so well despite large crowds. It's impressive that they can keep up such excellent service on their own, and I can always respect a family-owned, self-run business. I highly, highly recommend going here and trying some of their...