Leo's Bakery and Deli — Restaurant in Town/Village of East Rochester

I'm not a jerk, so I'm posting this in hopes the management will see this. I know what it's like to work a service job where customers can be rude and the pay isn't high.

I've been in a few times after moving to the area recently. We have family dinner on sunday so have made a new habit of picking up dessert here, and have been absolutely wowed by the beautiful desserts and cookies etc. Lovely shop and before today great service.

I want to preface the rest of this review with an acknowledgment that I know service work "sucks" and I did it for 12 years.

The shop is great. However today I decided to order a sandwich from the deli side. No issue ordering, the cashier put my order in (so I thought) and handed me a receipt. Cool, no worries. I went back to the shop side to pick up dessert for my inlaws and some other extras. While my husband was waiting to pay, I went back to get my sandwich. I ordered at 1:22 according to the receipt.

So I sit down and I notice another man who ordered right before me still waiting so cool, I didn't miss my name being called. Husband gets done cashing out and I'm still hanging out waiting for the sandwich.

Right before I ordered the sandwich, a family came in and they told me to go ahead because they were still deciding.

So back to me waiting. I look at the clock and it's been about 15 minutes. Not a big deal but I notice the guy that ordered in front of me was still waiting so ok, maybe they're "busy". It wasn't packed, not even close.

So they call the family of 4 that was behind me and definitely behind the first gentleman, who looked over at me like ????

Several more orders came up and the gentleman finally came up to ask. Apparently they never gave the kitchen the order? So I decided to come up. 17 minutes after I ordered a very basic cold sandwich. Oh. They didn't give the kitchen my order??? It took 22 minutes to get a ham and cheese with just Lettuce Pickles and onions...

I worked in restaurants for years (12) and generally the order prints in the kitchen so what even is that? Is this like some kind of old POS that doesn't print to the kitchen? OK. Modern technology allows for this and as a busy modern business there really isn't an excuse to not have orders printed directly to the kitchen.

I sit back down. I'm annoyed but ok my sandwich order is cold and very plain. Just a few more mins right?

No. I notice at one point some guy came out of the kitchen and dumped a couple sandwiches on a counter that was not the counter where the cashier would call a name. I figured it was door dash or something. I'm not gonna dig through other people's food especially because they asked for my name with the order, so they're gonna call my name right? Right?!?!?!

Eventually, one of the cashiers comes to the random pile, realizes it's mine and the kitchen guy just dumped it without mentioning to them it was there.

I feel bad now but when she made eye contact with me I said "Really?" And she looked so embarrassed. I realize it wasn't her fault but, REALLY?

What the hell? Do you guys even WANT customers?

There needs to be a deli manager on shift facilitating delivery of orders apparently.

I gave this 3 stars because your food is great! But the service is terrible...

Came to Leo’s today Sunday 2/25 with my husband and young daughter. We were so excited when we walked in, lots of pies, cookies, cakes, Easter candy, fresh bread etc. we got a bunch of stuff and checked out at the store and went over to the cafe area to have lunch. That’s where everything turned. The store area seemed great and this review is solely based on the cafe, which ultimately made me never want to come back to either. So we went to the cafe area, I used to work across the street at paychex and had been here several times before for lunch. We ordered a panini, soup, chips, antipasto salad. We sat down and I realized the chips were expired. I simply went up to the cashier to let them know and get a new pack. When I told her she didn’t say a word to me just stood there and stared and eventually went and got a manager (didn’t know who she was until later because again, nothing was said to me). The manager came out and started looking at some of the chips and didn’t say a word to me either, I said something along the lines of are you looking for the expired chips? They’re all over here and showed her the section and said that the cashier hadn’t said anything to me when I told her and I was going to grab a bag that weren’t expired. I didn’t know if they needed to re-ring them out etc. My daughter and husband were already eating at this point so I simply wanted a different bag of chips to eat and just was courtesy letting them know. She said to me it’s the sell by date (the bags didn’t say that, but either way they’d be selling them months after the “sell by date” or use by date) I said so you’d still sell them months after? She said well I’ll let my manager know but I’m sure she’ll say it’s fine. They expired in December 2023 and January 2024 (it’s February 25 2024). I understand maybe they wouldn’t make you sick but it’s the way she responded and acted like it’s no big deal to sell months old expired food in a restaurant and like I was dumb for bringing it to her attention. It didn’t sit well with me so I ate and then asked to speak to her manager, she started YELLING at me telling me that I could leave and that I’d yelled at her 15 year old employees and stormed off. I never ONCE yelled, I’ve worked in food service before and retail grocery. The initial issue wasn’t a big deal but the way that they responded made me made me never want to eat here again. It was a simple thing but the way she was fine selling expired food and then yelled at me and totally lied saying that I yelled at 15 year old employees (my voice wasn’t raised at all) made me NEVER want to step foot in here again and makes me weary if they use expired food frequently that could be more critical. A manager on the store/bakery side was brought into it and she was very nice and apologetic. But it just was a ridiculous situation. Seems like employees and MANAGEMENT need to be re-trained on customer service and educated on...

UPDATE: from two stars down to only one.

I am in shock after going to Leo's this morning to make a last-minute purchase of cookies for a lunch I'm invited to (no other bakery open on Sunday). For years, the best part of Leo's was the expansive cookie case, where there was a huge variety of cookies, and you could pick out your own assortment of favorites. While the quality has diminished and the price has increased in recent years, I was desperate to purchase some today.

I couldn't believe it when I saw how the cookie case has changed. No big cookie assortment any longer ... and you don't get to choose what kinds they do still make. Everything is pre-packaged. You want cookies? You have to buy what THEY chose to combine, not what you want.

When I expressed my disappointment to the cashier, she said, "Well, we're going for the quick, convenience store experience now." Is quick convenience your top priority when you go to a bakery? Wouldn't you rather be able to pick and choose according to your taste? This time I mean it: never returning.

Older review: You've lost me as a customer, Leo's. Outrageously expensive for cookies, cakes, pies. I just bought one pound of cookies for a lunch I'm going to: $16 for about 20 one-bite cookies. I just sampled one, and it was so stale (chocolate-dipped florentine). Now I worry about the rest of the box. How long do the cookie varieties sit in that case? I also bought a cranberry turkey sub. What a disappointment. I used to get these regularly, but wow, what a diminishing sandwich. It now costs $11, and there are no longer cranberries in the mayo or anywhere. Only three thin slices of deli turkey, a few pieces of lettuce, one slice of Swiss cheese, and with the bacon I added (two measly little slices for $2.15 extra), I paid $14.20 for an underwhelming sub that left me hungry. I just don't find the value any longer. I'm never going to pay $26.50 for a...