Village Bakery & Cafe, Pittsford NY — Restaurant in Town of Pittsford

I'm updating my review of this place, because I feel it's gone downhill quite a bit in the last year.

The first problem is that it got too popular for its own good, and now suffers from severe overcrowding, especially during weekend and peak hours. There is rarely a parking spot available, and once inside, the long lines have forced me to walk out on more than one occasion.

I phoned in an order for two sandwiches the other day, and arrived twenty minutes later to pick them up. I stood there for 15 fifteen additional minutes waiting for two sandwiches to be prepared. Come on, man.

Then, last weekend, I ordered a few breakfast sandwiches for my family for pick up, because I knew how long the line would be on a Saturday morning. When I arrived, I saw my sandwiches sitting in the window, and went over to the pickup table and asked to receive my order. They told me I would have to wait in the (unreasonably long) line to pay for my order. Hello! This is why I called ahead - to avoid the line!!

My last gripe has to do with the food. Maybe it's because they're so busy, but it just doesn't seem to be made with as much care, and they are no substituting cheaper ingredients. One example is how they use regular bacon instead of pancetta that is listed on their BALT sandwich. This is my go-to spot for lunch. Great food, the sandwiches are all served on fresh, crusty bread, and I love the pastries. Staff is friendly and helpful, and there are always free samples on the front table!

Large selection of drinks, but my favorite is the iced coffee. It's so good that I'm surprised people would even go to the adjacent...

This weekend was our first time visiting and it was a really busy Saturday morning but we encountered friendly, helpful staff and amazingly fresh food. We didn't realize all the sandwiches were grilled (it was on the menu we just missed it) which was only an issue since my boyfriend is lactose intolerant and they use butter for grilling the sandwiches. But the manager or owner was SO kind and they remade the sandwich for us. Unfortunately when it was remade they forgot an add on to the sandwich that we paid for. Again, the manager was very friendly about it which we appreciated.There was noticeable aggression from the cook though which we could see with the open kitchen. I know it was busy but we were not trying to be difficult and we didn't want him to remake it again just add on the forgotten food and I already saw him complain about the first sandwich to another employee. Every other staff person had their game face on for service though they were really amazing. Another note, it was extremely busy and there were a number of tables with folks sitting for 45 minutes to an hours AFTER finishing meals and drinks while many waited for seating. If it wasn't so busy I'd not at all find fault with lingering and relaxing but a system for the busy times when seating is a hot commodity is prudent. We really loved the food and overall staff though, we'd love to come back maybe during a more low key time. Thank you for the...

I love coming to this location because I work in the village and it's a healthier option in walking distance. I appreciate the reconfiguration of the queue, and I always get a flourless chocolate torte each time I go. I typically order online or over the phone ahead of time, so it's usually a salad or cold sandwich. And while I love my regular fare (usually a treat since it's not cheap, maybe every couple months), I regularly have issues with my orders, whether it's busy or slow. Missing parts of my order, missing orders altogether, 45 min wait times for scheduled pickup, etc.

It's 100% a management issue; I've worked food service and I know management never listens unless a customer says something, so here I am. But never have I gotten any kind of apology, never have they comped me or given any apology coupons or the like. Accidents happen, people are human. But there should be policy and training around fixing mistakes. I've been coming for years, so I know it's a policy issue (since there's been turnover.) So it's a bit disappointing that such an expensive salad doesn't even get you a face-to-face with the manager hiding in the back.

Lessons learned: don't choose here if you're on a schedule, ask for a receipt, pay attention to who ordered ahead and behind you, and always check your order before leaving...