Weinegar’s Sweets & Treats — Restaurant in Virginia

EXTREME DISAPPOINTMENT

I would like to express my complete dissatisfaction with my recent visit to your tearoom. I was with a group of 15 for a bridal shower. We were all so extremely excited to come to your establishment for a tea party yet all of us were so disappointed. I am confident that no one from the event will ever return. Here are a few reasons as to why:

Our party was confirmed and intended to be the only party in the room. However, we were double booked with a child’s birthday party. It was very loud, and the servers were focused on the children. The temperature in the tearoom was extremely hot and we had asked if there was any way to increase the cool air. We were told no, and that the AC unit was just not very good. About an hour into our event, I noticed a fan in the back corner near the bathroom. I took it upon myself to get up and move the fan from the back corner closer to our table. A more customer serviced oriented approach would have been for the employees to offer the fan to us when we informed them how uncomfortable we were. We had to ask for water, which came without any ice. When we asked for ice, we were told “we don’t have any because we ran out.” The teapots that were set on the table were extremely hot and very heavy to pick up and self-serve. Many of us experienced pain and light burns on our hands when attempting to pick up the pots.

We were given very small glass teacups to use and the cup handle was so small you could not hold the cup with one hand.

When scones were served to the group, and I was informed that the gluten free scones would be out shortly. About 5-10 minutes later one of the employees came out and said “I burned the gluten free scones, so I don’t have any scones for you. I can give you something else if you want.” I declined. Salads were served without any dressing and when dressing was requested it seemed to throw the employees for a loop as they had to go ask someone in the back if that was OK. There were not enough salads made for the group so 2 people had to share. We were informed that there were 3 soups to choose from. Chicken noodle, Chicken gnocchi, and tomato (but only 2 servings of tomato available). About half of the table selected chicken gnocchi and the other half selected chicken noodle (1 chose tomato). Several minutes later a server came to us and said “would anyone who ordered Chicken gnocchi be willing to change to chicken noodle? We don’t have enough chicken gnocchi to go around.”. A few people offered to change to chicken noodle, yet the server still had a problem. I asked her “how many servings of chicken gnocchi do you have available?” and she said “none.” Why didn’t she just say that in the first place? The entire table (except for the 1 tomato) had to change to Chicken noodle. On top of that, the soup was room temperature when it was served to us, and the tomato seemed to be poured right out of the can into the cup. Employees were not dressed appropriately for a tea.

Honestly, if we were not there to celebrate the bride, we would have all walked out and refused to pay. I feel terrible for the bride and her sister who paid for this event. I feel like she should be given an exceptionally large refund! This was the most disappointing experience that I have ever had.

I did send an email to the establishment but as of 4 days later I have...

First let me say that I wanted this experience to be wonderful, I don't mind paying for it. I'd rather have good service and food than be comped something. I've been wanting to go to high tea for a long time and couldn't find an opening anywhere but here to celebrate my adult daughters Bday. Now I know to schedule way in advance. I had imagined white table cloths and cloth napkins and elegance, an experience. My daughter and I way overdressed for this shop. Every employee there was super casual, holes in jeans, T-shirts with graphics, crocs and tennis shoes. First, there was a child's Bday party going overtime and we got seated 35 minutes late and had to stand in a corner waiting. The server wanted to seat us next to the exit door where other customers would be going in and out (it was cold & rainy) and I said 'no' and pointed to an empty table and she replied it was for a six person group coming in later and I said we wouldn't sit by the door so she said 'fine' with an attitude and this girl never smiled or wasn't pleasant in anyway. It looked like she was in way over her head and having the worst day ever. As far as food goes, the tea was good but I got a glued together tea pot with a large chip and my daughter's strainer had no chain and she had to fish it out. The coffee cake was very good but came before the tea and not served with water. The salad was ordinary but please don't serve dressing in plastic throw away cups. I got the french onion soup which had good broth but the onions were almost raw. The finger sandwiches were seriously tiny, one bite and that was it. I would rather have forgone the salad and soup for better sandwiches. I guess I would say the sandwiches were tasty, 3 per person, so 3 bites. The dessert tray was probably the highlight and the small bites were delicious. We brought the sugar cookies home for later. I feel like there's too much going on here, a bakery with customers placing orders, overbooking, full meals being made and served, tea room and not enough staff to handle it. This next comment, if the owner sees this and this is meant in a friendly way...everyone has a cell phone, everyone...if whoever writes on your blackboards is unsure of how to spell, just google it and bam, the internet will show the way. We chalked this experience up to a practice run and will investigate places that meet our expectations...

I was hesitant to write this review since I had a positive experience last year (2021). But, my experience with this vendor was horrible this year (2022). As I did last year, I ordered (well in advance) a Black Forest cake for my husband's birthday on Tuesday, 10 May 2022. I texted the number provided on the website and after some text dialogue, it was agreed that I could pick up the cake on Monday, 9 May 2022 @ 5 pm. The vendor stated that she is closed on Mondays but that it would be ok for me to pick the cake up on that Monday at 5 pm. I asked if I needed to put down a deposit or anything else and was told, no. So, on 9 May 2022, I left work early to go to the bakery and pick up the cake. By 515 pm, there was still nobody in the shop and no answer to my text (stating that I was waiting outside). By 530 pm, I assumed that I was stood up and I left for home. Now I had no way of getting another Black Forest cake by my husband's birthday the next day as this is a specialty cake and is usually made to order. This was a very special treat and surprise for my husband and not only was he disappointed but I was very upset. The worst part of the experience is the lack of communication. I understand that things happen and something may have precluded the vendor from making the cake. BUT, COMMUNICATE THIS TO YOUR CUSTOMERS!!! I never, to this day, received a text back from the vendor. And, yes, I texted the right phone number as it was the EXACT number that the vendor used when confirming my cake order. I usually try to support small vendors in the Manassas area. But, I will never use this...