Route 12 Cafe — Restaurant in Worcester

I am very confused and disappointed. I ordered an iced latte with my takeout and did add a few modifications, making it nearly a $10 drink. The employee didn’t know what a latte was and just guessed and got it horribly wrong. She just put an espresso shot into black iced coffee and gave it to me. An iced latte is like 90% milk. And obviously I didn’t get any of the modifications I paid for. They had gotten super busy in the time I was waiting for my drink and it felt like they were understaffed so I just took it and left. To be clear, I’m not mad at her. I’m mad at whoever decided to put espresso drinks on the menu but then not teach the staff what these drinks are and how to make them. Why are expensive drinks like this even available when the staff hasn’t been taught how to make them??? The breakfast sandwich was great tho, which is why this isn’t a one star review. I will not go back though because I just can’t believe I paid $10 for black coffee. This feels like an issue with management to me and I hope they either appropriately train their staff or remove espresso drinks from the menu

Edited after reading the response from business: I feel like I’m being gaslit by that response. I was completely fine paying the $10 for my latte with the added flavors and such. I know lattes are expensive drinks and I don’t mind paying for them, which is why I ordered one. If I didn’t think $10 was reasonable for the drink that I ordered, I would not have paid for it in the first place. I feel as though my words regarding the price were intentionally misconstrued. The problem is what I received was not what I paid for. A latte is just espresso and milk, and then I added flavors and whipped cream for additional cost. There was no milk in my drink at all. The drink I was given was black coffee with an espresso shot added. I didn’t pay extra to add an espresso shot because a latte is guaranteed to have espresso already included, but the rest is supposed to be milk, not black coffee. There is never supposed to be black coffee in a latte, which I know from years of working in coffee shops but this information is also available via a quick google search. Black coffee and an espresso shot is by definition not a latte and the woman making my drink even made a comment about not knowing how to make a latte. I did not feel the need to include what she said initially because I didn’t want to throw her under the bus but now it feels necessary to include that detail. So, even if I did ask for it to be remade, what would she have done differently if she already told me she didn’t know how to make a latte? Was I supposed to go back there and teach her? When the restaurant was very busy and she was the only server and I’d already been waiting for a pretty long time passed when my order was supposed to be ready? How is that fair to either of us? Your response makes it seem as though you also don’t know what a latte is, so I truly don’t understand why it’s on the menu if no one knows what it is and no one is taking the time to just google it really quick. I really don’t appreciate the response I received as I feel like you’re trying to make this sound like I’m being unreasonable when all I expected was the drink that I paid for. I understand I could’ve asked for it to be remade, but again, she was sooo busy and it didn’t feel appropriate to take the time for me, the customer, to teach her how to make this drink. I would’ve been so happy with my $10 latte had it actually been a latte. I wish you had just owned up to the mistake! I would not have felt compelled to say anything more if you had said something like “I’m so sorry about your experience and we will ensure everyone is properly trained on how to make the drinks we offer”. Or you could’ve just not responded! Reading your response made me feel very invalidated and I hope you learn something from this because your response definitely made it worse. I’m adding photos of the drink I received compared to the google results when you search “iced latte.” I’m also changing it to a one...

📍 Location & Atmosphere Route 12 Café in Worcester offers a cozy, laid-back atmosphere, making it a comfortable spot for breakfast or lunch. The interior has a quaint, hometown feel, with simple decor and a welcoming vibe. It’s the kind of place where you can enjoy a relaxed meal without any fuss, perfect for a casual outing or a weekend brunch.

🍽️ Food & Drinks We both ordered the #2 combo, which comes with eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes, but I opted to switch mine for a Belgian waffle. The eggs were cooked just right, the bacon was crispy, and the sausage had a rich, savory flavor. The Belgian waffle was a great swap—it was light and fluffy, with a golden, crispy exterior that paired perfectly with syrup. The hot chocolate was also a highlight, offering a sweet and comforting treat that made the meal even more enjoyable.

👨‍🍳 Service & Hospitality The service was good but a bit slow, as it seemed the café was understaffed, with just a mother and daughter working the place then. Despite the wait, we were patient with them, as they were doing their best to keep up. Their friendly and courteous demeanor made the experience still feel warm and welcoming.

💡 Unique Selling Point Route 12 Café stands out for its classic homestyle breakfast with generous portions and a charming, family-run atmosphere. The option to swap out pancakes for a Belgian waffle was a nice touch, giving the meal a customizable feel. The hot chocolate added an extra layer of coziness, making it a great spot for a satisfying breakfast...

Pretty good. I liked the pancakes. Staff was friendly.

Edit: that was my original review. What follows is revised.

The owners asked me to expand my feedback so they can improve from the 3 stars I gave them so here is a longer review.

Staff is attentive and friendly. The food is mediocre. Hire a chef. It's pretty easy to tell the difference! I ordered something like 3 scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, home fries, and pancakes. I order similar things at places every weekend in Worcester. I'm guessing the eggs are cooked on a flattop grill. Most people who have never used one don't really know,cut as soon as you pour the eggs onto it, they are fully cooked within seconds. This means that your cook, needs to understand that if they keep the heat too high on the flattop the eggs turn into rubber almost instantly. Flat rubbery eggs are not super great. The sausage was kinda cheap and bad. The bacon didn't even taste good and I'm not even sure what you need to do to make it not taste good. Home fries were not good. When you leave potatoes in water (good) for too long (bad) they get a distinct smell and taste. It's gross. The home fries tasted like they had been left soaking until they turned brown in a bucket of water. Like days and days worth of soaking. The pancakes were fresh and delicious.

I genuinely kept my review short so as to not put people off. It could have been a fluke. I was gonna try again and see if it was better. I genuinely hope this helps. It's not a bad spot and could be...