City Cafe & Bakery

02/19/08

disappointed

by evelyn1944 at Citysearch

It was supposed to be a lovely ladies lunch, but unfortunately the service at the City Cafe and Bakery was atrocious. I am not Internet savvy, but my granddaughter was with me for our lunch date and our experience was so terrible that she showed me how to write an online review. I hope that this is a worthwhile way to give my opinion to the public. I have never been treated with such utter rudeness. And the food wasn't even up to par. I am a frequent diner at restaurants in the Fayetteville area and I will never eat at this establishment again.

• Pros: nothing
• Cons: rude staff

10/31/09

Horrid customer service

by FowVay at Citysearch

I have visited the City Cafe several times and purchased from their bakery on occasion. I thought I was doing the right thing by giving some business to the small time local guys.

The food is very average at best but the bakery has some nice items. They are very expensive for what you get but there's no other place to get a decent 'schinken-käse croissant' in a place like Fayetteville.

I recently planned to meet a couple at the restaurant for dinner before the Oktoberfest menu expired. My friends were fashionably late so I requested to be seated so that I could order a drink and have a appetizer while we waited. The waitress refused to seat me because the other half of my party had not arrived. I explained that I wanted to have a drink while I waited and she offered to bring me a beer while I sat on a park bench and waited with people parading past me as they were seated ahead of me.

I sat in disbelief until I had enough. I again asked to be seated and was told no. I then expressed my displeasure to the owner of the restaurant. She simply offered a indifferent attitude and said that she wasn't going to allow me to tie up a table while I waited. I was amazed by the arrogance and lack of reasoning or ability to understand that while I waited I was buying food and drinks.

I decided right then and there I'd had enough of that place. The people are immigrants from the former eastern sector of a previously divided Germany and their bad attitude shows. I only hope that enough people grow tired of their lack of service and stop eating there.

I can't discourage a place any more strongly than I do this restaurant. Save your money!!!

• Pros: Only German act in town
• Cons: Terrible customer service

10/20/09

Glad the older reviews didn't put me off.

by sian jones hutson at Citysearch

Had lunch there today with my friend over from England and we thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the ambiance and the food. The staff were very friendly, service was excellent and we were made to feel very welcome. Food was great too. So glad we didn't pay any attention to the negative comments because if we had we really would have missed a great lunch!

• Pros: Lovely setting, very friendly, great food and value
• Cons: None

04/09/08

Poor service

by mwilliams32602 at Citysearch

The bakery goods are good but the service is poor. I ordered decorated sugar cookies a week before my son's birthday, for his school birthday party. The bakery called me 90 minutes before I was scheduled to pick them up and told me that the cookies would not be ready until two days later. When I asked why, they said that the cookies take a long time to make and that they ran out of time. I pointed out that I ordered them a week in advance so that they would have plenty of time.

No apology was offered and they left me in the lurch the day before my son's birthday. I canceled my order with them and do not intend to return. Their bakery goods are not good enough to tolerate such lackadaisical, lousy service.

• Pros: Only place like it in Fayetteville
• Cons: Publix provides better baked goods at a far better price and with exemplary service.

03/29/08

Get a clue

by unknowncustomer at Citysearch

Many people have no idea what its like to work in a restaurant. If you think it is an inconvienance to ask for bread or a refill than you have so much to learn about life and its blessings. I really pity those who cant sit and enjoy the service theyre recieving with or without 'perfection' but many people here in America are pampered to so much that they take so much for granted its unbelievable. You may argue, 'well I'm paying money for the service.' well yes but do you really think a server is going to get on his/her knees for $2 tip on a $15 lunch tab? If you do well go somewhere else. They work very hard to help you as best they can and if everyone tipped 15% well they would be on the streets.

Common courtesy in a restaurant toward your server: Look at them! Acknowledge their presence! Don't act like you know more than they do about their food! Get off your phone! Sit where they place you! Dont answer a question with a question! Dont ask for half and half iced tea! Tip on how well they do their job(18-20% is average). Seperate checks is a pain so give your server extra time!

Overall, serving is a VERY trying job so please remember, they are SERVERS doing you a service! Please appreciate what they do for you! Thank you so much!

• Pros: Service, Food, Atmosphere, Cleanliness
• Cons: Sirens from the fire station across the street(but who can help that?).

03/09/08

Best fine dining restaurant on the south side!

by chefgirlnyc at Citysearch

After reading the other reviews, I had to post a comment for myself. First and foremost, I can't believe anyone received bad service at City Cafe & Bakery, because everyone that works there is friendly, and courteous and always goes out of his or her way to help me. Actually, I would consider myself a regular diner, because most of the servers and the Manager know me by my first name. Thats part of why I like the Cafe so much; find me a chain restaurant where you are greeted by your first name on every visit. I love the atmosphere of the restaurant, yes, its small, but at the same time very quaint. As far as the food is concerned, there isn't enough space for me to compliment their menu. I know for a fact, that just about everything is made fresh daily, including the salads, sauces and pastries. They have excellent chefs who are professionally trained, and they even have a new Executive Chef, that I understand was trained extensively in New York City . I consider myself somewhat of a 'foodie' and am pretty particular when it comes to dining out, so I am grateful that City Cafe and Bakery is right here in my hometown and I love taking friends and family there to eat lunch or dinner or even dessert after a movie. All I can say to those who have written bad reviews, is give them a second chance to make your first impression. Everyone deserves a second chance!

• Pros: Quaint atmosphere, really nice staff and wonderful food!
• Cons: Parking, but I consider it a good thing that its so crowded you can't find a space.

02/19/08

food unfit even for a German shepard

by froggy5 at Citysearch

If you are a person, please don't eat here. And if you are a canine don't eat your owner's leftovers. Our dog ralphed after eating half of my turkey melt. And he only got it because I thought the other half was so foul. Seriously, it's a wonder I'm not sick. That cranberry mayonnaise had to have been past its sell-by date!!! And the greatest disappointment of all was the chocolate cake that looked so pretty sitting behind the dessert counter. The reason being was that it tasted like cardboard. It reminded me of a stale Little Debbie snack cake left over from a bake sale at the elementary school. Blehhhhhh!

• Pros: looks pretty... but deceptively so
• Cons: tastes terrible with service to match

02/19/08

Rudest restaurant in Georgia

by Cessna at Citysearch

The City Cafe and Bakery (formerly the Shade Tree Bait Shop location- no kidding) is over priced and has the rudest, most unbelievable manager and hostess I have ever encountered! I have never reviewed a restaurant before and am pretty easy to please. Stale food and high prices are bad enough, but rude service is where I draw the line. The restaurant has nice tablecloths and a pretty dessert counter, but that's where it ends. Publix supermarket, 1 mile to the south, has much better desserts for half the price and much better sandwiches. I will never waste my money or time at the City Cafe again. I suggest that you avoid this place as well!!! Chic-fil-A is a better alternative.

09/14/07

yuck!

by searchgoodfood at Citysearch

I just had lunch here and it was awful.. potatoes on the side were cold and my sandwich had no flavor. My friend got the trio salad and even worse. The tuna salad looked like cat food, the pasta was not cooked enough, and the chicken salad was dry. I kept thinking to myself does any of the chefs actually taste the food before they serve it?? I still took some pastries home because of the "master" baker and pastry chef and dissappointed once again. My four-year old would not even eat the eclair. I will never come back to this place again and I recommend everyone to save their money and go somewhere else.

• Cons: food