Naseem T.
Yelp
I stopped in yesterday to grab a quick bite, but the experience was so unpleasant I left wondering what happened to the reliability and quality this bakery used to represent.
When I arrived, there was one other in-person customer, and the woman working was on the phone assisting someone with an order. I waited about ten minutes while she finished helping the phone customer and then the person ahead of me. Throughout that time, she complained loudly about being short-staffed and working alone--not in an apologetic way, but as though she were irritated that customers were there at all. It was an uncomfortable tone that lingered through the rest of my visit.
When she finally looked up and asked how she could help me, I stepped forward to order. But before I could even finish, she said, "You'll have to wait, I need to do this online order first," and proceeded to fulfill multiple online orders. It was confusing--why ask me to step up only to dismiss my order entirely?
Once she was ready again, I repeated my order and asked if they were serving coffee. She said yes, though there was no visible menu or indication of what they offered. When I asked what kind, she replied, "We just have simple coffee here." I wasn't sure what that meant, especially given the espresso machine behind her. I asked if I could get a latte; she said nothing, began making it, and then started complaining out loud that she was "too nice" and shouldn't have agreed to make coffee because others were waiting.
It might have been laughable if it hadn't been so uncomfortable. She had been short and unwelcoming from the start, and to hear her describe herself as "too nice" while actively complaining about customers was surreal. Even the young girl helping ring up orders--who couldn't have been more than 12--apologized for her behavior, which says a lot about how awkward the atmosphere had become.
When I finally got my latte, I asked about my food since it hadn't appeared. She checked and realized she had completely forgotten it--it had been sitting there the whole time. Still no apology, no acknowledgment.
Unfortunately, the food didn't redeem the experience. The cookie was stale, and the royale pastry, which looked beautiful, tasted strongly of the refrigerator it came from. For a bakery known for its exceptional French pastries, that was a real disappointment.
I've gone to Patisserie Poupon for years (and originally to the cafe before it closed), but this visit was so off-putting that I doubt I'll return. Everyone has off days, but there's no excuse for open hostility toward customers--or walk away regretting they stopped in at all. The service has never been the friendliest, but I've returned in the past because of the quality of their baked goods, however, this visit was so off-putting I doubt I'll return.