Smack in between my house and work is a lovely
independent café that sells, in my opinion, the best hot chocolate ever, not
too sweet, the right amount of froth and with extra chocolate sprinkled on top.
Its one of the best cafes I have had the good fortune to visit. The staff are
so friendly that I find myself in there chatting to them and buying my
favourite hot chocolate regularly. This is the place I recommend to people
looking for a light lunch or hot drink with friends and I’ve taken several
friends there myself. Its lovely to find
a place that you can share like that but what does a place have to have to be
recommend-able?
The question of what makes a café worth recommending
will, of course, have different answers for everyone depending on who you are
and what you enjoy. Some like a quiet place to escape for some silence and a
corner to read a book in. Others prefer somewhere with music where the pace is
slightly faster, somewhere they can take their friends. However, some people
need a family friendly atmosphere where rowdy children (and possibly pets)
won’t annoy the staff!
I think, for cafes (as opposed to pubs or restaurants),
I fall firmly into the first category; I love a café I can sit and write in,
especially if I’m writing for this blog! As someone who visits a range of cafes
regularly I have seen cafes from all the categories and I enjoy them all
immensely but as a writer and blogger, the best ones for me are quieter, with a
table in the corner where I can see the whole room and write in piece. There
are things that recommend-able cafes, no matter what type, have to have so I
asked some readers, friends and fellow travellers on the tea journey and here
are a few things we came up with:
1) Friendly Staff
Friendly staff are very important, they represent the
café to the customer and make up a large part of the first impressions of a
place, if the staff are rude or moody then you feel less comfortable being
around them and therefore at the café at all. Some café staff are wonderful,
going above and beyond to make customers happy and comfortable and help them
with anything from finding the loos to changing the menu to suit dietary needs.
Those are the ones who will chat you as they serve you, remember you when you
come back and maybe even remember your order, these are the staff we love.
2) Variety
A good variety is always good, in food, teas, coffees,
cakes and everything else. Most of the time you’ll find one or two things you
love and always order those but that has to work for you AND everyone else so a
full and varied menu is the way to… more customers.
3) Who’s Catered For
Depending on who you’re taking with you, a business
meeting, work mates, a date, friends, family, (pets?) and with dietary
requirements (natural or chosen)being so different for everyone. It is hard to
please everyone. Being a really fussy vegetarian I know it’s easy to say no to
a nice looking place just because you can’t find anything you like.
4) Comfort
The place has to be comfortable, metal chairs with
slatted seats and weird curvy frames may be retro and ‘cool’ but they are not
nice to sit on for an afternoons relaxing with friends and lunch with family
can be uncomfortable enough! A sofa or a comfy arm chair, even a big comfy cushion
is better than a bit of wood or metal.
So whatever makes your perfect café, your perfect cup
of tea or coffee and your perfect lunch, enjoy them and enjoy the journey!
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