The Pass Cafe

Visited this cafe for the first time and I had an unpleasant experience with the owner or manager. After reading other comments it seems as though she has a pattern of being rude to customers. Byron Bay is a tourist spot, not only do you get locals visiting your cafe but also tourists. Therefore, first impressions are very crucial. My partner asked if the public holiday surcharge applies for cash payment. In a very rude, demeaning tone the manager responds with “No because I pay my staff the same wage”. That’s okay, but personally, as a customer I have nothing to do with how much your staff is paid so you could have easily said “No, sorry”. I’m only saying this because we eat out during public holidays and there are places that take cash and does not apply the surcharge. We then got our drinks first and I got a cappuccino and it was all spilt down the side and as I mentioned earlier, it’s all about making a good first impression - the cappucino had a horrible presentation. The coffee itself was also lukewarm. My partner had a latte and it looked very watered down. He was a barista of 5 years and he was not impressed. While waiting for our food, a family member texted and said that they were going to catch up at the cafe and asked me to order while they were on their way. The menu is at the entrance of the restaurant. Mind you this wasn’t at peak time so there wasn’t a line up and I wasn’t in the way of anyone. I got up and read the menu in the front. The waitress who was blonde was very lovely and kind, we were having a nice chat when the assumed manager who had dark hair and had black glasses aggressively interrupts the conversation and goes “IS THIS ABOUT THE LIZARD?”, I simply said “No, I’m just checking out the menu.” She then goes “Well you’re seated over there so you can head back”. It seriously felt like an interaction between a student and a very rude nasty teacher - am I not allowed to roam around your cafe?. Anyway when my partner ordered at the start and when I also ordered later on, the manager spoke rudely to her staff in front of customers. To the blonde waitress, thank you for making our experience slightly better. Keep being kind and caring unlike your boss lol. **My response to your reply: My partner didn’t NOT want to pay surcharge he simply asked if it also applied to cash. As often it is the cost of the Eftpos which is the reason for the surcharge. I also said how we often eat out during pub hol because we support small businesses :) We also enjoyed our bench seats as it was a nice view - I didn’t complain about where we were seated. Also, the rest of my story was not a lie because it is FACTUAL that your blonde waitress was kind, thoughtful and caring. That is all. You were also quite rude and snappy what makes you think we feel comfortable in conversing with you in regards to this? Also implying that your customers dont have a “brain” is quite an unprofessional response coming from people who have worked in hospitality and family businesses.