My Disastrous Visit to Shokoladnitsa: A Loyal Customer's Frustration
I've been a loyal customer of the Shokoladnitsa coffee shop chain for a long time. The level of service and quality of products can vary greatly depending on the location. Most of the time, I've visited Shokoladnitsa in Zhukovsky because it's close to where I live. I've had lunch there many times with my girlfriend and mom.
One of the things I've always appreciated about Shokoladnitsa is their loyalty program. I've racked up points over the years and redeemed them when I had a decent stash. It's nice to get something back for being a regular customer.
I usually visit these cafes during lunch hours when you can get a filling meal at a good price and a delicious dessert with a 30% discount. That's how I've been eating at Shokoladnitsa for many years. But there have been times when I ordered dishes outside of lunch hours or visited on weekends when the lunch menu isn't in effect.
On my most recent visit, I took my mom to our favorite coffee shop in Zhukovsky to grab lunch. I was counting on using my loyalty points and saving some cash on the bill. When we got to 'Chocolate House', our usual waitress started taking our order. Just as I mentioned I wanted to get the Caesar salad, which comes with the combo lunch, she said they were out of it. And as a substitute, she offered me the Greek salad, saying it was basically the same thing.
I was blown away - nothing could be further from the truth. These two salads are worlds apart. I've always gotten the Caesar with my combo lunch, and it's always been available. It's not like it's a rare ingredient or anything. Oh well. So, we decided to get the vinaigrette and Greek salad instead. The way they served the Greek salad has changed - they used to give it to us just like that, but now they put a chunk of cheese on the plate and expect you to cut it with your fork. The cheese was way too hard to just break with a fork. Eating it was a bit of a hassle.
After the main course, but not really enjoying it, we moved on to desserts. My mom was served a delicious and fresh 'Snickers', and I was given 'Tiramisu'. At first glance, it seemed normal, but after trying it, I realized something was off. Firstly, the sides of the 'Tiramisu' were rock-hard and dry. The taste of the dessert was clearly stale, as I know what fresh 'Tiramisu' tastes like. Instead of a smooth dessert, I was eating a stale piece of cheese with stale dough.
I expressed my discontent and explained to the waitress what exactly didn't meet my expectations. In response, she just remained silent. Throughout our entire visit, she demonstrated her clear disdain and annoyance at our presence. It was clear that my requests and our presence were really getting under her skin. And she behaves this way with everyone, regardless of who comes in and who they are with.
After I paid the bill, I decided to take a look at the display case where the desserts were showcased, and I didn't find the 'Tiramisu'. Apparently, the piece they served me was the last one and was just sitting there getting stale. I have no idea why the dessert was served in such a state.
I immediately reported this visit and everything that happened through the official app in the chat support, and I also wrote a message through private messages on their official social media page.
The level of service and the attitude of the waitress really put a damper on our visit. It felt like my mom and I were just Winnie the Pooh and Piglet crashing a party at Rabbit's house without an invite. The staff's behavior and attitude really didn't sit well with me. I won't be back anytime soon. There was no warmth or humanity in their interactions, and the waitress didn't even apologize for the stale dessert.
I've been a loyal customer of Shokoladnitsa for a long time, but this experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. I hope they take my feedback seriously and make some changes to improve their service and quality of products.
Overall, I'm extremely disappointed with my recent visit to Shokoladnitsa in Zhukovsky. The lack of attention to detail, the poor service, and the subpar quality of the food and drinks are all major red flags. I would not recommend this location to anyone.
Rating: 1/5 stars