Cafe Nero Review

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2.8 stars
Average rating for this product is: 2.8 out of 5

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Laturb's Review of Cafe Nero

5th Sep 2007

Overall Rating

1.5 stars
  • Value for money
    2 stars
  • Quality of Service
    0.5 stars
  • Location
    General
Bad Points

Size of cups
Quality of coffee
Quality of staff/training
Quality of panini


General Comments

The following is a verbatim copy of an email sent to Caffe Nero seven days ago. I didn't even get confirmation of receipt, let alone a response:
My wife and I have been great fans of Caffe Nero since you opened and would go out of our way to search out a bar, however, this year we have been made increasingly aware of reduced quality and a questionable marketing direction.
i) the starbucking of the size of cups; gone is the original small cup previously used that are standard in Italian bars; the new style cappuccino is merely hot milk with a 'hint' of coffee. I know we can always ask for less milk, but the previous smallest cup always gave great balance and flavour. Anyway, as a lot of the staff speak very limited English, explaining and getting what one wants is often difficult. I always have real trouble getting cappuccino 'senza' chocolate, even when I ask repeatedly.
ii) either the quality of the coffee has changed (for the worse) or the gramme weight per serving has been reduced!?
iii) who's supplying your panini now? In Cambridge last week, on inspecting the contents of a chicken version with a creamy white dressing (can't remember the name) there was a minute slither of tomato, even less of a pepper, a green leaf and two of the tiniest slivers of chicken imaginable. Also, given that the undermanned bar meant that the panino was in the grill for so long (we had to go looking for it). It arrived so hot and flattened that any flavour it might have had was ruined.
iv) extend the training period of your baristas. The average quality of the staff we encounter now generally wouldn't last 5 minutes in an Italian bar. Also, we see far too many assistant baristas manning your bars, with the resultant lengthening queues, grumbling customers and fractious staff. Also, a reasonable grasp of English wouldn't go amiss.

Overall, and although your branding has always claimed kinship with Italian bars, the similarity is becoming so distant as to threaten a visit from a trading standards officer. Tatler's 'The best espresso this side of Milan' is but hazy memory of better time's now past.

Yours.

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Members' Comments onLaturb's Review

  • luisedickson on 26th Jan 2008

    What a load of rubbish you have wrote. Cup size has not changed since opening. If you did your research you would know the ingredients of a cappucino is 1/3 coffee, 1/3 milk, 1/3 froth. Caffe nero has won awards for the best paninis for the last 5 years. As for assistant barista - what are you talking about. I suggest you get a life mate.

  • Joshratchi on 1st Mar 2008

    The so called " assistant baristas" dont exist. Those are baristas in training, people that have recently joined the company. The fact that you see alot of them means there is a high staff rotation, you might want to leave some feedback on that issue in the stores comment card box (many times thats by far the best way to alert the manager of something that needs improvement) That is always a problem, but also a fact of life. This is mostly the case in London where a lot of staff are students that have come for a while to learn or perfect English (hence the language issue). While it is true that the brand is evolving and some of the changes do not necessarily please every customer, testing new things, be it products, processes and so on is the best way to find out what works and what doesnt. Im sure you will see it with different eyes as the store adapt to the many new things that are happening in what is still very much a growing being.

  • massiveuk on 10th Nov 2009

    I do totally agree with the 2 above comments on your review. What a total load of rubbish. A Cappuccino "senza" Chocolate does not and never has existed on the Caff Nero Menu - So how would you expect a member of staff to understand what the bloody hell you were asking for even if they were ENGLISH. I would go as far as to say you try to be a professional complainer? How many times have you managed to get a FULL refund. Keep doing what you do Caff Nero