Patisserie Lila and their 'minimum charge'

Never been to this place so shouldn't comment but found the thread interesting.

Points:

I never pay an imposed service charge and give cash tip to person if they deserve it.

Good coffee at Starbucks !?! NO NO NO - nor any of the other mass production places for that matter. How do they all suceed in making it taste bitter as well as being hideously overpriced.

Boycotting places that give bad service should be mandatory - PC World is top of my list.

Second point is why I might have frequented Patisserie Lila on a visit to Borough Market, I'm always on the look out for a good cup of coffee but not going to risk the crap that seems to go with it.

Have you been to Perdoni's on Kennington Road? Great coffee, great food at reasonable prices and incredibly courteous staff. I'm told that all staff are initially hired for a “tryout” and are judged on the way they serve customers, if the boss (and he's there to listen to any complaints/compliments) deems that they are not up to scratch, they simply don't get the job. It's still in SE1 but slightly off the radar, don't be put off by the décor, the place is a gem. (No connection just happy with a local Italian café)

Can't see any dots under Perdoni's but it is featured in the food/drink section under "P" of course.

I like the decor of Perdoni's - quite old style wacky. And the service is great.

PS. I had lunch in Coopers the other day - absolutely fantastic!!!

Thanks for the tip mon2, I'll try to pop in Sat and give it a go!

Lila's cakes taste much better than her flowers. I've not had her coffee yet.

I used to live in borough market and you're right- that cafe is a rip off with rude sullen waitresses..

I haven't checked back on this thread since December 2005 - and my, hasn't it grown since I've been away? (In fact I stopped using these forums for a while because I got in trouble with my employer for something I wrote about Southwark Council. My employer at the time being... erm, Southwark Council. But now I work elsewhere - hurrah!)

Anyway, all the posts make interesting reading. Ordinarily I'm a passionate advocate of good cafes and patisseries and the wonderful contribution they make to an area. I believe that cafes and patisseries enrich an area like no other business. So I would love to be able to rave about Patisserie Lila, frequent it, value it, make it one of my haunts, etc. But surly, rude service just really really p*sses me off. It wasn't the minimum charge alone that compelled me to walk out but the general attitude.

But they're not alone; bad service in Europe is endemic, and something that most visitors from more service-oriented countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the US all notice.

actually a bit unfair that last comment, as an expat aussie i can say that london definately does not have a monopoly on poor service, you can be just as much a victim of rudeness and slow service in sydney. a "service oriented" country? come on!
the influx of poles and sundry eastern europeans are having a huge impact on quality of service here ... for the better

Hmm, well it's certainly something plenty of your fellow countrymen comment upon - that and the quality of coffee over here...

And personally I found the service warm and friendly in pretty much every place I went to in Australia - almost like they regard working in the hospitality industry as a proper career rather than as a stepping-stone.

But anyway, indifferent service I can deal with. Rude service, no.