Running a small business is no easy task, especially in a city centre.
Increased costs across rent, suppliers, and national insurance on wages are squeezing just about every small to medium-sized business, and life is made even harder by social media.
One customer’s purely subjective experience can make for some bad press. Any cursory browse of a reviews section on any business, product or website is certain to have a few one-star reviews over minor quibbles or unreasonable expectations, so it’s always wise to take them with a pinch of salt, but some are so aggressive in their criticism that they warrant a response.
That was the case for Gooey in Manchester, a renowned café serving a series of delectable breakfast and lunchtime menu items that, to many, taste even better than they look.
In response to one withering review, the owners at Gooey decided to take a stand.
“A bit of a different post to usual but I felt the need to defend our bacon butty today,” said the post’s caption.
The images within it read:
“We’re not usually in the business of responding to negative reviews. However, we got sent this on TikTok earlier and, having watched it, we want to address some things.”
The post then shared the reel in full, with the creator providing a voiceover to footage of their dining experience.
“I ordered their French toast which is what they’re most famous for,” they said. “It’s drowning maple syrup and it’s just so sweet, like you can’t take more than two bites without feeling sick.
“This cost me £11.90 and I really don’t think it’s worth it.”
She wasn’t done, however: “But this wasn’t even the worst thing that I ate at this café. I ordered the bacon sandwich and paid extra to add a fried egg to it which overall cost me £10.90.
“And guys, this was just again just so disappointing like this literally tastes like it could have been made at Greggs. For £10.90 I was expecting way more.
Then came the scores: “For solo dining I give Gooey a rating of 8 out of 10. It was very comfortable to dine there as a solo diner.” That’s not so bad.
She continued: “However for the food I give them a 2 out of 10. I’m sorry, it was so expensive and everything was just disappointing. And honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever come back there.”
The review elicited a strong response from Gooey, who followed the video with more images defending the business.
“Not everyone is going to like what you do and that is absolutely fair enough. Food is completely subjective, “ the post read. “What has made us respond to this review is how often I’m seeing local businesses like ours get targeted on costs.
After addressing the issues with the meal, namely by pointing out the high-quality ingredients, subjective experience, and potential variability in the French toast and bacon and egg butty, Gooey took the opportunity to educate fans on the cost pressures of running a small, city centre business.
“Listen, I understand the criticism. I used get a bacon and egg butty before college for £1.95 at my local butty shop,” they said. “We cannot do that here.
“We are paying Manchester City Centre rent. We employ a team of chefs, bakers, front of house, and more.
They continued: “Talking about the costs of our small business is not something we have done or felt the need to do. But let me just say this: every single independent café, restaurant and bar across this country is charging more than they would like to be doing for their dishes.
“In 99.99% of cases, this is not greed, or us being thick, or trying to rip people off. It is simply the only to survive with the costs we are facing.
“Even then, many of us are struggling to make it work.”
Gooey then thanked its fans for their messages of support, and there were plenty more on the response post itself.
“Who’d have thought French toast covered in maple syrup would taste sweet,” noted one comment.
“Food looks amazing on the review,” said another. “Makes us want to stop by tomorrow and order the same as she did.”
“The French toast is what lives in my dreams,” added another fan. “Food is subjective, but I couldn't disagree with that review more.”
Another shared: “I couldn’t disagree more with this review - I haven’t had the bacon butty (I'm veggie) but the mushrooms on toast is the literal food of dreams!!! And… my god… that French toast is just THE BEST! I mean, it is sweet… but this review is based on them ordering something notoriously sweet and expecting what exactly?!”
It’s fair to say that Gooey’s solid reputation seems largely intact.
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Gooey bakery + cafeTopics: UK Food, Restaurants and bars, Social Media, TikTok
Rachael Davis