Orchard Central Cafe Response, Why Did Grain Alley Overreact

Grain Alley is now on the spotlight on Reddit for commenting on the Orchard Central Cafe’s response to its customers.

Grain Alley at Orchard Central was criticized after a Reddit thread revealed the cafe’s criticism of customers who wrote one-star evaluations on Google while purportedly rewarding those who left five-star recommendations.

A negative comment makes the reviewer to start insults, name-calling, name-and-shaming methods, and even doxxing.

Grain Alley, a Reddit user, responded to the criticism, expressing sympathy for the employees and explaining their vehement reaction on April 28.

Alley is providing customers a “new premium Arabica coffee with our thanks” in response to a flood of five-star ratings.

Based on the negative feedback, one of the most common concerns about the cafe appears to be the no laptop, no tablet ban.

One customer called it a “huge step backward” to be instructed not to use laptops or tablets even if the cafe was less than half occupied.

She advised cafes to put up legal signage, claiming that even if signs were present, they were “insufficiently apparent.”

A coffee business in Orchard Central has been chastised for its severe response to consumers who submitted poor Google reviews.

A Mothership reader wrote us on April 23 with a complaint about Grain Alley. He stated he was planning brunch when he came across the eatery. According to him, the cafe had a Google rating of 4.7 stars.

He went on to say that if clients provide proof of writing a five-star rating, the owner appeared to be “encouraging” five-star evaluations by offering a free presentation on their next visit.

But it was the reader’s response to unfavorable remarks, which included insults, name-calling, and, in at least one case, the suspected release of personal information, that impressed him the most.

The café responded by stating that it was a “no workspace” and that the regulation was “stated at each table and at both entrances” in response to the public’s demands.

Grain Alley then asked a rhetorical question about why people posted reviews that “reflected their hostility and displayed their questionable personalities,” maybe implying demanding customers.

Even though WiFi is reportedly listed as an amenity on Google Maps, another customer left a negative review criticizing the cafe for not offering WiFi and for not allowing her to use her laptop there.

The cafe then appears to have tracked down the customer’s boss and forwarded her original email to him.

According to a review made on Google by “Local Guide,” the cafe used to be a terrific spot to drink and work, but that has changed.