2 drinks, 3 tables: Bacolod cafe sends away non-paying customers, gets mixed reactions
A coffee shop in Bacolod received an outpour of support after a group of 10 customers review-bombed it when they were asked to leave as its non-paying members filled other tables. Owners of other cafes, however, have a different take on the issue.
SLO_BAR Cafe took to Instagram to lament how 10 people bought only two drinks but occupied three tables. They were asked to leave to give way to other paying customers.
“We know that they only want to hang out for free and shoot their personal content,” it said, “but to what extent must we share our space to please these guests?”
The cafe then said the students accused its staff of being rude and serving bad food through reviews.
Screenshots that made the rounds online showed claims that the cafe “shut the doors” at the group without informing them first.
"It pains us to get a mob of bad Google reviews from 10 unsatisfied kids,” the cafe said. “We do not wish to engage but these things will happen again so it may be better to confront them when we can.”
The cafe noted that its baristas are “trying their best to work, accommodate, and keep the cafe in good order.”
It asked whether the customers understood the damage their review bombing would do to the business and the dignity of its staff members “who are just trying to make ends meet each day.”
“Other small cafes would understand,” it said. “It is basic etiquette for any place to reserve their limited space for paying customers. The community should know better.”
Social media users and small resto owners weigh in
Social media users and other fellow businesses showed their support for the Bacolod coffee spot in the comments section.
The Negros Occidental-based Celery Coffee Stand called the reviews “baseless,” urging the cafe to report them to Google for bullying/harassment.
“People are downright desperate these days to be content creators and will do anything in the wild to be influencers,” they said. “It’s terrible that you guys had to go through this and these types of people must be stopped and disciplined.”
ONLYPANS Taqueria, which has branches in Poblacion, Katipunan, and La Union, told the cafe not to fret.
“Sometimes you really need to speak up. Thank you for doing this! It means a lot the small businesses like us in the industry,” ONLYPANS said.
One user said the best thing to do for now “is to have us, your supporters, to bury down their wannabe reviews.”
Another user commented that the incident debunks the age-old saying that the customer "is always right."
But John Nikko Danao of Noon Cafe told PhilSTAR L!fe that while he understands the sentiments of SLO_BAR, it should’ve also considered where the students came from. "Some might have come from a dine out and just wanted to get along and hang out with their friends," he explained.
"We cannot force everyone to order," he said. "Little sales still matter and we are already happy to see customers enjoying the ambiance of our cafe and we could not take this away from them."
For Nikaela Cortez of Sibs Cafe, which has a seating capacity of six, non-paying customers who decide to stay lead to an “opportunity” to market the business and spread awareness.
“Though they may only buy two drinks, and even if ten of them choose to stay, that specific moment can be a chance to attract more customers in the future,” Cortez told L!fe. “They are still customers at the end of the day.”
She, however, said that once a paying customer arrives, that’s the time her cafe would politely ask the non-paying ones to share the table.
“We encourage an environment where our customers get to experience a sense of sharing while enjoying their stay in our cafe,” she added. (with reports from Brooke Villanueva)