Families not welcome

My family and I went to get some coffee at Origin this week and our experience of their staff was horrifying.

Shortly after we arrived, as I was tending to my crying, 6-month-old baby, my 2-year-old had a nasty fall off her chair, landing face-first on to the concrete floor. She began to scream, blood streaming from her mouth and I sent my friend to get water/ice and serviettes from the Origin staff while I assessed the damage. My friend quickly asked one of the 5 available baristas for help, only to be met with blank stares and no one meeting her request. Upon realising that no one was registering, or caring about the severity of the situation, I stepped in and raised my voice, repeating the request enough times so that someone eventually responded. Our waiter promptly rep**** with an irritable "you never ordered any water!"

I took my daughter outside until her screams softened (mostly due to patronising stares from staff and customers alike) and then approached our waiter to order takeaway coffees, which were delivered to our table without a word. The only time any one of the staff approached us was when the manager, seeing that we were searching their menu, came over to tell us that we couldn't order anything to eat because the kitchen was closed. When he realised that we weren't interested in their food but were only looking for an icy drink to soothe my daughter's swollen mouth and broken teeth, he was then willing to assist us. When bringing her drink, he said "there you go, are you feeling better now?" as if he had sympathised with her when the blood was gushing from her mouth earlier.

Unfortunately, Origin coffee is delicious and we were specifically there to buy bags of it. But yesterday was the last time I will ever visiy their business with kids in tow. I have been to a few restaurants that aren't geared for accommodating women/families with children, but Origin wins the prize for the Most Isolating, Indifferent, Condescending and Neglectful cafe/restaurant I have ever had the displeasure of supporting.

Advice for Origin Coffee Roasting: Your baristas are very good at making coffee, but their customer service and human empathy is sorely lacking. When training your staff and managers, remember to tell them to give a damn when a customer (no matter how small) is in distress. It is also a good idea to show empathy and say kind words to your customer to help them feel at ease as soon as, or immediately after an incident takes place - not after they've paid the bill.

Advice for parents/care-givers with babies, or young families wanting some really good coffee: Fear not, there are other amazing alternatives. Try Bootleggers where not only will you find a high chair, but also decent humans who will allow you to be a family - accidents and all.