Toronto Delivers

Last night, a visit to La Cabana and Café Frappe defined the difference—and the importance-- between successful customer service and poor customer service.

In the past, Toronto Delivers has expressed dismay in the lack of good, inexpensive Mexican restaurants in Toronto. La Cabana at 467 Danforth steps up to the challenge in all three areas of food, service and price. Eduardo, the owner, met us at the door, thanked us for dropping by, and seated us. After a little chitchat, he took our order. His friendly, laid-back manner felt genuine, as if his welcome was sincere.

We ordered the Nachos Originales for an appetizer, followed by the chicken chimichanga and the beef quesadilla. The nachos arrived with a drizzling of sour cream and hot peppers, and a side of salsa that was smoky and just the slightest bit spicy. The main courses were also drizzled with sour cream, and came with a small salad and rice, all of which was delicious. Especially notable was the fact that the quesadilla had ground beef, not beef steak as a filling. It made for a richer dish that didn’t fall apart at first bite.

When the check came, we were pleasantly surprised by the price. An appetizer, two entrees and drinks came to just about $30. As we paid, Eduardo thanked us and suggested that we drop by again for margaritas. The place has just gotten their liquor license, so his invitation was ingenious word of mouth advertising.

After such a good meal, we decided to stop by Café Frappe at 519 Danforth for dessert. As we entered, a waitress passed by and mumbled that we should just sit anywhere, which we did.

I would love to tell you how delicious and creamy the ice cream is at Café Frappe. Or how savory the crepes are, or how rich the coffee tastes. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you any of those things, as we never had a chance to sample their offerings. After that mumbled greeting, the waitstaff failed to acknowledge our presence. Had the place been busy, we could understand a delay in service. The dining room was nearly empty, and only one waitress was serving the outdoors area.

The other two members of the waitstaff were standing around doing nothing for the entire duration that we were there. At one point, one of the waitstaff met my eyes, then quickly looked away. After fifteen minutes of the silent treatment, we just walked out.

What is amazing is just how different the service was in each restaurant. Eduardo at La Cabana made us feel at home, as if we were guests that had dropped in for a visit. By contrast, the waitstaff at Cafe Frappe made us feel like we didn’t belong and weren’t welcome. I’m sure you can imagine which establishment will get our return business. Café Frappe lost not only one sale but all of the sales we will take elsewhere. Interestingly, we counted at least ten other places where we could get the same kind of food as Café Frappe serves, while La Cabana is the only Mexican restaurant in the entire area. One would think that Frappe would work harder in light of the increased competition, but that is apparently not the case.

La Cabana rates a World Class across the board. Café Frappe, on the other hand gets a Not World Class, simply because there is no lower rating in the system. ~ robis