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Original poster

Patisserie Valerie- not surprising?

133 replies

MyOtherProfile · 11/10/2018 22:06

Just heard on the news that Patisserie Valerie is in trouble. Frankly I'm not surprised. For me it has always missed its target. It sells nice patisserie like a posh cafe but looks like a cheap diner. As much as I'd like to go for the coffee and cake they're not pretty or comfy places. Anyone feel the same?

OP posts:
DickensianHysteric · 11/10/2018 22:10

I agree, I love cake but I've never been to a Pattiserie Valerie. They just don't seem like the kind of cosy place where you could sit and relax with a cuppa. I'm not sure who they're trying to attract.

HerBigChance · 11/10/2018 22:12

They are scruffy and the service is often off-hand. They have over-expanded at the expense of quality.

I gather there's a problem with a black hole in the finances and a tax demand from HMRC.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 11/10/2018 22:13

I had lunch there yesterday. Very nice food but too echoey and noisy to be able to hear each other speak so I will find somewhere else next time. They may also be a bit over saturation point with the number of branches too...there are two in my nearest city.

Kezzie200 · 11/10/2018 22:13

Ive been in two. The window displays are the best part.

Having said that, they are no worse than many chain cafes, so im not sure why they should fail in particular.

PersonaNonGarter · 11/10/2018 22:14

The food isn’t very nice.

Sturmundcalm · 11/10/2018 22:15

microwaved scones - the horror!!!

Fantina · 11/10/2018 22:16

Cake looks nicer than it is and the one near us is grubby.

Meet0nTheIedge · 11/10/2018 22:17

There was another thread earlier, I couldn't find the right words to describe why I don't go in the one near me.

It sells nice patisserie like a posh cafe but looks like a cheap diner.

This is exactly what I wanted to say. If I want nice cakes I want them in a nice, traditional, softly lit teashop, not Poppins.

GandolfBold · 11/10/2018 22:17

The one near me is always heaving!

MegBusset · 11/10/2018 22:18

The original Soho one was fabulous - used to go there loads in the 90s. The chain versions were a pale reflection especially since they got bought out by venture capitalists.

JamAtkins · 11/10/2018 22:21

I’ve only ever been in 2. Both were scruffy with bad service and the food was poor (although I remember the butter being posh). The actual cakes were ok but not brilliant and too expensive. I remember the tables being rammed together and it feeling a bit like a canteen or a wimpy or something

VladmirsPoutine · 11/10/2018 22:24

I'm not surprised either. £17 for a flaky croissant and a tepid cappuccino.... no thanks!

DollyWilde · 11/10/2018 22:24

I’ve never set foot in one, but if I were a posh cake kinda gal I think I’d be veering towards independents, not chains. It’s the same way I feel about the whole Ivy Brasserie thing.

StateofIndependance · 11/10/2018 22:26

Totally agree. The places are scruffy and unwelcoming and the staff are offhand. Say what you like about Costa, Starbucks etc but they get this right.

Davros · 11/10/2018 22:28

The original Soho one was fabulous
I agree with this. I think the Ivy Cafe may end up over stretching itself ....

MyGuideJools · 11/10/2018 22:28

Had a voucher for Xmas for afternoon tea.
The place was scruffy and noisy, very cramped tables close together.
The cakes were ok, scones were dry and sandwiches not nice. We waited ages to be served
I don't know the value of the voucher but I wouldn't choose to go there again.
It's a shame, but I think they could do much better.

Dairymilkmuncher · 11/10/2018 22:29

I sat in one once and thought it was smelly

Went to one for take away when I was heavily pregnant and needing some cake to be refused one because it has alcohol in them my second choice because it had nuts, she didn't actually say I couldn't have it just said in a sickly sweet way "just so you know" uuuurgh so annoyed and I was super tired so said of course and pointed to a cake I didn't really fancy that was safe for me to eat Confused never been back.

AndhowcouldIeverrefuse · 11/10/2018 22:32

I have only ever been once. The cakes looked good but tasted pretty average so won't bother again.

Sparklingbrook · 11/10/2018 22:34

The one I go to is in the Home department of a Next store. Bit odd. But it's nice in there and the coffee and cakes are good.

64BooLane · 11/10/2018 22:34

They’re grim. And I don’t get the impression they’re good employers, particularly.

I sympathise with those whose jobs are at risk, but I won’t miss them if they all close.

LEMtheoriginal · 11/10/2018 22:34

The one near me got a 0/5 for hygiene in an inspection (scores on the doors). Im not surprised.

The cakes look much better than they taste . Eating in one does not feel like a luxury.

WaitroseCoffeeCostaCup · 11/10/2018 22:35

I love it! Always take away and eat by the river-bliss!

FrankIncensed · 11/10/2018 22:36

Agree with a lot of posters. The cakes look great but taste as if they've been defrosted. Grubby with uncomfortable seating, poor layout and terrible service. I actually complained to the one in town as the manager would stand in the doorway chain smoking so the place would stink of smoke and you couldn't get past without walking through it. They didn't reply, so I didn't go back. I still see her doing it when it's raining Hmm

Sarcelle · 11/10/2018 22:40

People upthread have mentioned The Ivy. I have been saying that they are not going to last for months. They have erupted everywhere, so fast. It’s not sustainable. PV started off okay, although the decor was not to my taste, but greed kicked in for them. The staff seemed unhappy and unwelcoming, the tables crammed in, a bit grubby. I won’t go in them now.

Deliphant · 11/10/2018 22:41

I liked it!