Gaia

We are frankly appalled by your review, particularly the baseless implication of discrimination. As an immigrant family who have spent the last 20 years building this business, we know what prejudice looks like. To casually suggest racism because your panini arrived later than expected, without a single piece of evidence, is not only irresponsible but deeply offensive and harmful. At a time when genuine racism and discrimination continue to affect countless people around the world—and here in our own community, following the horrific attacks in Leith just weeks ago—to use such an allegation to support a complaint about the timing of a food order trivialises the experiences of those who genuinely endure discrimination.Since you have chosen to publicly question our integrity, it is only fair that we respond with the full facts. The person who took your order was our 13-year-old niece, who was helping in the family business and learning the ropes. Contrary to your review, it was not “three other tables” receiving all of their food before you. One table received their paninis first because we were waiting for a delivery of buffalo mozzarella needed to prepare yours. Rather than leave you waiting with nothing, your soup was served first. In our experience, customers dining alone generally expect their soup to be served as a starter unless they specifically ask for everything together, just as they would in any restaurant. The delay was unfortunate, but it had a straightforward explanation and absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with who you are or where you are from, and even having to explicitly right that feels absolutly ridiculous.You also state that nobody checked on you or acknowledged the delay. That is simply untrue. You were asked several times throughout your visit whether everything was alright, and each time you told us that it was. You even complimented the food. At no stage did you raise any concerns about the timing of your order or suggest you felt uncomfortable. It was only when the optional £1.58 service charge appeared on your bill that an issue suddenly emerged.As someone who has visited us on numerous occasions, both alone and with friends, you know the way we operate. You have chosen not to pay the optional service charge before, which is entirely your right. We have never taken issue with that. What we do take issue with is using an allegation as serious as racial discrimination to justify that decision after the fact. False accusations like this do not just harm one café—they harm immigrant-owned businesses as a whole and undermine the voices of people who have experienced genuine racism. Those experiences deserve to be heard, believed and challenged, not reduced to a disagreement over the order in which lunch was served.For twenty years we have welcomed people of every race, nationality, religion and background through our doors with the same warmth, respect and fairness. Those values are not a marketing slogan—they are how we have raised our family, how we run our business, and how we live our lives. Our reputation has been built over two decades through the experiences of thousands of customers. We will not allow an unfounded allegation, made without evidence and contradicted by the facts, to define who we are or what we stand for.