Clair Reeks: When “No” Is a Problem
On a busy September lunchtime, Clair Reeks arrived at the café with her boyfriend, her mother, and her father. The group first stopped to read the menu outside and then walked away. A few minutes later, they returned and stood outside discussing how they might arrange the outdoor furniture to seat four people together.
The outdoor tables aren’t fixed, and we have no problem with people moving them within reason. But the ground is sloped, and joining tables side by side simply isn’t practical. Still, we could have seated them outside — that wasn’t the issue.
Clair came inside while the others stood outside or sat at separate outdoor tables. Clair stood near the door, seemingly waiting to be seated. Inside, we had no space for four — just one table for two.
At that moment, a kind customer sitting at Table 2 turned to Clair and offered his seat:
Customer: “Do you want a seat?”
Clair Reeks: “Pardon?”
Customer (louder): “We’re just going — do you want a seat?”
Clair Reeks: “Oh no, there’s four of us, we’re going to sit outside, that’s fine.”
That was a clear acknowledgment from Clair herself that the table for two would not accommodate their group.
It’s important to remember — there are no staff here. Just the two of us. Day to day, Neal runs the kitchen, prepares food, bakes, washes up. Jason handles the front of house: orders, coffee, clearing, serving, seating etc. Sometimes there’s a wait to be greeted because we’re already serving others.
At 13:18, the guests at Table 2 left. I cleared the table as quickly as I could.
At that moment, I had no idea who was with whom. We often have groups standing outside, and it’s not always obvious who’s together.
At 13:20, I approached Clair.
Me: “Hey there, is it for two?”
Clair: “There’s four of us.”
Me: “I won’t be able to accommodate four — this is all I’ve got at the moment.”
Clair: “Would we like be able to squeeze round that table?”
Me: “No, sorry.”
Clair: “No?”
Almost immediately, she turned to her group and asked if they wanted to sit outside — their original plan — and her mother declined and walked away. That was the end of the interaction.
Roughly ten minutes later, we received a one-star review on Google.
Clair didn’t eat or drink with us. She wasn’t served. She didn’t sit down. She didn’t experience the atmosphere. Her review simply said:
Food: 1/5 | Service: 1/5 | Atmosphere: 1/5
No comments. No explanation. Just a row of low scores in response to being told we couldn’t seat four people at a table for two. There was no bad service — because there was no service. The only atmosphere she experienced was the one she brought in with her.
This wasn’t feedback. It was a tantrum in review form — for not getting what she wanted.
Care over cash
We don’t run this café to squeeze people in at any cost. We care deeply about our space and our guests’ experience. If we only have a table for two, we say so — clearly and kindly. We won’t seat four people elbow-to-elbow in a corner and pretend that’s hospitality. We won’t rush other guests to make space, and we won’t apologise for putting comfort and fairness ahead of appeasing everyone.
We didn’t do anything wrong — except say, “Sorry, I don’t have space for four right now.”
Clair was welcome to wait. But on a busy day, that might have been 30–45 minutes. Instead, she left — and left a false review behind her.
More Revenge Reviews
This post is part of our Revenge Reviews series, where we respond openly and honestly to reviews that misrepresent reality, so others can judge the exchange for themselves.
