New Coffee Shop in Meredith

[Spider Girl]

Good to hear your experience was good. Ours not so much. We both had the breakfast sandwiches, mine with bacon and his with sausage. WAY too greasy and the bacon was burned (not crispy ... burned). And the vibe didn't feel welcoming (like the menu is posted on one side, but we were told to move to the other end of the counter -- where the menu was no longer visible -- to place our order). Made us mourn Ellen.

We will probably go back one day to give it another try, but we were very disappointed. Would really like to see them succeed, but think they need to actively solicit customer feedback.

[baygo]

Originally Posted by Spider Girl

Good to hear your experience was good. Ours not so much. We both had the breakfast sandwiches, mine with bacon and his with sausage. WAY too greasy and the bacon was burned (not crispy ... burned). And the vibe didn't feel welcoming (like the menu is posted on one side, but we were told to move to the other end of the counter -- where the menu was no longer visible -- to place our order). Made us mourn Ellen.

We will probably go back one day to give it another try, but we were very disappointed. Would really like to see them succeed, but think they need to actively solicit customer feedback.

How unfortunate that you were "very disappointed" with your initial visit. We also really liked Ellen a lot and I am one of those who is resistant to change. To that point I have to state that Mo's welcoming smile ushered me through and I've been back several times. The issues you bring to light can remind all of us of just how challenging the restaurant business can be. The same piece of bacon can be undercooked for one person while over cooked for the other. I went by this morning and purchased my 7th bacon egg and cheese breakfast bagel since they opened. (This item is stressing my efforts to eat gluten free) Each has been consistent in its preparation.

I've witnessed significant growth in their traffic and overheard a lopsided majority of people volunteer positive feedback on the way out the door.

I like you, too wish them well and I hope they succeed. We do however have a different understanding of how we can play a role in helping. When you do go back, if you find something is less than your liking perhaps if you pull Mo or Mark aside and express your disappointment you'll provide them the opportunity to make it right.

I am in no way affiliated with this place other than as a customer. As a matter of fact I own a seasonal competing business. I rely on the Mello Moose to continue doing a great job and delivering a great product as it will provide a tool of motivation for me with my staff.

[Taz]

I prefer my bacon burnt to a crisp (black). The bacon in the above photo is not even well done let alone burnt.

[Hillcountry]

Originally Posted by Taz

I prefer my bacon burnt to a crisp (black). The bacon in the above photo is not even well done let alone burnt.

To each his own on bacon cooking...that said, burnt to a crisp is not my idea of great bacon. C’est La Vie!

[MMCH]

We are sorry that you did not have a good experience at the Mello Moose and hope that you might try us again in the future. We have had many positive customer interactions. And yes, we are not Ellen, however we hope to bring a great coffee house back to the area. It may take some time but we are willing to put in the effort! We truly believe customer feedback is important to our business. We are always available to speak with our customers about the likes, dislikes, and improvements that we can make. We wished we had the opportunity to talk to you about your disappointment while you were there.
Hope you give us another try in the future! Mark and Mo

[garysanfran]

is perfectly cooked!

Jeez, I'd hate to be in the restaurant biz, or any other that had to deal with the general public.

You could get into an argument over garbanzo beans vs chickpeas that could sacrifice friendships.

I have been in San Fran too long...Thanks for the other post reference.

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by MMCH

We are sorry that you did not have a good experience at the Mello Moose and hope that you might try us again in the future. We have had many positive customer interactions. And yes, we are not Ellen, however we hope to bring a great coffee house back to the area. It may take some time but we are willing to put in the effort! We truly believe customer feedback is important to our business. We are always available to speak with our customers about the likes, dislikes, and improvements that we can make. We wished we had the opportunity to talk to you about your disappointment while you were there.
Hope you give us another try in the future! Mark and Mo

Perfect response from the restaurant owner! On this forum we have seen other business owners respond and react negatively to comments and criticism and I think that hurts their business immensely. I wish you much success.

[Eyeboat]

The day we visited I believe Mark may have been in the back. The lady that waited on us, not Mo, was very nice, inviting, and all smiles. Definitely give MM another try sooner rather than later.

[winnipiseogee]

What a great place and addition to Meredith. I've been in at least a half dozen times now and the coffee, baked goods, and breakfast sandwiches have all been great. Plus, everyone there is incredibly nice.

Its wonderful that Meredith has a great coffee shop again!!!!

[Spider Girl]

Appreciate the response from the owners, and I will give you another try. In my defense, one of the reasons that I didn't say anything that day was because you were busy when we were leaving, and I didn't want to bring up issues in front of other customers. My recommendation is that you stop by tables, introduce yourself, and solicit feedback (as in "anything we can do to improve your experience?") directly. That way you will get to know us, and we you. Because you are new and trying to make the best impression, you need to be especially careful that what you serve is the top notch -- every time. If the bacon in my sandwich was like that pictured, it would have been fine. When I say burned, I mean BLACK and bitter.

But ... that was then, and the Forum feedback indicates that most people are enjoying this new restaurant. I'll chalk it up to opening jitters.

[sky's]

omg. Mark as a previous customer of yours in the sign business you always treated me and my business the best with great attention to detail. i wish you and your wife the absolute best and i personally have no doubt you will do very very well in your new venture. best wishes

[Long Island Baba]

With all the chatter here on the Forum I stopped into the new shop today. The sign said "Dirty Chai". Not knowing what that was, I asked and found out it was Chai with a shot of expresso. Certainly known to Starbucks fans, but likely not Dunkin diehards like me. The drink was available in vanilla or spice. I chose vanilla. I tell you it was marvelous! Absolutely marvelous!
I decided to stay and have a breakfast sandwich, the egg and cheese on croissant. It was light, fluffy and went down in a few bites.
There was also a small sampling of muffins and other small bites (cookies, eclairs, etc). Vegan and gluten free labels were on the display.
I was very pleased with my first visit and will keep them on the radar.

[MaidenCove07]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

Perfect response from the restaurant owner! On this forum we have seen other business owners respond and react negatively to comments and criticism and I think that hurts their business immensely. I wish you much success.

I agree, nicely said! Looking forward to giving you a try!

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by baygo

How unfortunate that you were "very disappointed" with your initial visit. We also really liked Ellen a lot and I am one of those who is resistant to change. To that point I have to state that Mo's welcoming smile ushered me through and I've been back several times. The issues you bring to light can remind all of us of just how challenging the restaurant business can be. The same piece of bacon can be undercooked for one person while over cooked for the other. I went by this morning and purchased my 7th bacon egg and cheese breakfast bagel since they opened. (This item is stressing my efforts to eat gluten free) Each has been consistent in its preparation.

I've witnessed significant growth in their traffic and overheard a lopsided majority of people volunteer positive feedback on the way out the door.

I like you, too wish them well and I hope they succeed. We do however have a different understanding of how we can play a role in helping. When you do go back, if you find something is less than your liking perhaps if you pull Mo or Mark aside and express your disappointment you'll provide them the opportunity to make it right.

I am in no way affiliated with this place other than as a customer. As a matter of fact I own a seasonal competing business. I rely on the Mello Moose to continue doing a great job and delivering a great product as it will provide a tool of motivation for me with my staff.

It doesn't look like a very good breakfast bagel to me, I'm not sure I could eat it.
Although it might have looked better if it hadn't of been wrapped in aluminum foil for an extended period if time.
The presentation for what you get there might have been a better image for us to see.

[baygo]

Originally Posted by Rusty

It doesn't look like a very good breakfast bagel to me, I'm not sure I could eat it.
Although it might have looked better if it hadn't of been wrapped in aluminum foil for an extended period if time.
The presentation for what you get there might have been a better image for us to see.

I took and shared the picture to show how much/little the bacon was cooked in response to another post. Food is very difficult to photograph. It did look much better in front of me and tasted even better.

I've enjoyed two sandwiches there once a week ever since.