Police called over complaints about the café labelled New Zealand's rudest
A café has received an enormous amount of negative reviews with people suggesting it might be the “rudest” establishment in New Zealand.
The Springfield Cafe, 65 kilometres west of Christchurch, has been blasted by customers in more than 100 savage reviews on TripAdvisor.
Complaints for the Canterbury village café, one of two establishments in Springfield which has a population of just 500 residents, even led to a visit by the police.
Guests shared horrific experiences in scathing reviews of the business, and with 77 people rating it as “terrible”, its 1.5 star rating out of five is hardly surprising. surprise.
Visitors passing through the small down, which has a giant Simpsons-inspired pink doughnut, have warned others not to try the cafe unless they were feeling “brave”.
One reviewer described dining at the cafe was the “worst experience ever possible” and urged others to avoid it at all costs.
“Avoid this place! the lady behind the counter had zero manners and zero respect for her paying customers.”
“The best part of this place was the salt on the average chips. Worst service I’ve ever experienced and the most rudest,” someone else said.
Another woman who dined at the cafe on Sunday said a woman had yelled at her toddler son for roaming around.
In a review titled “the devil is perhaps friendlier”, a customer expressed their disbelief that such a business existed.
“Is the owner perhaps the mother of the devil? So extremely rude and unfriendly, I can’t believe why this cafe exists, how can they survive? I visit never again this cafe. The food is under every standard,” they wrote.
A family who used the cafe’s parking space to stop while they looked at the giant doughnut said they had been chased by two people from the cafe.
“I made the mistake of parking in their carpark and the kids wanted to see the doughnut in the park next door. After that, we planned to stop in for a coffee and a bite, but the two of them actually chased us away,” the review stated.
“They abused and swore at us for parking in their massive empty carpark until we drove off. We vowed never to return! If you want a nice pie without the side order of abuse go down the road to Sheffield.”
Praise for the Springfield Cafe’s pies
In contrast to the huge number of negative reviews, the business had also received praise for its award-winning food.
There were eight five-star ratings from people who seemed particularly impressed with Mrs Cullingford’s pies.
“Had a pie here, and was one of the best I've ever had. Owners very welcoming, and would definitely come back for more. Highly recommend,” a review from Sunday read.
Another positive reviewer said the owners weren’t as bad as they had been made out to be.
“I have eaten here many times on my travels and loved the pies. No they are not the friendliest people but they are not horrible either,” they wrote.
Despite the myriad of terrible reviews, owners Karyn and Donald Cullingford maintain the focus should be on their food, rather than their personalities.
Mrs Cullingford, 60, admitted to Stuff she might come across “grumpy” after working several days without a break, but defended the quality of her cooking.
"I know I make damn good food and... when people diss my food I do get a bit upset,” she told the publication.
Owners taking legal action
The couple have been in touch with a lawyer over the negative reviews, which they believe have kept many potential customers away.
Canterbury Police confirmed to Yahoo News Australia they had received complaints from disappointed customers.
“I can confirm Police have received complaints from customers in the past and have visited the store to follow up those complaints,” a police spokesperson said.
Yahoo News Australia has contacted the business for comment on the matter.
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