Dobbies in Midlothian

This place goes from bad to worse. Service is at snails pace - the staff clearly wish they were somewhere ( anywhere) else. No urgency, no smiles - just awful. If any of these staff worked in any stand alone coffee shop they would be dismissed. If this coffee shop wasn’t attached to a garden centre it would have closed by now. All that said all the faults are entirely down to the local management. There is clearly inadequate training and inadequate supervision leading to what looks like a totally cheesed off work force. Just awful.

Dearie me forty minutes of my life I won’t get back The Division of Labour is supposed to speed things up but this establishment has reversed the process huge queues uncleared tables overrun staff unable to cope they really need to employ more staff and serve each customer individually on all their requirements and get up to speed on how the discount card scheme works and get lessons on elementary arithmetic

Tepid coffee and the worst fruit scones we've ever had period! Cake sizes and price ridiculous We stopped into the cafe after browsing around the shop for tea/coffee and a couple of fruit scones. The scones were inedible and went to powder on the plate. Someone obviously got the ingredients wrong and missed the eggs or had the incorrect milk amount. As soon as you cut them they went powdery like compressed crumble mix. Customer service practically non existent so we will be going to Calders at Kinross in future. Such a disappointment as it used to be amazing.

Lovely clean restaurant with friendly efficient staff, we had Scrambled egg on toast, this was lovely but the portions were way to big

Had coffee and cake at Debbie’s and then bought plamts and a large pot that was reduced in the sale. It was only when I looked at the receipt my husband had, that we had pod the full price on the pot nd not the reduced one!!!! Went to Caulders in Kinross today and good job I checked the receipt at the car as the 50% had not been taken off!!! Talk about being ripped off1

Nice place for a catch up with friends - that is once you've been served! Four of us met on Tuesday of this week and the service was very slow. There were no snacks for people not wanting to eat sweet things........yes, the cakes look very tempting but not for everyone. In most cafes there are cheese and crackers available, as was in the old days of Dobbies...come on, you're spoiling it for a lot of oldies like myself who feel left out when my friends are indulging in cakes and scones and i simply have a tea or a coffee!

I used to love the food in dobbies,but unfortunately its went downhill,food today was bland and dry.i wish i had taken a photo,will not be back

Dreadful. Utter chaos. Queued 25 minutes for a pot of tea. 2 staff serving drinks, each as slow as the other and obviously floundering. No trace of anything resembling "management". No trays. No saucers. Clearly not enough staff. And having to queue behind endless coffees, made slowly. One cup at a time. Used to have better, faster staff and a separate counter to get your own drinks. Something needs to change. Even somebody with hospitality experience, could stand at the front for 5 minutes and know this place is as poorly run/organised as possible. I'll not be back until something changes

Food good . But cleanliness of seats disgusting . Filthy beyond belief . When I reported this They said they steam cleaned them every 2 days . Lies !!

Very slow been 30 mins and no service not got drinks yet Sitting here for help came at 1 today and been no 50 😭😡 we are very hungrey

Large unattractive, noisy cafe area with background noise further exacerbated by canned music. Service is pathetically slow and the staff failed to engage with customers so much so that our coffee order was incorrect. Scones might be of a good size but they were dry and not up to Dobbies usual standard. Treacle scone must have had only enough treacle to colour the scone as it was flavourless. Child’s baby chino had no chocolate or marshmallow topping which greatly disappointed our granddaughter who also didn’t like her scone! Very disappointing.

I took my wife, daughter, mother and mother in law for Mother’s Day breakfast which was lovely. The service was fast, efficient and the servers couldn’t be more helpful, they even gave the mothers a delicious free cake to take away which was a lovely touch. To top that we also had a booking for afternoon tea and this time it was even better. The store manager welcomed us to our seat with a smile and once more, the service was excellent and the sandwiches and cakes were delicious. There was also Prosecco and a lovely bunch of roses were given when we had finished. Nothing was too much hassle and we were made to feel very welcome, so much so, we will definitely be back. The manager and store colleagues in Dunfermline are a credit to Dobbies. Unfortunately these days there too many reviews about bad service received so it’s only right that good customer service is recognised as well.

Adequate food, slow service, poor coffee. It was busier than the quality of food deserved, it's probably because it's easily reached by car and has a large parking area - I can't think of any other redeeming features!

I met my friend for lunch and ordered lentil soup but lady return to say there was no lentil soup then our second option a baked potato was also unavailable- this has happened on more than one occasion. So instead of sitting in the food section we decided to go to the cafe instead for tea and cake, where we had to queue for a while to be served by a rude and dismissive member of staff. when we finally got our tea and scones the tables were all dirty and chairs were filthy. And the tea pot had not been cleaned properly. All in all not a good customer experience as a regular customer of dobbies I expect better.

The food is great and good value, the setting is great. The service and the attitude of the waiting staff is the problem. They just don’t care and it shows. Very unfortunate as it would have been so good otherwise.

I left a highly negative review on this site in 2021 vowing that I would never return to this cafe/restaurant. However, yesterday a friend persuaded me to give it another go. We waited 25 minutes in a long queue late afternoon , to be served two drinks and one cake ( all overpriced) and this despite 4 staff serving. There appeared to be no proper system with staff looking out of their depth, disinterested, making no eye contact and offering no smiles of welcome nor proffering thanks. The staff I encountered need immediate training in customer service because they are a dismal reflection on the hospitality industry. The environment is far from relaxing and with no soft furnishings to cushion sound, it is noisy and clattery with two dogs barking in the background only adding to the chaotic, shambolic & highly unpleasant atmosphere. I have now visited this place twice and, on both occasions, have left in a bad mood due to the aforementioned shortcomings. I am intrigued to know why, in spite of may similar negative reviews, this cafe/restaurant has NOT taken on board their customer's comments. It requires a robust and experienced manager to give the place, and it's staff, a complete overhaul. I do not recommend it and will definitely not be returning.

We decided to call in for tea/coffee and cake. There were about 4 cakes left and one cream scone so we opted for the coffee only. The coffee was fine but the young lady who served me was anywhere but on the job! To say she wasn't interested was an understatement! Not our best experience!

The restaurant was cold, the service was very slow, mix up with staff knowing who was serving. Cream tea, margarine instead of butter, clotted cream out of date expired 9th Feb, this was 22nd Feb! Expect better, staff very nice but not great!

This establishment is horrible! To start we went in only to find that we had to wait half an hour for our table and there was barely any customers in the restraunt(no surprise there). We went and looked at the fish and then after half an hour we finally got seated. It took the staff 20 minutes to even recognise that we were there but still ignored us for the next 10 minutes. We finally got our food and the fish and chips is super greasy by the way and did not taste very good. Then to top it all of there was a dog barking for about an hour straight extremely loudly and the owner did not do anything about it.PLEASE DO NOT GO HERE, IT IS TERRIBLE!

Really disappointed in the soft play Carol who used to supervise has now been moved for some reason,surely her experience would be better utilised in the soft play. This is a very poor management decision and should be reviewed.

The scones are awful, tried to cut it in half and it went into pieces! Tried to add butter & jam, joke, wouldn’t spread was just a pile of dough, lattes only luke warm after asking for extra hot! Not in a hurry to return.

I thought Dobbies gave something for your birthday. And even though I have a members card, I had nothing!

ordered fish and chips and portion size was so small i genuinely thought they had mistaken it for a kids meal. It was absolutely freezing, we waiting a very long time to be served and wont be coming back, kids meal was cold and undercooked

While the scones were tasty, I have never had one that was more crumbly than this! Impossible to spread the cool butter and then jam. At £14.73 for 2 coffees and 2 scones it was a disappointment of a Sunday afternoon treat.

What is going on at Dobbies? Very disappointed after visit yesterday with my partner and granddaughter. Firstly the play centre was unmanned, meaning that i had to join a long very slow moving queue for coffee. This meant that I couldn't watch my granddaughter playing...

The date and time of the email matter very little with Dobbies. I go here due to the membership but every time I come the coffee is always very weak or burnt tasting from adding direct boiling water. They use to have some very limited...

Very disappointed. Hadn't been for a while. Service at coffee counter very slow which resulted in a long Q forming. Sandwiches were made with thick dry bread & filling very poor quality. Nothing to select for young children.

Thank you to the restaurant staff at Dobbies Dunfermline for a wonderful Festive Afternoon Tea. Warm welcome, shown to pre-booked table, all the staff were attentive, friendly and helpful, even the young trainee, it was only her 2nd day. The food was delicious and well...

First time going to Dobbies cafe and won’t be rushing back anytime in the near future if at all to be honest. Got seated straight away. Though wasn’t particularly busy. Sat for 25 minutes with menu down trying to get the waitress attention so could...

The staff are great however the restaurant is SO COLD that everyone around us, and ourselves, had to keep our coats on. Not exactly cosy and relaxing. Also the two Americanos were undrinkable.

Not been in a long time and decided to take my partner and would go and get a sandwich to go with my birthday treat with my dobbies card. The queue was huge as normal. One staff member trying her best to serve every customer...

I booked a softplay session with 3 children under 4, thankfully I got in early and got a table, others that had booked were not so lucky as people that hadn’t booked were just walking in and taking the tables of pre booked people. I...

I'd overlooked how busy it can be in Dobbies at the weekend and so apparently had the restaurant manager. There weren't enough staff for the number of customers. We were sat very quickly but then had to wait 20 minutes for a member of wait...

Dobbies/Waitrose when are you going to look at your reviews and do something about it? This month I'm foregoing my free monthly coffee because the service and food is so poor, you have young staff floundering in your restaurant with no guidance, there are other...

Booked place at soft play. Coffee bar in soft play unmanned and no staff were in attendance for full hour+ session. Did this meet minimum safety standards? And device at main coffee bar was slow. 2minutes to get two coffees. Not a good experience

My friend and I went for coffee and cake today. Long queue to get served as only 2 people serving. We both ordered a scone and a drink. Both scones were simply the worst scones we’ve ever had. They just fell apart when trying to...

Second visit this month to meet friends for coffee and cake. Absolutely freezing on both visits, couldn’t take coats off and looking around everyone else had theirs on too. All 3 friends decided we will not return to Dobbies in the future and will chose...

Went on Saturday morning for Breakfast. The restaurant was very cold . Ordered 2 full breakfast s and Tradional Breakfast. When they arrived they were wrong . Scrambled eggs instead of fried . Breakfast taken away replaced with another wrong order. Items missing. They then...

The restaurant was extremely cold, the service was very slow. Couldn’t take my coat off as so cold. Not enjoyable at all! Had to leave!

The prices in the cafe are absolutely a rip off. The Cakes were stale. Staff look miserable and do not want to be there.

Food was poor,drinks lukewarm and staff disorganised, the staff are young people with what looks like no motivation at all, sat for 15 minutes before asking for someone to take our order, sat quite near the till and 4 staff stood and chatted. There seems to be no manager or senior member of staff overseeing the floor, it definitely needs this....its a shame it let's the place down.

Awful…sat for 15 mins waiting for service waving at disinterested staff, eventually ordered…after 20 mins food arrived after tea had been served but tea was stone cold…sandwiches were awful, stale bread and soup was cold with a skin on it…ordered fresh tea as it had been sitting for 45 minutes and when we paid we had to complain as we were charged for second tea. Absolute shambles, everyone was waiting for over 30 mins while staff stood chatting to each other. Over £35 for a terrible lunch. For some reason, enough salad for a portion for 2 and a sandwich with 2 cubes of chicken and 1 bit of bacon for almost £9. Avoid at all cost!

We waited 20 mins to be served coffee. Everyone was bringing their drinks back as it wasn’t hot hence the delay. The girl serving was slow and didn’t look interested. 4 people in front of me gave up and left. I definitely won’t be renewing my Membership next year. Please train your staff properly and we might not be so exasperated.

Awful nonsensical service. We came for brunch and a soft play. At 11:15 we were told we were too late for breakfast food but we had to wait until 11:25 before we could order for lunch. We had coffee then came back at 11:35 then we were told we had to wait until 12 because ppl having breakfast hadn’t finished yet and it was too busy, even though I spotted at least 10 empty tables. I later found out breakfast doesn’t finish until 11:30 so the staff member either lied or hadn’t a clue what she was doing. They don’t allow hot food in the soft play so we couldn’t have lunch while the kids played, didn’t have time for soft play by the time we’d finished lunch as the last soft play is at 1:15. We were told at the lunch area they don’t do babyccinos even though I’d already seen other parents order them at the cafe. What else? Oh yeah I’d ordered a kids picnic box which should have come included as a free meal with an adult meal but was told this wasn’t part of the deal, then I saw it was listed on the kids menu as part of the deal. The staff seem to make up the rules as they are going. It was a total faff and a nightmare. I’m sick of dobbies now every time we come it’s a disaster. We’re vegan and the only vegan sandwich on the menu isn’t stocked at this dobbies for some reason so we couldn’t eat in the cafe even if we wanted to, restaurant is only option but stupid rules about not having hot food in the soft play cafe, well why don’t you put decent cold food options on then? The service is painfully slow and the staff are all untrained, coffee cold and rank. We arrived hoping to eat at 11:30 and don’t eat until 1pm. While we were in the queue my son was crying because he wanted to go to soft play but I had to explain we couldn’t because mummy and daddy need to eat something we hadn’t eaten since 6am and they don’t allow the only food we can eat in the soft play. The man in front of me in the queue overheard and said how stupid the rule was and that they go to dobbies in Stirling where they do allow adults to have meals in the soft play. Why different rules for different branches? Gutted because we love coming to dobbies and it’s really convenient for us but after this I dont recommend and won’t be coming back.

If you have plenty of time it's fine we had a lovely coffee and cream scone but waited over 30 minutes to be served not ideal if like us ur on a coach trip and have limited time not enough staff in my opinion hope it improves.

My husband and I were cheerfully met by Ellen and shown to our table. It was an absolute pleasure as she explained the breakfast menu to us en route, later checking we were ok. The staff who took our orders were equally as friendly and cheerful and again, it was a pleasure to eat the delicious well presented food in such a lovely atmosphere created by such wonderful staff. We will be back very soon

I went with my friend for breakfast and couldn’t ask for better service. I particularly want to give Lennon a first class review. He is really friendly, always smiling, nothing’s ever too much bother for him, he goes above and beyond. If he was my...

Great for a little garden shopping and coffee, cake or meals. Cream tea is really lovely but you have to book in advance. Highly recommend

I was shocked to hear that the best server in the restaurant has gone .Isobel was one of the kindest, hard working and lovely people I have ever known in hospitality. She always had time for customers and made my old man smile . My...

Lovely staff, shame about the toasties. I should have been altered when it only too minutes for my lunch to appear. If I pay £8 for a cheese and ham toastie, I expect more than 2 lightly toasted lukewarm limp white bread, with one slice...

Had a lovely walk round shop then went for some lunch the waitress was rude kept rolling her eyes every time we asked for something I my self asked for the tomato soup as there was no lentil left was told there was none left...

Booked afternoon tea. Was delicious. Lovely quality sandwiches and scones delicious. Unlimited tea. Great food.

Nothing has changed - long slow queue, not enough working staff, rich prices and canteen style experience. I suspect the only reason people come here is the free hot drinks on their Dobbies card. There are much better options with some of the local independents.

Terrible experience in the cafe. Was there there at 4pm and had to queue for 15 minutes for a coffee. Only 2 staff working and tables were dirty and uncleared. Thankfully coffee was nice.

The cafe is nice but there is very few staff working. They seem all arguing and stressed they take ages to get your order and they never even smile at you. Very disappointing.

Both myself s d my mum are coeliacs and out of everything in the cafe the only thing NGI was a chocolate slab cake, no other option with so many cakes, scones, sandwiches this is the poorest option I’ve seen in a long time in...

Went to Dobbies in Dunfermline today, served by the wonderful Isobel and her wee team of attendants. The sandwiches and cream delicacies and scones were delicious and such friendly service, topped by Isobel’s charm, humour and winning smile. Great value and felt special! Thank you...

We regularly attend the soft play and the staff are always friendly. We were on Monday morning again and I think it was Carole, could not have been friendlier.

Went in for coffee and scones, waited about 15 minutes to be served. The 2 young people behind the counter were so slow and looked liked they didn’t want to be there.the girl who served me got my order wrong then had to go look...

Visited for drinks and a cake - cakes served on filthy plates - had to ask for replacements. No glasses provided for canned soft drinks, when asked glasses we were given could not be used as covered in marks and greasy fingerprints. Considering the prices...

we decided to go to Dobbies for lunch as at our previous visit we were served by a young girl who quite frankly should not be serving customers. She was so miserable but when there were no customers she would be laughing and joking. This...

Took my mother for lunch today the service was shocking when eventually our order was taken we were informed of a 30 min wait for food ,fair enough it was busy enough not full .when the food arrived the order was wrong and the order...

I have never been so cold as I was sitting in this restaurant . I spoke to one of the staff who told me that they were just not putting the heating on. Totally unacceptable . We paid a premium to eat here and they...

coffee is good but scones very doughy I can never finish one, they really could do better staff are a lot better but could still improve

Had to wait 25 mins just to order and when they bothered the waitress was having cannot be bothered day When the food arrived the potato’s were not cooked and clearly frozen and the stuffing was the same Would not visit again

Visited here this week for coffee and cake. The queue was right out into the shop and was not moving at all. Apparently there was only one person working at this counter. We stood for ages and ages then I asked to speak to a...

Very long wait for tea after asking 3 times … disappointed However Isobel was the most loveliest and attentive waitress! Went above and beyond - really lovely and funny too 🥰

service was shocking waited nearly 2 hours for coffee and cake would have liked some cooked food but would have to wait again as this was served from other side of resturant

Don't normally have coffee etc at Dobbies due to previous experiences. Met a friend today queued for coffee. Service was awful time they got their act together. Girl who served me was hopeless very slow. My friend's coffee was cold. She took it back was...

Wanted to go in for lunch, told a 35 minute wait for a table despite many clearly empty & clean tables. Decided to grab a sandwich on the other side instead. Queued for 15 - 20 minutes (couple in front of us left they were...

We go to Dobbies on a regular basis as it us local but the service today was appalling, despite having 3 people working in the coffee shop the service was so sl it w it was almost completely no existent. It was 1.20pm and they...

Very disappointing trip for lunch with the family, 30min wait for a table due being busy. Restaurant was probably at 30% capacity at the most. After a wait to order there was multiple items unavailable then after ordering being told other items were not available....

What a disappointment, firstly it turned out we stood in the wrong queue at the hot beverage and pastry servery to then be told hot food was served on the opposite side of the restaurant. Directional signage needs to be improved. In any case, the...

For the third time in a month we visited Dobbies, Dunfermline to take advantage of their cream scone deal to be told that there were none left. The offer only starts at 2pm and yet that can be the response at 2.30pm and 3pm. If...

The lengthy queues just to get a coffee are ridiculous, the amount of time staff only using 1 or 2 of the coffee machines when there's a queue of 10-20 people. Also , you usually have to clear your own table , simply not good...

Deary Deary Me! The sullen incompetent staff specialists in rudeness are possibly the worst I have experienced. Such a shame but really food products touched by staffer hands and snippy response when challenged, even then got the simple order wrong ! Add that to FILTHY...

We met friends here to have lunch. We enjoyed tasty good value food served by a very pleasant waitress in nice surroundings. Recommended.

We were here for plants and decided to have scones and coffee whilst we were there. There were new coffee machines being installed and training going on at the usual counter so we were directed to a table and received waitress service which was very...

In the past I have avoided Dobbies as I have found the staff very unhelpfu, ignorant and at times rude. Today I met a very cherished friend there for coffee and cake and was pleasantly surprised at the welcome. We were encouraged to use the...

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch on Saturday and fantastic service from our server Isobel who really cares about her customers and made us feel really welcome. Food was great too

My sister and I decided to go for breakfast and Dobbies was close by, so we went there. On the menu they had rosemary sourdough with avocado and pico de gallo they also offer a selection of items you can purchase separately. Both of us...

We visited the garden centre on a busy Saturday lunchtime and as you do the Mrs and I looked at each other and thought – Lunch! There appears to be two sides to the cafe. One selling drinks and sweet treats at a self service...

Went here for lunch because a while back they had a whole cabinet of the most sumptuous desserts but sadly not now. There were a few but when I requested a slab of one for my husband, which was displayed in cabinet on a plate,...

I stopped here because i thought it would be convenient to get coffee and a sandwich while buying some plants. I got expensive and tasteless food served by surly staff in unpleasant surroundings. I’ll never go back.

Once upon a very long time ago it was my first week at work too. The first couple of times it goes wrong are learning opportunities. Make them work for you and don’t let them turn into regular mistakes. Good luck to all the new...

I was with my husband on this occasion and we were both disappointed with the member of staff behind the counter (the one not wearing a mask)! Everything seems to be a hassle for her and it is off-putting to say the least. Once we...

Decided to go here today for a last minute lunch with my mum and was very impressed! Our waitress Isobel was outstanding, couldn't have been nicer and was very accommodating. My mum said she's been served by Isobel a few times and has always been...

Went to Dobbies today to meet friends. Quickly seated and then we were approached by Isobel to take our order. I have never met a friendlier, cheerier person. She took time to make sure we had everything we wanted - all done with a smile...

It’s a month since I came here last, the reason being the attitude of the coffee bar member of staff. Firstly, she never wears a mask so should be elsewhere in the shop rather than customer facing. Last month when I came in I handed...

Had a soft play birthday party at the start of January and had to leave a review after such a great experience. Booking and preordering kids meals was straight forward and changes to the booking were handled well. In these times of rising Covid cases,...

Having coffee in Dobbies Dunfermline, very annoyed at being served by someone not wearing a mask, I’m sure she has an exception but she should not be serving food.

We have just visited Dobbies at Dunfermline for “Breakfast with Santa” and it was such an enjoyable experience for children. They had access to the Soft Play area before and during breakfast and then when Santa arrived, there were games for the children to join...

Four of us met here recently for our usual catch up and enjoyed our coffees and cakes! My only complaint is there isn't enough low sugar snacks available now for people with various illnesses! I always selected the crackers and cheese children's options before the...

Isobel in the restaurant is honestly the best asset you have , first class service , friendly polite and efficient .

Took my 2 year old to see santa, what a shambles the place was freezing. We were to be there for 12 15, got there 2 min early to be met by a big queue. Not good as a 2 year old cant wait long...

My husband and I went down to Dobbie's Dunfermline today for a light lunch only to find at 1pm there were no sandwiches or hot snacks,. When I asked a member of staff she just said "that's all there was". We are both Club holders...

Had breakfast this morning. Isobel was great as she has been in the past too. Food was quick and tasty

Had breakfast today, served by Isobel. The food was excellent, service was excellent, very friendly waitress and superb service. Nothing was too much trouble. Love the new layout and way of service. Will definitely be back.

Took a wander into dobbies yesterday and shared a croque madame and chip shop chips with my wife. Just as good as any iv tasted! Our server Isobel was an absolute diamond and could not have been more attentive.

Great service today from Isobel in the restaurant. Very welcoming, friendly and amusing. So refreshing in these dark times if COVID.