Costa Coffee

I am making a formal complaint about the treatment of my 13-year-old son at your Brighouse Costa store. My son has coeliac disease and was visiting the store with his nan. He placed the order himself and responsibly asked whether the hot chocolate was gluten free, requesting that this be checked. This is exactly what children with allergies are advised to do. The staff member serving him was polite, however the male colleague (tall with blonde mullet style haircut) making the drinks responded in a dismissive and unprofessional manner, saying words to the effect of “How should I know? I’ve got no idea.” When my son then asked what brand the chocolate was and to see the packaging so he could check the ingredients himself, he was spoken to sarcastically and told “Costa brand, of course.” This made him feel embarrassed, belittled, and singled out for asking a legitimate safety question. This behaviour is unacceptable. A child asking about allergens should never be made to feel foolish or uncomfortable, particularly when coeliac disease requires strict avoidance of gluten. The issue here is not a lack of immediate knowledge, but the attitude and tone used when responding. This incident is even more disappointing given that Brighouse is currently difficult to access due to significant roadworks. My son could easily have gone elsewhere but chose to support a local business because he cares about his town. Instead, he was treated in a way that undermines customer confidence and discourages responsible behaviour. This is not the first time this particular staff member has spoken to customers in an unpleasant manner, which makes this incident more concerning. I expect acknowledgement of this complaint, reassurance that appropriate allergy and coeliac awareness training will be reinforced at this store, and confirmation that staff are reminded of the importance of basic customer service and respectful communication especially with children and vulnerable customers.

First time up north, And unfortunately had to have Natalia as my barrista. I came in and asked for a vegan/ dairy free hot chocolate which i know i have had before, before i could explain i dont have an allergy its preference, she aggressively and sarcastically continued to say over and over they dont do vegan so i said i just dont want milk aka i wont oat, She was very sarcastic and loud causing another customer to get involved i said multiple times its ok dont matter and she shoved the allergy book on the counter. No one even asked me if i had an allergy or preference, Tried to embarrass me and was just overall rude

Had a lovely coffee this morning staff very helpful and polite. It was very busy and no free tables. Shame about the selfish people taking up whole tables .There was one woman working with her laptop and work items spread across a table meant for 4 people. Hopefully her work wasn't confidential as she left her laptop open for all to see when she topped up her coffee! Also a man had done the same thing again taking up a table for 4 with his work things. His laptop was charging in the socket next to this table. This man was even drinking his coffee at a different table he was sharing with a lady he obviously knew and not even sat with his work things! A member of staff helpfully shifted his things onto one table for us as he was making no effort to let anyone sit down.

Closes at 7pm, we arrived at 6.20 and the barista was rude and didn't want us in! The man sweeping and cleaning huffed at us and gave bad attitude! To say he's cleaning the stores a total mess crumbs everywhere and the toilets well are absolutely disgusting

I didn't think Costa would survive in Brighouse, mainly because we have a lot of cafes and especially the Merrie England, which has always been popular, but Costa has held it's own and is very popular in it's own right. Love it there