Road trip advice - places to avoid!

[WANDERER]

I thought I'd start a thread about this as its something I beleive needs to be heard and reinforced.

The purpose of this thread is simple, if you have had a bad consumer experience whilst road tripping around Australia's coastline then share it with the folk on here, I will add to the list below so that we can all see at a glance the horrible joints to be avoided.

Why haven't I done a list for the good places to visit? well, basicly because most places out there supply a reasonable level of service and product, and if that's the case they will do alright, the list would have minmal effect anyway.
But in the case of businesses supplying bad services/product, then its my opinion that they don't deserve our money or patronage, they only have themselves to blame, it's our responsibility that we look out for our fellow roadtrippers and at the same time make sure that these dodgey operators aren't rewarded with our business.

Make sure you are willing to stand by your coments, if you aren't then don't post.

THE SHIT LIST!!

1) Legends Cafe / Neumann's Service station, Pacific Hwy, Kew, NSW.
2) Jin Hong Chinese Restaurant, 91 Victoria St, Taree NSW 2430.
3) Beijing Chinese Seafood Restaurant, @ Crescent Head Country Club

[WANDERER]

Business: Legends Café / Neumann's Service station, Pacific Hwy, Kew, NSW:
Offence: Poor customer servise and sub standard product

I stopped here on my way home from Crezzo yesterday, I was tired from lack of sleep and hours of surfing and drinking over the last 4 days, I went in and waited for the person in front of me to finish being served, when it was my time I stepped up to the counter and greeted the attendant in a polite fashion, I quickly noted that the attendants attitude had changed rapidly from the time I came to his attention, this was bizarre as I wasn't aware of being offensive in any way nor was I wearing any offensive items of clothing, I placed my order for a 'home made pie' and a large flat white with 2 sugars, I was given the pie straight from the warmer and a ticket for the coffee. Now, in this joint there really is nowhere to wait near the counter as it is in very close proximity to the front of the store (under 1.5metres) off to the left looks to be a small servo type general store, to the right, a small diner style room full of tables and chairs and bikey paraphernalia, this room adjoined the kitchen where no doubt my coffee was being painstakingly prepared, this seemed like th obvious place towait, I looked around the walls while I waited, after about 3 or 4 minutes I sat at the table closest to the front of the café nearest to the counter where I was served, another 2 or 3 minutes passed, yet still no coffee, I looked back towards the junk on the walls in the bikey dump for another 3 or 4 minutes, then sat down again, fearing my pie was getting cold I opened the bag and started nibbling on the home made junk inside, seriously, a saggy looking, soggy unbaked pastry, minimal gravy and z-grade minced beef (or at least that was what I assumed it to be) and now also fairly cold abomination, oh well, spilt milk and all that jazz, finally, after about 10+ minutes I hear the rude prick at the counter call my order "a large flat white!", dunno what the bloody number was for? I push the pie back in the bag and momentarily leave it on the table near the exit whilst I proceed to his counter to collect my coffee, yet again the arsehole scowls at me as I collect my coffee, then he leans over the counter points to the table where my pie was sitting in its bag and in a rude tone in front of the other customers "mate, can you take your take away and eat it somewhere else" a bit flabbergasted but too tired to argue I reply "no problems", and simply collect my pie and leave without a fuss. Once back in my car I soon realised that my coffee had no sugar.

So, I was treated in a rude and unwelcome manner, I was served a rubbish pie that I would never ever endorse, not even as dog food, I was made to wait 10 minutes+ for a coffee (even though there was nobody in the café or waiting for an order other than me) and finally when the coffee was prepared I was told to leave with the 'takeaway' that I had bought from the premises in question and found that the coffee had not been made to my simple request of including two sugars.

Be warned there are plenty of similar businesses within 20 metres of this dodgey dive, do not give these people your business.

[sean--]

Not too sure about the bad ones but some good ones come to mind. The Big T roadhouse just south of the Catho Hill Bay turnoff was a pretty good hamburger spot as is the Bewong servo cafe going south.

[steve shearer]

good sydney quality coffee

That comment could be written in jest so I'll restrain my natural impulse to have a swing at it....

[danw]

Not too sure about the bad ones but some good ones come to mind. The Big T roadhouse just south of the Catho Hill Bay turnoff was a pretty good hamburger spot as is the Bewong servo cafe going south.

still is good hamburger

[Yuke Hunt]

just about everywhere on the east coast north of sydney is shit. I really can't think of anywhere i'd recommend. There's a cafe in macksville on the street behind the highway that does good sydney quality coffee and OK food.

good sydney quality coffee

That comment could be written in jest so I'll restrain my natural impulse to have a swing at it....

mmmm ... beat me to it Mr Shearer ... must be Dino's wacky "cents" of humor ... good coffee ... he he he ... I can get world class coffee in numerous locations up in these here parts … hey us northern yokels … do more than just play banjo … squeal like a long – flat – decaf – soy – light – latte … boy.

[Kunji]

Kiama. Dont stop there. Drive straight through.

[Buff_Brad]

good sydney quality coffee

That comment could be written in jest so I'll restrain my natural impulse to have a swing at it....

Sydney and Torino (Italy) have the world's best coffee hands down. But it's tricky to find perfect coffee even in Sydney. Country towns including Byron forget it. Perfect coffee doesn't need any sugar......even if you like sugar with it. Try Balmain , Bondi Beach , Darlinghurst. Maybe somewhere up at Avalon (just to make Dino happy) but perfect coffee is as rare as hen's teeth. USA - nowhere maybe one place in Soho NYC. UK nowhere ...... great cups of tea though. That is all.

[steve shearer]

oh , this is killing me.
Dino and Buff Brad unite over the perfect cup of coffee.
Fcuck peace in the middle east, a couple of coffee snobs speaking without irony about their quixotic search and disappointment outside the major cities is a far greater prize.
Just beautiful.
There's an old bloke up here called Bazz who'd vote for Pauline Hanson if given half a chance who has a coffee plantation; you can stop in there and pick up a bag of freshly roasted beans (it's just past the Macadamia Castle on the Pac Highway) and grind 'em up.
It smells and tastes pretty good and gives you a good buzz.
It's not bad as a pre-surf or post surf hit.
It's called Knockrow Ridge coffee, and he only uses the patchouli infused urine of Nimbin virgins to fertilise his bushes.
Be careful around politics though or gay issues if you are sensitive to severe homophobia.

[Yuke Hunt]

Name of and location and type of coffee or go back to wrestling hogs.

OK … given that choice I’ll stick with the hogs … strawberries to pigs and all … you swine.

[bohdidontsurf]

oh , this is killing me.
Dino and Buff Brad unite over the perfect cup of coffee.
Fcuck peace in the middle east, a couple of coffee snobs speaking without irony about their quixotic search and disappointment outside the major cities is a far greater prize.
Just beautiful.
There's an old bloke up here called Bazz who'd vote for Pauline Hanson if given half a chance who has a coffee plantation; you can stop in there and pick up a bag of freshly roasted beans (it's just past the Macadamia Castle on the Pac Highway) and grind 'em up.
It smells and tastes pretty good and gives you a good buzz.
It's not bad as a pre-surf or post surf hit.
It's called Knockrow Ridge coffee, and he only uses the patchouli infused urine of Nimbin virgins to fertilise his bushes.
Be careful around politics though or gay issues if you are sensitive to severe homophobia.

fcuk thats gold Steve, good to wake up to some funny shit about BB. Love it.

[Trev]

Maybe re-name this "The Coffee Thread"

ps. Coffee is coffee. It's all sh*t.
Tea, now.....

[Jake_ddsn]

Can I just say a few things.
I grew up around Creso on the east coast. I now live in Sydney.
Obviously customer service is more laid back and they arent trying to win everyones business because they can rely on locals. Its more of a country style customer service, no bullshit.
Coffee - I am a big coffee drinker and I can vouch to say there is only a handful of good coffee places around Creso and surronding towns, in saying this though, its a smaller area of course great coffee is not going to be as easily found as it is in Sydney.

On an ending note you go on a roadtrip to rough it and experience surfing. If you worried about customer service and the quality of coffee, go on a guided bus tour of Europe or something.

Harden Up.

[dUg]

Business: Coles, Torquay

Offence: calling Fritz a stupid name

Couple of years ago at the Rip Curl Pro I went to that big Coles in Torquay for provisions. At the Deli Counter I saw this stuff that looked like Fritz, so I said to the bored looking lady,in typical SA style, "two hundred grams of sliced Fritz thanks". She glares at me and says "you mean the ( pointing ) Pareeezah?" Then I see the name tag on it, and it says "Pariser" and I say to her, "what... you call that stuff there Pariser?", and she's like, "yes" in a "well duh" sort of way .

So ummm yeah... don't go there because they have really stupid names for pressed meats.

[Buff_Brad]

oh , this is killing me.
Dino and Buff Brad unite over the perfect cup of coffee.
Fcuck peace in the middle east, a couple of coffee snobs speaking without irony about their quixotic search and disappointment outside the major cities is a far greater prize.
Just beautiful.
There's an old bloke up here called Bazz who'd vote for Pauline Hanson if given half a chance who has a coffee plantation; you can stop in there and pick up a bag of freshly roasted beans (it's just past the Macadamia Castle on the Pac Highway) and grind 'em up.
It smells and tastes pretty good and gives you a good buzz.
It's not bad as a pre-surf or post surf hit.
It's called Knockrow Ridge coffee, and he only uses the patchouli infused urine of Nimbin virgins to fertilise his bushes.
Be careful around politics though or gay issues if you are sensitive to severe homophobia.

fcuk thats gold Steve, good to wake up to some funny shit about BB. Love it.

You're not the only one Bohdi. Yeah great post Steve.......well done.

[Trev]

Business: Coles, Torquay

Offence: calling Fritz a stupid name

Couple of years ago at the Rip Curl Pro I went to that big Coles in Torquay for provisions. At the Deli Counter I saw this stuff that looked like Fritz, so I said to the bored looking lady,in typical SA style, "two hundred grams of sliced Fritz thanks". She glares at me and says "you mean the ( pointing ) Pareeezah?" Then I see the name tag on it, and it says "Pariser" and I say to her, "what... you call that stuff there Pariser?", and she's like, "yes" in a "well duh" sort of way .

So ummm yeah... don't go there because they have really stupid names for pressed meats.

What the fucck is fritz ?

Well, Duh!
It's Pariser

[WANDERER]

Can I just say a few things.
I grew up around Creso on the east coast. I now live in Sydney.
Obviously customer service is more laid back and they arent trying to win everyones business because they can rely on locals. Its more of a country style customer service, no bullshit.

On an ending note you go on a roadtrip to rough it and experience surfing. If you worried about customer service and the quality of coffee, go on a guided bus tour of Europe or something.

Harden Up.

Sounds like a cop out to me.

There's plenty of places that will give you simple effective pleasant service, the ones who are rude or who supply substandard service or products deserve to struggle or go out of business, making excuses like 'country style', 'laid back', 'no bullshit' etc etc is pathetic its actually probably a lot easier to provide good service with a polite manner, nope, it stinks of laziness and arrogance.

As for crezzo, well, that place has a constant and extremely significant flow of tourists of one type of another, I bet that if all those touristy non-local people refused to deal with the business in question then they'd soon find that theyd be in trouble.

No one expects to be waited on hand and foot, but seriously, if your business relys on consumers and their money, you really should make a little effort, the benefits from running your business in a positive manner really pay for themselves, in comparison, well, you deserve to go down the shitter if you can't satisfy even the most basic of customer expectations.

I hear this 'laid back' shit used all the time, I take it to mean 'slow and painful'... I can be laid back without wasting people time.

[Karlos]

Business: Coles, Torquay

Offence: calling Fritz a stupid name

Couple of years ago at the Rip Curl Pro I went to that big Coles in Torquay for provisions. At the Deli Counter I saw this stuff that looked like Fritz, so I said to the bored looking lady,in typical SA style, "two hundred grams of sliced Fritz thanks". She glares at me and says "you mean the ( pointing ) Pareeezah?" Then I see the name tag on it, and it says "Pariser" and I say to her, "what... you call that stuff there Pariser?", and she's like, "yes" in a "well duh" sort of way .

So ummm yeah... don't go there because they have really stupid names for pressed meats.

What the fucck is fritz ?

Well, Duh!
It's Pariser

I've got this sinking feeling that we call it 'devon'.