Have you ever had a love-hate relationship with a place? Well, we do, its name is Astroluxe, a local café on Chesterville Road in Bentleigh east.
What do we love about Astroluxe?
The location is first, close to the neighborhood, 5 minutes walk to a big reserve. So perfect for a nice play with the little ones.
Secondly, the food, of course. Astroluxe has an all-day menu so you don’t have to worry about having any brekkie options there if you’re up late. As a sweet tooth, their Pavlova Pancakes are puffy and full of fruity flavor. It was like a little seasonal fruit fest on my plate.
However, the Organic Vanilla & Almond Porridge my hubby had wasn’t so impressive, based on his taste buds, not as refreshing as he needed that morning. But honestly, I think sweets weren’t really their forte, simply because there were not that many sweet options on the menu.
Why I say we have a love-hate relationship with this place, is quite straightforward, not kids friendly
Not that there is a lack of facilities as there are loads of available high chairs, space is big enough and even has a backyard for customers to enjoy some sunshine. Plus, easy and close by on-street parking which is quite convenient for us to get the littlies in and out. Even their kids’ menu looks fine as well.
But… unfortunately their staff weren’t attentive, and even tried to ignore customers who come in with kids. This is something how we and our friends felt. Thought we were too picky on the customer service, but our instinct was confirmed by a bunch of our friends who went with kids as well.
So when Astroluxe thought they had everything to satisfy the young families, the most important thing is lacking there, AKA the friendly and smiley customer service, with a hint of tolerance and patience towards little customers. Great examples of awesome kids friendly cafe: Franks or Little Tommy Tucker.
Conclusion
To be frank, I’m more than happy to go again just to try out other dishes on the menu since they sound quite nice. But simple advice, if you’re a café located in a residential area, you’re destined to be the host of families with noisy and needy little ones. So pack up your frozen face and deliver some warm greetings and smiles to these groups of customers. They will be the ones who decide if they want to pop in frequently for meals or just their coffee run.
Plus, they will be for sure the ones to show you the power of word of mouth since how their little ones being treated is an essential factor for them to determine if they want to return.
To Astroluxe, you got all the equipment, just need to add some vibe to make these families feel cozy and homey, so they will be willing to spend their precious diaper money and limited breaks at your tables.
Good luck!
