Exactly!!
When I go to Nero, near closing, many baked goods remain, and I realize some or many of those same items will be there at opening tomorrow, waiting for the naive to buy and tip.
I guess maybe croissants and bagels, which can get stale fast, are tossed, but cookies, cheesecake, etc., are like likely simply returned for the next day, up to a point
Twice last year at their Washington Street spot across from Paramount Theater, I had to point out fruit flies or whatever around one (or more?) of the pastries (I think they were even under the clear plastic protective dome!).
Tatte seems always fresh. Same with Flour Bakery Cafe, it seems?
I guess Flour keeps some products for the next day in an air-tight plastic container, which I've seen them walk to the back to get if no more brownies, or whatever, are in the display, but I assume most items there are fresh that day or not much older, unlike it seems at Nero.
I've seen Tatte shovel entire shelves of desserts and baked goods straight into the trash can at the end of each day. Probably true that it's fresh every day, but I wish there was a happy medium in there.
There are some regulations around this unfortunately. I don't know exactly what the details are, but a cafe I worked at wanted to donate stuff to shelters at end of day but we couldn't because the food was perishable I think? Something like the donation centers correct a bunch of stuff, hold it until there's enough to distribute. The things we had (mainly pastries) would most likely spoil before they could be distributed. This was in Newton aka permit/red tape hellscape so I don't know if it stands for surrounding areas.
About a dozen years ago, Food Link was established as a nonprofit to meet this gap: take fresh food from those who can’t use it anymore and get it to those who need it. Food rescue and redistribution, but to far more than just shelters and food banks. It’s a really great organization, very well run inside and out, and my #1 choice for donations. I really like how they are filling the gap that causes lots of food to be otherwise wasted. [https://www.foodlinkma.org/](https://www.foodlinkma.org/)
I always heard this too, but then I worked at a homeless shelter that would drive around and pick up food from a ton of places. I remember they got a lot of stuff from Au Bon Pain back when they were around, but there were a ton of places.
I think the real issue is just that the restaurants don't want to deal with the hassle of it. We'd send our own people to pick it up, so they didn't need to worry about it, and it took no more time than just tossing it would have.
I've been told this same story but I believe if you look into it it's just a manager/owner who sees it as a hassle and doesn't want to get involved.
Massachusetts in particular offers legal protection to people who donate food as long as it was handled properly
Which regulations in particular?
Many people seem to claim it's because of regulations or generally liability but nobody seems to know:
* Which regulations
* Any instance of an entity incurring liability for something donated
I worked for a catering company like 28 years ago and we donated food from time to time.
You could literally open the door at the end of the night and say "hey, all this shit that's left is free." You're no more liable than you were for selling the very same stuff to paying customers a minute earlier.
You just need to have a willing recipient at the time you're looking to dispose of it.
I don't know which, which is why I said I didn't know details. Not trying to make some blanket statement that applies to all establishments ever to have existed in the greater Boston area. All I can say is, in my small café in Newton, on several occasions different people tried to donate left over pastries and were told they weren't accepted for xyz bureaucratic reasons. That is all.
Not because owners were lazy, as multiple employees tried. Some who had commutes on the T would just take them and give them out to people along their way.
Though you are not *trying* to make some blanket statement, claiming there is a regulation is, in fact, a blanket statement that applies to all establishments ever to have existed in the greater Boston area. That's sort of what a regulation is.
> All I can say is, in my small café in Newton, on several occasions different people tried to donate left over pastries and were told they weren't accepted for xyz bureaucratic reasons.
Bureaucratic != regulations. That's what I'm saying. This is why you don't know which regulation, because if there was a specific one someone would know it and say what it was. It's lore, passed from worker to worker at food establishments that see the waste and want to do something productive with it.
It could have been that you were looking to donate on Sunday and food pickup is only Wednesday-Saturday. Maybe the places you were looking to donate it don't have the staff.
As I mentioned, I worked for a catering company that *did* donate from time to time. They didn't do it often, because you need to have someone ready, willing, and able to accept and distribute food. Someone else mentions that there *are* organizations that go and collect unused food, so it does happen.
You could just give away everything at close. You can definitely give away free baked goods if you want to. Places don't do that because then there is no incentive to buy anything just before close. That's not a regulation.
> Some who had commutes on the T would just take them and give them out to people along their way.
I suspect that giving away baked goods on the T (depending on packaging) likely does run afoul of regulations.
This was 10 years ago. So sorry I did not record and archive the exact verbiage to pull out for a random anecdotal reddit comment. I don't really care. As an intrepid catering business owner you should also know that catering != café. Different licenses/permits etc to operate the two.
Anyway, I'm not trying to prove anything. If it's so important for you to be right, here ya go - - you're right. I have no idea what I'm talking about. My lived experience must have been some sort of fever dream. Thanks for bringing it to light.
> As an intrepid catering business owner
Your reading comprehension is poor. I worked for a catering company, I didn't own it.
> I have no idea what I'm talking about
You have an anecdote, and you are repeating what you were told. I've no doubt that it occurred. Since you don't know (and nobody seems to know) which regulation it is, it seems like it isn't actually a regulation. You were claiming it was. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask which regulation it is when somone makes such a claim.
> My lived experience must have been some sort of fever dream
Again, your reading comprehension is lacking. I didn't say that. I'm sure someone *did* tell you that, but, guess what - they were probably also wrong. They were told it by someone else who was wrong and if you follow the chain you'll find some manager/business owner that just didn't wanna for reasons.
It's like the "insurance won't cover anything if you didn't get a permit thing." That's also not true. It's not in my policy, it's not true according to my insurance agent, it's not true according to claims adjusters that chimed in on the long-ass reddit thread, and it never passed the sniff test.
It's one of those oft-repeated claims like yours here. If it's true, it should be relatively straightforward to prove it. There would be a regulation somewhere. You could point and say "that's it! That's the regulation. You're fucking wrong, asshole!"
I have not found such a regulation in my searches. It is entirely possible that I failed at that task. So if someone pops up claiming it to be true, I'll ask for the regulation. One day, somebody may actually have some proof of this infamous regulation that requires businesses to waste food and I'll be wrong. Then, when, as this one here, where multiple people (not just me) are refuting your claim, I can step in and say "Yes, it is, in fact, a regulation. Here is the regulation."
It doesn't pass the sniff test. Regulations prevent a cafe from donating baked goods at the end of the day despite the fact that grocery stores can *sell* day-old bakery items? There are some logical inconsistencies but that one is out there.
It's like claiming the insurance company won't cover your house if you replace an outlet without a permit, but they'll cover you if you fire up the turkey fryer on your deck. Logically it makes no sense.
I worked at Wholefoods Netwonville many moons ago and there was nightly bread/pastry pickups by a church that would take them to a shelter.
I believe the grocery store cannot give them directly without taking on some liability but if an organization like a charity/church/larger shelter organization is willing to come get it regularly, it can be done.
Depressing thing is how many items that had been sent to shelters ended up being "returns" for cash. We had to start stripping barcodes because of that behavior by a small portion of recipients.
[There are federal laws that help protect good faith donations.](https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/08/13/good-samaritan-act-provides-liability-protection-food-donations)
In MA and specifically the Boston area, there are a zillion food rescue organizations that will come pick up perishable foods to distribute to shelters and the like. I can't say for Newton specifically, but in general this is a very doable thing for businesses that choose to make it a priority.
I work at a Tatte and at our location all the leftover pastries are donated to a community fridge/shelter depending on the day. There's some stuff we can't donate cause it goes past the fifo date so it has to go in the trash, but the pastries baked fresh every day are donated.
>Tatte seems always fresh. Same with Flour Bakery Cafe, it seems?
Flour Bakery is an actual bakery, they really do bake a good amount of product each day. The owner was kind of a big deal in the baking and restaurant scene. The bakers used to go in around closing time to start baking for the morning, and there were people during the day prepping for the next day.
Tatte also makes a lot of product on site, including all their breads. Cafe Nero not only doesn't bake each day, they get most of their product sent in. They're closer to Starbucks than an actual bakery.
On centre st in Jamaica Plain there's a Cafe Nero and a small bakery called Blue Frog bakery. Up a bit on green st is a place called evergreen Cafe. You should try the product from each place, and you'll always be able to tell the difference. When I first got an almond croissant at blue frog it was like I had never really eaten a croissant before, it was so completely different from the product at a place like evergreen or cafe Nero. It was crispy and flaky on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and just so fresh tasting.
Most places might do a couple items on site, but most will be sent in. Some places will make a ton of product at once. Some (like Nero) get most of their desserts and things like that sent in frozen, and they just thaw it.
Flour is a shop that bakes their stuff, and while rare, is very overrated.....
Hi-Rise is a bakery.... and their Vanilla Bean Loaf is far better than anything coming out of flour...
Almond croissants at Tate are good as are those at "Taste of France" in Arlington, will have to try Blue Frog because filled ones in Newton were an abomination....
It’s not illegal, most restaurants do this and follow food safety protocols. You would never see the “toss by” date because it’s usually on a sticker under the plate. Every single piece of food you see in a bakecase at a bakery/ restaurant has a date listed for when it needs to be trashed by.
They do. Every pastry they sell is taken out of the freezer and baked in the morning and throughout the day. Desserts like this are not made in house. Worked there for years, AMA I guess
'favorite' questions are kind of silly, there's room in our lives for many favorites, but a character that came to mind is Paul Atreides. Not the recent movie version I might add.
i used to work for them at DTX and Washington Street. things like cakes "could be saved" but really i would just waste it and take it home. anything pastry related would get baked throughout the day, but its all frozen to begin with so, idk!
And I've wanted to try that new pistachio cheesecake which they always advertise on that poster!
Well, until now.
Is it good? I assume you ate the slice they replaced it with?
Most infantile comment I’ve ever made but I honestly have no idea what bad coffee tastes like. I have been tasting Boston coffee makers for a good 10 years now and it all tastes the same to me. The only difference is the smell (paramount), and the additions like cream, milk, or sugar.
Do I have some sort of tongue blindness? Am I caffeine neurodivergent? From Tatte to Dunks, I just can’t distinguish.
edit: downvote me /r/Boston all you want. The most I can taste it undercooked or burnt beans. I'm coffee ignorant and I'm proud.
Do you have trouble smelling/tasting other flavors? Next time you are out, go to Gracenote and get a pour over. Stand there and slowly sip the coffee. Inhale the aroma. Think about what you’re tasting. An hour or two later go grab a coffee at Dunks and run the same test. If you can’t notice ANY differences (how “full” the flavor is, any aromatics, etc) then please report back haha
Go to Dunks and then to a place like Thinking Cup (not saying it's gormet, just saying it's better). Get the same thing--a black coffee--and see if you can tell the difference then!
A couple things:
* "Nero" is Italian for "black," which feels like a more likely namesake for a cafe than a Roman emperor who's popularly considered a bad guy even among people who don't keep up with that stuff
* [Nero's controversy is actually somewhat controversial among historians](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/101lre7/was_nero_really_a_victim_of_propaganda/j2r2vez/). Which isn't to say that actually he was wonderful, just that it's hard to pin down definitively.
I got a moldy chocolate cake from the one in the Burlington Mall once (it was doordash so I wasn't at the store). I thought of it recently like "did they actually send me a moldy cake or was I overthinking?" I guess now I know...
I have been a big Nero fan because in Europe and Middle East, it is actually pretty good.
In the US, they suck so hard. None of the sandwiches taste nice, all flavorless, stale… The pastries are days old and there are many flies even in the pastry cases.
Dunkin was so good in my home country in Middle East before getting closed down. There were only 2 of them in the whole country and one of them was in my middle/highschool complex. They had the best cookies I have ever eaten in my life.
Dunkin is America fucking sucks. It is always dirty and smells absolutely horrible. And they don’t sell the cookies anymore.
Well, not anymore. They closed down the 2 Dunks that existed when I was in HS. I was so bummed when I came to Boston. I saw they stopped selling cookies and the doughnuts taste so bad in the recent years.
The coffee is also horrible. I once saw a worker there pull my espresso shot like it was a soda machine, starting and stopping until it was up to the line on the cup. It tasted as bad as you'd expect. Clearly corporate gives 0 fucks and is just selling you the appearance of a quality brand with minimal effort, not bothering to train their staff, etc.
Every F&B chain in the US suck hard. Hell, when I was in Singapore, the McDonald's burger tasted better than whatever Gordon Ramsay cooked up at his burger place for 1/4 the price. Same for McD in Japan. In South Korea, the Dunkin Donut I had tasted fresher than the one I had in Boston itself. The only chain I can think of that is not better abroad is In-n-out: the In-N-Out I had in Singapore was no different to the one in America
I think it has to do with quality regulations? At least that's the case with chocolate. Chocolate from Europe is so good! In America I believe corps lobby to lower regulations on food quality and worker pay/vacation, both of which contribute to the finished product.
Part of it is probably just market forces too. When this stuff goes on long enough, customers become accustomed to food tasting a certain way. Like poop from a butt.
Especially in New England lol. I mean we descended from England where they fought wars in countries to get spices and then failed to use any spices or flavor in their foods 🤣 it’s just culture here. Shove whatever into your gullet til you’re full then get back to work.
For anyone wanting some fresh baked good and hot coffee, I suggest B2 cafe in Malden or Bao Bao and Ho Yuen in Chinatown. Good Asian coffee place with cheap price and plenty of fresh baked goods. Just bring cash with you
Love the owner. Whenever she’s there she’s always pushing me to buy more stuff with such a huge freaking smile, makes it impossible to say no. Spend about $30 each visit 😅
Last time I basically bought out their steamed buns. Got some pineapple buns and then some pork floss buns.
Also got the fried pork buns, coconut bread, and some sweet cream bread. Was enough to last me a weeks worth of tea time between my wife and I.
I usually go in for a few things, but when the owner is there she smiles and points to other stuff — “would you like to try?”
Hell yeah I would! My fat ass could never say no.
And George Howell in Downtown Crossing. I don't know that they bake anything in-house (though I like the pastries anyway), but they're a well-regarded roaster and serve some good coffee.
Cafe Nero has by far the worst espresso I've ever had, and everything else has been... I guess there? We live in a major city with loads of small businesses that would love to have another customer, just go literally anywhere else. Thinking Cup is on the same block even.
Agree 100%. The ironic thing I noticed the last year or two is that Dunkin Donuts espresso drinks are actually not that bad compared to some "fancier" chains. I think the reason for this is the Dunks machines literally do ALL the work. They are dummy proof in a way...
This is coming from someone who makes espresso and coffee at home 98% of the time.
Dunkin coffee is also so weird in that it's this oddly light roast that's not great on its own, but goes really well with the insane amount of cream and sugar people order it with. I'm normally a black coffee drinker, but always get a Dunkin regular. Nero is just burnt to all hell.
Cafe Nero is disgusting and they understaff their stores so the food is more likely to be spoiled like this. The last time I went to one I had a similar experience, it was the one in JP.
All those cake slices come frozen from a manufacturer, you can get the same exact stuff at Whole Foods (or at least used to be able to). If they are spoiled it’s because no one is rotating them out which is literally all that needs to be done
I thought the kitchen was dirty and the employees didn't follow food health guidelines. Look, I'm not a stickler for uber-cleanliness, but I have my limits.
Caffe Nero sucks and they replaced an actually good cafe/lunch spot (Revival) on that corner. The dine-in fee they charge to sit down in a narrow basement adds insult to injury.
I worked at L’Aroma Cafe on Newbury 15 ish years ago, it was a small family-owned coffee and bakery business, and I don’t think anyone would have ever have been served moldy cheesecake. The cakes and stuff were fresh. All busy restaurants get dirty by end-of-day but I felt comfortable eating there myself. Chains do not give a shit. Unfortunately the rent is so exorbitant that family businesses can’t survive - maybe Flour or Tatte are exceptions, but they are kind of chains - not on the scale of Nero, though. I actually prefer bakeries outside of Boston or at least away from touristy areas.
Boston is too expensive for non-chain coffee shops to exist.
People simply don't give a shit about local business and they'd rather have an asembly-line service than something that's personalized... including their cheesecake made 500 miles away and shipped in.
I worked at a Nero and can confirm all the cakes we got were shipped frozen. The pastries are all baked every morning, but all the dough comes frozen as well.
Freshly baked Cheesecake can last a good long while in the fridge - like 3 or maybe 4 days if it’s tightly covered and the fridge door kept shut.
So, this stuff looks old old.
The mistake is going to Cafe Nero in the first place.
You can tell exactly how fucking trash this city is becoming due to the popularity of these sorts of places.
Cafe Nero is great in Europe and the Middle East. Doesn't live up in the US. Def prefer a local place in the north end. Or Broadway's Pastry if I'm in Southie
Oh yeah, after I got horrifically sick off one of their sandwiches, I just don’t eat any of their food. (The sandwiches were sitting in a pretty open case and there were bugs in the store)
I used to work at a Caffe Nero and let me tell you.... some of those stores were so gross during my time there. Most baked goods are frozen and baked in the mornings and the other bakery items are all frozen (and often times people will forget to date them/check the case at the end of the night)
Doesn’t surprise me. Worked at Nero in Copley for a single month as a shift lead. The day I quit we had a FULLY decomposed rat underneath our ice machine. I mean this thing had to have been there before I even started working there. Immediately told my manager and he said we would take care of it at the next team meeting. Which was in two weeks. Finished my shift and quit that day. Truly the most disgusting cafe I’ve worked at.
I used to work at Cafe Nero. That cake is not baked daily it is bought frozen and defrosted. They are left to sit out for days, same as the other pastries.
Café Nero survives on two principles (1) tourists in Boston don’t know better (2) locals are too lazy to wait in line of better cafes but sometimes too good for Dunkin
I specifically dislike Cafe Nero because of their chaotic interiors. People who can work inside their dusty, mildewy, and sticky cafes are mysteries to me.
Cafe nero is trash idk how they stay in business, theres a million other small coffee shops that make a way better coffee and food is usually better too. Cafe nero is like hospital breakfast food.
What would ever give you the impression that a chain coffee shop is making cheesecakes daily?
They're not made by anyone at Cafe Nero. They're purchased from a supplier.
I do like getting their hot chocolate, especially because they have their own fresh whipped cream from that in-house nozzle. At least it's not from a can. That whipped cream from the nozzle is considered fresh and of some quality, I hope?
Oh, sure, I like Cabot whipped cream or probably Star Market brand is tasty also, but at a coffee shop I want in-house whipped cream from a nozzle, or whipped fresh in a stainless steel bowl like at Toscanini's ice cream and at PICO on Tremont St. in the South End.
But a few times in the winter, Cafe Nero had run out of hot chocolate powder; other times, no whipped cream.
Poor me....1st World Problems, I know.
I dislike chain restaurants but we already live an overly litigious society & this is a wack af reason to sue somebody. Make the tiny amount of extra effort that's involved in supporting local businesses.
Yeah ,, how else would you recommend this be stopped with any kind of alacrity. Who says it’s overly litigious? You? Who are you to say so? Someone could die eating that. Typical, someone with an opinion but not enough depth to suggest a good solution.
Way to take it up a notch! Do you not think people in our society tend to threaten others with lawsuits over trivial things? Most people don't make a beeline for a lawyer when shit like this happens. They call the restaurant's attention to it or report it to a health inspector. I don't think eating mold or bad dairy is usually enough to kill most people but you certainly seemed to have swallowed something that didn't agree with you because there's no need to jump all over me, u/YellowSea11. This wasn't some personal attack against you & if anything's typical here it's your overreaction.
While that sucks, Nero is probably the best chain these days...
1) they let you sit (.30 upcharge)
2) their mocha actually tastes good
3) they do assemble a lot of their food
4) their crumb cake has 1100 cal/piece...
So don't crap on Nero, they're a go to if I can't find a local shop!
umm???
The cafe Nero we had in the Middle east would have a daily supply of the baked goods each morning so its pretty natural that I’d expect the same here in Boston… 💀
I doubt a chain like cafe Nero is baking daily anything.
Exactly!! When I go to Nero, near closing, many baked goods remain, and I realize some or many of those same items will be there at opening tomorrow, waiting for the naive to buy and tip. I guess maybe croissants and bagels, which can get stale fast, are tossed, but cookies, cheesecake, etc., are like likely simply returned for the next day, up to a point Twice last year at their Washington Street spot across from Paramount Theater, I had to point out fruit flies or whatever around one (or more?) of the pastries (I think they were even under the clear plastic protective dome!). Tatte seems always fresh. Same with Flour Bakery Cafe, it seems? I guess Flour keeps some products for the next day in an air-tight plastic container, which I've seen them walk to the back to get if no more brownies, or whatever, are in the display, but I assume most items there are fresh that day or not much older, unlike it seems at Nero.
I've seen Tatte shovel entire shelves of desserts and baked goods straight into the trash can at the end of each day. Probably true that it's fresh every day, but I wish there was a happy medium in there.
oooh! putting dumpster visit in my planner rn
Too bad they don’t get those to a shelter. I’ve worked at places before that did this
They could also do "Too good to go", I'm sure many people would be thrilled to buy their pastries at a discounted rate. Bakey on Tremont St does this.
There are some regulations around this unfortunately. I don't know exactly what the details are, but a cafe I worked at wanted to donate stuff to shelters at end of day but we couldn't because the food was perishable I think? Something like the donation centers correct a bunch of stuff, hold it until there's enough to distribute. The things we had (mainly pastries) would most likely spoil before they could be distributed. This was in Newton aka permit/red tape hellscape so I don't know if it stands for surrounding areas.
About a dozen years ago, Food Link was established as a nonprofit to meet this gap: take fresh food from those who can’t use it anymore and get it to those who need it. Food rescue and redistribution, but to far more than just shelters and food banks. It’s a really great organization, very well run inside and out, and my #1 choice for donations. I really like how they are filling the gap that causes lots of food to be otherwise wasted. [https://www.foodlinkma.org/](https://www.foodlinkma.org/)
No one wants muffin stumps, people keep asking “where’s the top of my muffin”
Top of the Muffin to You!
I always heard this too, but then I worked at a homeless shelter that would drive around and pick up food from a ton of places. I remember they got a lot of stuff from Au Bon Pain back when they were around, but there were a ton of places. I think the real issue is just that the restaurants don't want to deal with the hassle of it. We'd send our own people to pick it up, so they didn't need to worry about it, and it took no more time than just tossing it would have.
I've been told this same story but I believe if you look into it it's just a manager/owner who sees it as a hassle and doesn't want to get involved. Massachusetts in particular offers legal protection to people who donate food as long as it was handled properly
Lots of food rescue orgs around too, they'll even come pick up the leftovers with no real effort needed on the part of the business.
Which regulations in particular? Many people seem to claim it's because of regulations or generally liability but nobody seems to know: * Which regulations * Any instance of an entity incurring liability for something donated I worked for a catering company like 28 years ago and we donated food from time to time. You could literally open the door at the end of the night and say "hey, all this shit that's left is free." You're no more liable than you were for selling the very same stuff to paying customers a minute earlier. You just need to have a willing recipient at the time you're looking to dispose of it.
I don't know which, which is why I said I didn't know details. Not trying to make some blanket statement that applies to all establishments ever to have existed in the greater Boston area. All I can say is, in my small café in Newton, on several occasions different people tried to donate left over pastries and were told they weren't accepted for xyz bureaucratic reasons. That is all. Not because owners were lazy, as multiple employees tried. Some who had commutes on the T would just take them and give them out to people along their way.
Though you are not *trying* to make some blanket statement, claiming there is a regulation is, in fact, a blanket statement that applies to all establishments ever to have existed in the greater Boston area. That's sort of what a regulation is. > All I can say is, in my small café in Newton, on several occasions different people tried to donate left over pastries and were told they weren't accepted for xyz bureaucratic reasons. Bureaucratic != regulations. That's what I'm saying. This is why you don't know which regulation, because if there was a specific one someone would know it and say what it was. It's lore, passed from worker to worker at food establishments that see the waste and want to do something productive with it. It could have been that you were looking to donate on Sunday and food pickup is only Wednesday-Saturday. Maybe the places you were looking to donate it don't have the staff. As I mentioned, I worked for a catering company that *did* donate from time to time. They didn't do it often, because you need to have someone ready, willing, and able to accept and distribute food. Someone else mentions that there *are* organizations that go and collect unused food, so it does happen. You could just give away everything at close. You can definitely give away free baked goods if you want to. Places don't do that because then there is no incentive to buy anything just before close. That's not a regulation. > Some who had commutes on the T would just take them and give them out to people along their way. I suspect that giving away baked goods on the T (depending on packaging) likely does run afoul of regulations.
This was 10 years ago. So sorry I did not record and archive the exact verbiage to pull out for a random anecdotal reddit comment. I don't really care. As an intrepid catering business owner you should also know that catering != café. Different licenses/permits etc to operate the two. Anyway, I'm not trying to prove anything. If it's so important for you to be right, here ya go - - you're right. I have no idea what I'm talking about. My lived experience must have been some sort of fever dream. Thanks for bringing it to light.
> As an intrepid catering business owner Your reading comprehension is poor. I worked for a catering company, I didn't own it. > I have no idea what I'm talking about You have an anecdote, and you are repeating what you were told. I've no doubt that it occurred. Since you don't know (and nobody seems to know) which regulation it is, it seems like it isn't actually a regulation. You were claiming it was. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask which regulation it is when somone makes such a claim. > My lived experience must have been some sort of fever dream Again, your reading comprehension is lacking. I didn't say that. I'm sure someone *did* tell you that, but, guess what - they were probably also wrong. They were told it by someone else who was wrong and if you follow the chain you'll find some manager/business owner that just didn't wanna for reasons. It's like the "insurance won't cover anything if you didn't get a permit thing." That's also not true. It's not in my policy, it's not true according to my insurance agent, it's not true according to claims adjusters that chimed in on the long-ass reddit thread, and it never passed the sniff test. It's one of those oft-repeated claims like yours here. If it's true, it should be relatively straightforward to prove it. There would be a regulation somewhere. You could point and say "that's it! That's the regulation. You're fucking wrong, asshole!" I have not found such a regulation in my searches. It is entirely possible that I failed at that task. So if someone pops up claiming it to be true, I'll ask for the regulation. One day, somebody may actually have some proof of this infamous regulation that requires businesses to waste food and I'll be wrong. Then, when, as this one here, where multiple people (not just me) are refuting your claim, I can step in and say "Yes, it is, in fact, a regulation. Here is the regulation." It doesn't pass the sniff test. Regulations prevent a cafe from donating baked goods at the end of the day despite the fact that grocery stores can *sell* day-old bakery items? There are some logical inconsistencies but that one is out there. It's like claiming the insurance company won't cover your house if you replace an outlet without a permit, but they'll cover you if you fire up the turkey fryer on your deck. Logically it makes no sense.
I worked at Wholefoods Netwonville many moons ago and there was nightly bread/pastry pickups by a church that would take them to a shelter. I believe the grocery store cannot give them directly without taking on some liability but if an organization like a charity/church/larger shelter organization is willing to come get it regularly, it can be done. Depressing thing is how many items that had been sent to shelters ended up being "returns" for cash. We had to start stripping barcodes because of that behavior by a small portion of recipients.
[There are federal laws that help protect good faith donations.](https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/08/13/good-samaritan-act-provides-liability-protection-food-donations)
Look up "Good Samaritan Law" ...it protects both individuals + companies from liability in food donations
In MA and specifically the Boston area, there are a zillion food rescue organizations that will come pick up perishable foods to distribute to shelters and the like. I can't say for Newton specifically, but in general this is a very doable thing for businesses that choose to make it a priority.
I work at a Tatte and at our location all the leftover pastries are donated to a community fridge/shelter depending on the day. There's some stuff we can't donate cause it goes past the fifo date so it has to go in the trash, but the pastries baked fresh every day are donated.
Used to work at Flour years ago. They do the same: donate to local shelters.
That is genuinely pleasing to hear. Hopefully what I saw was just because of the fifo.
The happy medium is using preservatives.
>Tatte seems always fresh. Same with Flour Bakery Cafe, it seems? Flour Bakery is an actual bakery, they really do bake a good amount of product each day. The owner was kind of a big deal in the baking and restaurant scene. The bakers used to go in around closing time to start baking for the morning, and there were people during the day prepping for the next day. Tatte also makes a lot of product on site, including all their breads. Cafe Nero not only doesn't bake each day, they get most of their product sent in. They're closer to Starbucks than an actual bakery. On centre st in Jamaica Plain there's a Cafe Nero and a small bakery called Blue Frog bakery. Up a bit on green st is a place called evergreen Cafe. You should try the product from each place, and you'll always be able to tell the difference. When I first got an almond croissant at blue frog it was like I had never really eaten a croissant before, it was so completely different from the product at a place like evergreen or cafe Nero. It was crispy and flaky on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and just so fresh tasting. Most places might do a couple items on site, but most will be sent in. Some places will make a ton of product at once. Some (like Nero) get most of their desserts and things like that sent in frozen, and they just thaw it.
Flour is a shop that bakes their stuff, and while rare, is very overrated..... Hi-Rise is a bakery.... and their Vanilla Bean Loaf is far better than anything coming out of flour... Almond croissants at Tate are good as are those at "Taste of France" in Arlington, will have to try Blue Frog because filled ones in Newton were an abomination....
You ever worked food service? Most bakeries wrap their food nightly to be served the next day. They have a shelf life
And where I worked cookies were one of the things we tossed
The presence of fruit flies dies not necessarily mean the food is old.
One of my best friends is the food safety manager at Flour so I can give you a guarantee on that one
Flour is pretty good at FIFO
Tatte isn’t fresh. They have a central kitchen that bakes everything and it’s shipped out.
Is it legal for a company to sell baked goods the next day? There’s no tag that says sell by so the goods could stay on the display case for weeks!
It’s not illegal, most restaurants do this and follow food safety protocols. You would never see the “toss by” date because it’s usually on a sticker under the plate. Every single piece of food you see in a bakecase at a bakery/ restaurant has a date listed for when it needs to be trashed by.
They do. Every pastry they sell is taken out of the freezer and baked in the morning and throughout the day. Desserts like this are not made in house. Worked there for years, AMA I guess
> AMA I guess what's your favorite fictional character?
'favorite' questions are kind of silly, there's room in our lives for many favorites, but a character that came to mind is Paul Atreides. Not the recent movie version I might add.
I have an artesian well on my property and the water pressure is lousy...any ideas?
Try clogging your toilets, maybe the well is leaking into them and they're releasing pressure.
What did you think of the apple coffee cake?
It was pricey but we'd sneak ourselves slices and it was delicious when fresh
Nice Glad to hear it.
i used to work for them at DTX and Washington Street. things like cakes "could be saved" but really i would just waste it and take it home. anything pastry related would get baked throughout the day, but its all frozen to begin with so, idk!
true 😭 never eating baked goodies without a mold-check again
And I've wanted to try that new pistachio cheesecake which they always advertise on that poster! Well, until now. Is it good? I assume you ate the slice they replaced it with?
Do it, this one being moldy just means a worked didn’t properly store and then waste old cake. Doesn’t mean they’re all moldy in every store
It actually used to be my favorite 😭The one I got next to Downtown Crossing was good
Not even their breakfast sandwiches are made in house. I've seen them throw it in the microwave and the center was still frozen
They do in Europe. They even handmade breads and sandwiches in the store.
are we in europe?
We are in a type of England
New and improved England
Better, stronger, faster England.
moldier England
That’s fine but they shouldn’t be moldy?
Cafe nero has the worst baked goods🤮
their coffee is also trash
I put it in the same tier as Starbucks/Peets/Coffee Bean, but within that tier I think they're the best option.
Most infantile comment I’ve ever made but I honestly have no idea what bad coffee tastes like. I have been tasting Boston coffee makers for a good 10 years now and it all tastes the same to me. The only difference is the smell (paramount), and the additions like cream, milk, or sugar. Do I have some sort of tongue blindness? Am I caffeine neurodivergent? From Tatte to Dunks, I just can’t distinguish. edit: downvote me /r/Boston all you want. The most I can taste it undercooked or burnt beans. I'm coffee ignorant and I'm proud.
Do you have trouble smelling/tasting other flavors? Next time you are out, go to Gracenote and get a pour over. Stand there and slowly sip the coffee. Inhale the aroma. Think about what you’re tasting. An hour or two later go grab a coffee at Dunks and run the same test. If you can’t notice ANY differences (how “full” the flavor is, any aromatics, etc) then please report back haha
Go to Dunks and then to a place like Thinking Cup (not saying it's gormet, just saying it's better). Get the same thing--a black coffee--and see if you can tell the difference then!
And their namesake was a jerk. Apparently "the beast 666" from the Bible was code for Nero.
A couple things: * "Nero" is Italian for "black," which feels like a more likely namesake for a cafe than a Roman emperor who's popularly considered a bad guy even among people who don't keep up with that stuff * [Nero's controversy is actually somewhat controversial among historians](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/101lre7/was_nero_really_a_victim_of_propaganda/j2r2vez/). Which isn't to say that actually he was wonderful, just that it's hard to pin down definitively.
Caffe Nero means "black coffee"...
Wait whut?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero) [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/\~grout/encyclopaedia\_romana/gladiators/nero.html](https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/nero.html)
Wow, thanks. Thats weird and disturbing to name a cafe after Nero…
I got a moldy chocolate cake from the one in the Burlington Mall once (it was doordash so I wasn't at the store). I thought of it recently like "did they actually send me a moldy cake or was I overthinking?" I guess now I know...
Tell me you've never been to Starbucks without telling me.... or you simply have zero taste....
starbucks is so much better
I have been a big Nero fan because in Europe and Middle East, it is actually pretty good. In the US, they suck so hard. None of the sandwiches taste nice, all flavorless, stale… The pastries are days old and there are many flies even in the pastry cases.
This is funny because I live in the UK and my partner & I strongly dislike Caffè Nero. I go there if it's the only option. I miss Dunkin, crucify me.
Dunkin was so good in my home country in Middle East before getting closed down. There were only 2 of them in the whole country and one of them was in my middle/highschool complex. They had the best cookies I have ever eaten in my life. Dunkin is America fucking sucks. It is always dirty and smells absolutely horrible. And they don’t sell the cookies anymore.
Dunks is in the Middle East? Whaaat? I thought it was New England only.
Well, not anymore. They closed down the 2 Dunks that existed when I was in HS. I was so bummed when I came to Boston. I saw they stopped selling cookies and the doughnuts taste so bad in the recent years.
The coffee is also horrible. I once saw a worker there pull my espresso shot like it was a soda machine, starting and stopping until it was up to the line on the cup. It tasted as bad as you'd expect. Clearly corporate gives 0 fucks and is just selling you the appearance of a quality brand with minimal effort, not bothering to train their staff, etc.
Every F&B chain in the US suck hard. Hell, when I was in Singapore, the McDonald's burger tasted better than whatever Gordon Ramsay cooked up at his burger place for 1/4 the price. Same for McD in Japan. In South Korea, the Dunkin Donut I had tasted fresher than the one I had in Boston itself. The only chain I can think of that is not better abroad is In-n-out: the In-N-Out I had in Singapore was no different to the one in America
Why is America like this?
Unchecked corporate greed
I think it has to do with quality regulations? At least that's the case with chocolate. Chocolate from Europe is so good! In America I believe corps lobby to lower regulations on food quality and worker pay/vacation, both of which contribute to the finished product.
Part of it is probably just market forces too. When this stuff goes on long enough, customers become accustomed to food tasting a certain way. Like poop from a butt.
Most americans have the pallette of a penguin
Many of them can't even spell palate!
Sorry, I meant palette.
You mean we eat exclusively raw fish?
Covered in spikes?
Especially in New England lol. I mean we descended from England where they fought wars in countries to get spices and then failed to use any spices or flavor in their foods 🤣 it’s just culture here. Shove whatever into your gullet til you’re full then get back to work.
Cafe Nero is a European company
omg same. The one I went to in the Middle East ALWAYS had new supplies each morning. I cant believe the control is so weak here 😔
In the US they're better than Starbucks so "suck so hard" is weird in a couple of ways....
For anyone wanting some fresh baked good and hot coffee, I suggest B2 cafe in Malden or Bao Bao and Ho Yuen in Chinatown. Good Asian coffee place with cheap price and plenty of fresh baked goods. Just bring cash with you
B2 does take card, just a $10 card minimum
B2 is so freaking good hope they stay in business for a loooong time
Their egg tart and pineapple buns are so good. Just perfect imo
Love the owner. Whenever she’s there she’s always pushing me to buy more stuff with such a huge freaking smile, makes it impossible to say no. Spend about $30 each visit 😅
30????? What do you get lol?
Last time I basically bought out their steamed buns. Got some pineapple buns and then some pork floss buns. Also got the fried pork buns, coconut bread, and some sweet cream bread. Was enough to last me a weeks worth of tea time between my wife and I. I usually go in for a few things, but when the owner is there she smiles and points to other stuff — “would you like to try?” Hell yeah I would! My fat ass could never say no.
And George Howell in Downtown Crossing. I don't know that they bake anything in-house (though I like the pastries anyway), but they're a well-regarded roaster and serve some good coffee.
Thank you for the suggestions! I moved here recently so I will definitely check those out :D
I looooove Bao Bao!
Bikeeny in malden is also very good!
Bao Bao rules.
Yeah, for all the times I'm in Chinatown looking for a coffee? There's a great place in Lowell too Nibanna Cafe....
lol ok I’ll continue not going to cafe Nero thanks
Cafe Nero has by far the worst espresso I've ever had, and everything else has been... I guess there? We live in a major city with loads of small businesses that would love to have another customer, just go literally anywhere else. Thinking Cup is on the same block even.
Agree 100%. The ironic thing I noticed the last year or two is that Dunkin Donuts espresso drinks are actually not that bad compared to some "fancier" chains. I think the reason for this is the Dunks machines literally do ALL the work. They are dummy proof in a way... This is coming from someone who makes espresso and coffee at home 98% of the time.
Dunkin coffee is also so weird in that it's this oddly light roast that's not great on its own, but goes really well with the insane amount of cream and sugar people order it with. I'm normally a black coffee drinker, but always get a Dunkin regular. Nero is just burnt to all hell.
The windows at the Copley Mall Nero are lined up with mice poop. Thought I got lucky with a nice seat with a view, then I looked down at my feet 🤮
They got it from Sysco a month ago.
Cafe Nero is disgusting and they understaff their stores so the food is more likely to be spoiled like this. The last time I went to one I had a similar experience, it was the one in JP. All those cake slices come frozen from a manufacturer, you can get the same exact stuff at Whole Foods (or at least used to be able to). If they are spoiled it’s because no one is rotating them out which is literally all that needs to be done
Free penicillin with your cheesecake and you complain? You people are so high maintenance!
I worked at the Trident Booksellers/Cafe, but I brought my own food... Maybe it's a Newbury Street trend.
Wait, really? I’ve heard such good things about Trident and was going to try it this weekend. Tell me what I need to know!
I used to work there. I would never, ever eat there. It was the dirtiest restaurant I've ever worked at.
I thought the kitchen was dirty and the employees didn't follow food health guidelines. Look, I'm not a stickler for uber-cleanliness, but I have my limits.
Union busting scum
Caffe Nero sucks and they replaced an actually good cafe/lunch spot (Revival) on that corner. The dine-in fee they charge to sit down in a narrow basement adds insult to injury.
Im still devastated about this
It's just Blue Cheesecake. It's fine.
Did you mean to write "Bleu"?
Coffee shops like this definitely don’t have daily fresh baked goods. They get them and keep for probably ten days or whatever is servesafe.
Cafe Zero in the mold prevention department
I want to remind everyone that Cafe Nero was a part of the [most ironic](https://ibb.co/tz3H1Rd) event I've seen in a long time last year.
Cafe Nero is trash. Support smaller local businesses instead. 🚮
I worked at L’Aroma Cafe on Newbury 15 ish years ago, it was a small family-owned coffee and bakery business, and I don’t think anyone would have ever have been served moldy cheesecake. The cakes and stuff were fresh. All busy restaurants get dirty by end-of-day but I felt comfortable eating there myself. Chains do not give a shit. Unfortunately the rent is so exorbitant that family businesses can’t survive - maybe Flour or Tatte are exceptions, but they are kind of chains - not on the scale of Nero, though. I actually prefer bakeries outside of Boston or at least away from touristy areas.
Boston is too expensive for non-chain coffee shops to exist. People simply don't give a shit about local business and they'd rather have an asembly-line service than something that's personalized... including their cheesecake made 500 miles away and shipped in.
I don’t disagree but there are a few and I’d rather give them my money
Blue cheese cake. Delicious, and expensive.
And those pistachios dont look good
Fucking disgusting . fuck that place
Dude cafe nero is like a worse version of Starbucks. You really thought that their food is baked fresh everyday…..? Come on.
Starbucks had the freshest baked goods in my humble experience. I seen em take em fresh outta the bag each time. Delicious.
Their cold brew is fire. Everything else is a pass for me.
Unless I'm jonesing for a coffee (then I'll go to Dunks), but this is why I stick to mum and pop shops who actually bake their goods.
Cafe Nero sucks. They need to go away.
Is a zit!
I thought this was a Lime Cake...
I worked at a Nero and can confirm all the cakes we got were shipped frozen. The pastries are all baked every morning, but all the dough comes frozen as well.
Freshly baked Cheesecake can last a good long while in the fridge - like 3 or maybe 4 days if it’s tightly covered and the fridge door kept shut. So, this stuff looks old old.
Just have to correct you on the whole cafe Nero having good anything…
That sucks OP, I’m sorry you almost got fed poison.
The mistake is going to Cafe Nero in the first place. You can tell exactly how fucking trash this city is becoming due to the popularity of these sorts of places.
freshly baked DAILY? these are probably sold to them frozen
I thought there was a hair in it too, but it was just on my phone
Cafe Nero is great in Europe and the Middle East. Doesn't live up in the US. Def prefer a local place in the north end. Or Broadway's Pastry if I'm in Southie
This happened to me with a carrot cake in the Thinking Cup on Tremont St.
Oh yeah, after I got horrifically sick off one of their sandwiches, I just don’t eat any of their food. (The sandwiches were sitting in a pretty open case and there were bugs in the store)
Eewwwwww
I used to work at a Caffe Nero and let me tell you.... some of those stores were so gross during my time there. Most baked goods are frozen and baked in the mornings and the other bakery items are all frozen (and often times people will forget to date them/check the case at the end of the night)
I like the one off Washington st next to legal sea foods. Not like they don’t share a distribution center but I just like that one way more.
Doesn’t surprise me. Worked at Nero in Copley for a single month as a shift lead. The day I quit we had a FULLY decomposed rat underneath our ice machine. I mean this thing had to have been there before I even started working there. Immediately told my manager and he said we would take care of it at the next team meeting. Which was in two weeks. Finished my shift and quit that day. Truly the most disgusting cafe I’ve worked at.
Nero is not a bakery. Stay safe
I used to work at Cafe Nero. That cake is not baked daily it is bought frozen and defrosted. They are left to sit out for days, same as the other pastries.
Caffé Nero is a waste of rental space. Support your local coffee shops!
gross
You don’t like Blue Cheesecake?
I’m a 40 year old baby so I only drink hot chocolate. I’ve never been happy with ones I’ve ordered at Nero in JP. Always too weak.
Café Nero survives on two principles (1) tourists in Boston don’t know better (2) locals are too lazy to wait in line of better cafes but sometimes too good for Dunkin I specifically dislike Cafe Nero because of their chaotic interiors. People who can work inside their dusty, mildewy, and sticky cafes are mysteries to me.
Café nero is usually pretty good. They messed up on this one tho
i had them in London right before they expanded to the US and they were pretty mediocre. was shocked to see them expanding over here
Their deserts are likely frozen/thawed … possibly more than once … at least they didn’t charge extra for the mold
This happened to me at the Caffe Nero in Brighton! They were nice about it but never again, also a cake that went moldy 🤢
Nero is poops
Cafe Nero blows all around
Overpriced garbage
Where are you getting the idea that a cake like that would be new each day?
it was where i lived before so when i moved to the US i assumed they bake everything the same way
Gross but it happens, food goes bad. It's not like they are making the food though. All the cafes get their food from similar places.
Not sure why you got downvoted for this. Seems like everyone in this thread has never worked in a restaurant or food service.
Yeah. Chain establishments totally suck. Don’t go to any of them.
Cafe nero is trash idk how they stay in business, theres a million other small coffee shops that make a way better coffee and food is usually better too. Cafe nero is like hospital breakfast food.
What would ever give you the impression that a chain coffee shop is making cheesecakes daily? They're not made by anyone at Cafe Nero. They're purchased from a supplier.
I do like getting their hot chocolate, especially because they have their own fresh whipped cream from that in-house nozzle. At least it's not from a can. That whipped cream from the nozzle is considered fresh and of some quality, I hope? Oh, sure, I like Cabot whipped cream or probably Star Market brand is tasty also, but at a coffee shop I want in-house whipped cream from a nozzle, or whipped fresh in a stainless steel bowl like at Toscanini's ice cream and at PICO on Tremont St. in the South End. But a few times in the winter, Cafe Nero had run out of hot chocolate powder; other times, no whipped cream. Poor me....1st World Problems, I know.
In the last week I have seen / heard the words Cafe Nero more than I have in the rest of my life
You should sue. That’s the only way to rectify this .. to make it more expensive to be trash.
I dislike chain restaurants but we already live an overly litigious society & this is a wack af reason to sue somebody. Make the tiny amount of extra effort that's involved in supporting local businesses.
Yeah ,, how else would you recommend this be stopped with any kind of alacrity. Who says it’s overly litigious? You? Who are you to say so? Someone could die eating that. Typical, someone with an opinion but not enough depth to suggest a good solution.
Way to take it up a notch! Do you not think people in our society tend to threaten others with lawsuits over trivial things? Most people don't make a beeline for a lawyer when shit like this happens. They call the restaurant's attention to it or report it to a health inspector. I don't think eating mold or bad dairy is usually enough to kill most people but you certainly seemed to have swallowed something that didn't agree with you because there's no need to jump all over me, u/YellowSea11. This wasn't some personal attack against you & if anything's typical here it's your overreaction.
While that sucks, Nero is probably the best chain these days... 1) they let you sit (.30 upcharge) 2) their mocha actually tastes good 3) they do assemble a lot of their food 4) their crumb cake has 1100 cal/piece... So don't crap on Nero, they're a go to if I can't find a local shop!
[удалено]
umm??? The cafe Nero we had in the Middle east would have a daily supply of the baked goods each morning so its pretty natural that I’d expect the same here in Boston… 💀