Food blogger slams trendy new cafe for ‘annoying' problem
An Aussie food reviewer has lashed out at a newly opened sandwich shop in Sydney for running out of food before he could try it.
Food blogger John-Ray Boukarim said that he visited the newly opened cafe, Bertas, in the Inner West suburb of Marrickville – not once, but twice – and on both occasions the eatery had run out of bread for sandwiches.
Taking to TikTok to express his frustration, he explained to his 14k followers that he had planned his 'whole day' around reviewing the food for 'no gain other than boosting their business'.
However, when he arrived for the second time, he was disappointed to learn that he and at least 10 other customers had missed out on trying one of their coveted sandwiches.
'Listen, tell me how the f*** you open up a business,' he began.
'You think you would have your operation under control, knowing what stock levels you would need in order to keep up with the demand, yet you still finish and run out of food an hour or two before you shut.'
'F*** off, and stop wasting my time,' the expletive-filled rant continued. 'Don't open up a business unless you know how to run it. Like seriously'.
Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Boukarim said that the cafe should increase their bread quantities to avoid this issue in the future, and if they don't sell out by the end of the day, they should donate the rest to charity or use it the next day if possible.
'As a consumer, when a business advertises a time frame of operation, I expect those to be reasonably available throughout that period,' he said.
'For example, a sandwich shop running out of bread an hour before closing raises questions about meeting customer expectations set by their own advertised hours. Why have a business open and closing time? Rather have 'Until sold out'.'
He noted that this issue is particularly frustrating when it happens repeatedly, especially on weekends.
'Customers often work Monday to Friday, so their weekends are precious,' he said. 'Imagine planning a nice Saturday lunch with the family, waiting in line, only to be told you've sold out.
'That's incredibly annoying, especially for families with kids. It's a huge waste of their limited family time.'
The video quickly went viral, accumulating over 60,000 views as Aussies shared their thoughts on this issue in cafe culture.
A spokesperson for Bertas told news.com.au that they've been amazed by the response they've received from the community after just five weeks of opening — and they're still figuring things out.
'We work out of a compact 36 sqm space with a small tight-knit team, and have up to eight people on deck during busy times,' they said. 'Each one giving their all to serve as many sandwiches as possible, always with quality and consistency at the heart of everything we do.
'Every sandwich we serve is made fresh to order, and we make as much in-house as possible — often starting in the early hours and finishing late at night.'
They explained that while demand has exceeded expectations and continues to grow week on week, they're actively working to scale quickly and sustainably.
'This means sourcing more staff, refining operations, and doing our best to ensure we can serve everyone who comes through our doors,' they said.
'We hate having to turn people away, especially as we started this place to offer a high-quality product at an accessible price. This is what starting something from scratch looks like, and we're all in.'
Commenters on the video mostly sided with the cafe on this one — saying it's common for businesses in their early days to suffer teething issues.
'You should give them more grace if they're new. They're still learning,' said one customer.
'They have only been open for a few weeks and you think they should have it down pat exactly how much stock they need?' questioned another. 'Even a business that is 15 years old might have weeks they weren't expecting and can be sold out'.
Others claimed he made a mistake by going so close to closing time.
'If you want good fresh food, rule of thumb never show up two hours before closing,' another noted.
'You have the right to be upset but maybe go earlier next time,' advised another.
Mr Boukarim told this publication that his intention with the video was not to tarnish the reputation of the business but to provide some constructive feedback.
Currently, in Australia, 60 per cent of businesses will fail within their first three years of operation, with 20 per cent failing in their first year.
He believes that this sort of 'tough love' he provided in his video can help businesses adapt quickly and critically assess their offerings — leading to more success in the future and, hopefully, preventing them from shutting down.
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