by Julie Taylor julie.taylor@dailypost.co.nz
Rotorua cafes have come under the spotlight on national television with one establishment achieving a rare 10/10 and another slammed for delivering hair in the salad.
An actress visited six cafes in the city, selected at random from the phone book, for the hidden
camera segment of last night's edition of TV3 consumer show Target.
Abracadabra scored full marks and owner Brendon Arkwright hopes the show will attract more people to the Amohia St cafe, which opened just four months ago.
It received excellent grades for food, service and cleanliness.
"I certainly cannot complain about that," Mr Arkwright said.
"I am very proud of my staff," he said. "They do a great job."
At the other end of the scale was Ronnies Cafe and Bakery on Pukuatua St which initially impressed the Target team with what appeared to be good food for a good price.
But they were less impressed when a hair arrived with the salad.
"That is completely unacceptable. It is unhygienic and means their food handling is not up to standard," said presenter Jeanette Thomas.
Ronnies' baker Danny Chhour was pleased to be rated second best for price and described the review as "very good feedback".
The cafe was also criticised for having birds in the building, as was the Lotus Cafe in Hinemoa St.
Lotus owner Amy Nguyen admitted birds were a problem but said there was no way to keep them out of a cafe with an open storefront. Anna Powell, owner of the Fat Dog Cafe and Bar in Arawa Street, said external grading like this was a good way to keep people on their toes.
"Our food was the most expensive but I don't mind.
"Our portions are twice the size of some places and we make the most of our ingredients," she said.
The Fat Dog was criticised for taking 25 minutes to clear the table but she said that is a side effect of being a relatively large and busy cafe.
"We are the first to admit we do not always get it right," she said.
"We often turn over our tables every 20 to 30 minutes and that is sometimes reflected in the service."
The cafes were visited about a month ago and received letters last week outlining the hidden camera trial's results and providing an opportunity to respond.
