The Downfall Of Nadeje Patisserie
I have been wanting to say this for quite some time, but I gave them the benefit of doubt. Until recently, my conscience told me that I have to blog about this before everyone starts putting the blame on me.
Mille Crepe and Nadeje Patisserie Cafe are two of the things that I strongly promote whenever one visits Malacca. Somehow, many people, visitors, blog readers and friends associate my blog with Mille Crepe and Nadeje Patisserie Cafe.
The reason? Simply delicious and heavenly crepes that you don’t get in any other part of Malaysia except Malacca. Also, the ambiance, prompt service, friendly waiters and waitresses, and most importantly, the one managing Nadeje Patisserie and down to earth Amos Chong. Amos was one of the two co-owners of Nadeje Patisserie, while the other owner was Nozomi.
Before I proceed, lets look into the history of Nadeje Patisserie.
Nozomi was the sole financial contributor while Amos was the one who would do the baking and marketing. When Amos first started out, he worked from home. In other words, he would be baking the cakes in the kitchen and then get them delivered to numerous cafes in Malacca town. That was how Amos started and Mille Crepe started to gain its popularity.
Few months later, Amos has made enough profits and with more money injected into the business by Nozomi, they bought a shop lot in Plaza Mahkota. Amos then had a proper place to bake and sell his cakes, no more no name bakery, no more delivery and no more come-to-the-house-and-collect method. It was during this period I discovered Mille Crepe and got to know Amos personally. I then started promoting Mille Crepe like no tomorrow to every friends and blog readers I know, and even wrote two featured articles in The Star for them. (Not many restaurants get to be featured twice in the newspaper, for your information.)
Fast forward a few months later, they earned enough to expand the shop to a two shop lot Nadeje Patisserie (current) and things started to pick up from there.
Amos is a down to earth and humble person. He didn’t become proud or boastful when the cake became popular. In fact, he would gladly listen to any criticism and take them positively. He would improve himself and rectify mistakes if one could point it out. He would come out to the front to talk to the customers and get some feedbacks. He would personally thank you if he has the chance.
The waiters and waitresses he trained were friendly, full of smiles and would recognized regular customers like me. They would know what I want and my preference. Also, Amos would even give me discounts whenever I dine in or take away and sometimes, free slices of Mille Crepe. He would let me owe up to RM600 - RM700 worth of cakes so that I could bring, deliver the cakes to KL and then pay him when I am back in Malacca. It’s a trust built between the boss and regular customers.
In other words, I can safely say, Amos was the soul of Nadeje Patisserie and also the reason why I highly promoted them to my friends.
Fast forward to third quarter of 2007, due to some reasons, Amos resigned from Nadeje Patisserie and since then, it was the downfall of Nadeje Patisserie.
I have received a number of complaints about the cafe, cakes and services. From regular customers to first time customers, they all have something to say about the cafe, mind you, the negative ones. Let’s not talk about what others have to say first and read what I have to say about the cafe.
1) The waiters / waitresses don’t smile, at all, as if they were forced to work or something along that line.
2) Where are the “Thank You”, “Welcome”, “Good Morning / Afternoon / Evening” and other courtesy manners like opening the door?
3) Price increment with immediate effect, up to 30%!
4) I-shall-decide-how-you-eat policy. (Read Akiautumn - Nadeje Patisserie @ Melaka.)
Dining in with cakes order without drinks are not allowed.
Order of two slices and a drink can only be shared up to four persons.
5) I-shall-decide-where-you-sit policy. (Read Akiautumn - Nadeje Patisserie @ Melaka.)
You will get to sit at the red sofa if you spend more than RM35. Else, please occupy other tables.
6) Loyalty? Regular customers? What are those?
7) They also took away all the food / meal menu, leaving nothing but drinks and cakes for patrons. Limited choices available.
8) Most importantly, the cakes don’t taste as good as before. It doesn’t give me the umphhh satisfaction that it used to give me. The crepes are somewhat thicker. The creams aren’t as thick as before. The cakes are generally wetter and smudgy.
Well, that said, I am going to stop promoting Mille Crepe and Nadeje Patisserie Cafe to my friends and on my blog. Neither I am going to bring them there unless they request for it. I am proud of it, but if this goes on, I am utterly disappointed that an once customer oriented cafe has turned into a profit oriented cafe, that churns out under par service and food quality, yet with higher price after it got popular.
Hence, if it’s not nice or you get lousy service or totally different from what you read from my blog, you have been warned. I strongly advised you to take away instead.
Well, I have been brainwashing and persuading Amos to kick start his own Mille Crepe business in Kuala Lumpur. Perhaps, or just maybe, he might do so and I am sure many people will benefit from it. Heh!
Update : I just talked to Amos on the phone. Apparently, he has started his business from scratch in JB and it might take some time before he expands his business and then, KL. The reasons he gave me are that he is more familiar with JB, has the much needed connections and networks in JB and his partner is also from JB. For those who want to try his Mille Crepe, I guess, you will have to make a trip down to JB. More information at Humble Beginnings.
Related posts:
- Nadeje Patisserie Cafe
- Mille Crepe Delivery #1
- Mille Crepe Delivery #2
- Unofficial Mille Crepe Commercial Ad (Own Made)
- Convocations, But Not Mine
November 28th, 2007 01:10
Wa.. lucky i come see ur blog. Didn’t know it’s such a big difference now. Damn i bet it sucks..
November 28th, 2007 01:25
True. Take away the soul, it becomes zombie.
November 28th, 2007 01:38
thanks for the heads up. so disappointed though..been promoting it to frens and colleagues in KL too. hope Amos opens up one of his own soon..amos’ crepes or something..hehe..
November 28th, 2007 08:21
ini macam teruk meh??? me n 38K wont go Pong Chan lol !
November 28th, 2007 08:29
…….
I mentioned this to my mom last weekend and promise to bring one for her once i go there / or u come over to KL….
now seem like got to find out where is this Amos liao… no contact at all?
hopefully he still do it at home and deliver to other cafes loh…
November 28th, 2007 09:36
Great if Amos opens in KL. There will be plenty of orders I am sure. However it is competetive here in KL, I would understand why Amos maybe a bit reluctant.
November 28th, 2007 11:33
Looking forward to taste Amos’s cake… Let me know if he is in KL, i wanna to try out new cake maker rather than just Secret Recipe.
November 28th, 2007 12:02
Business plan, location, logo & branding, FINANCING, interior design, hr management, registration of company, CAPITAL, baking equipment, customer base (ok, this one you have), website/blog (how come don’t have one-ah?), MONEY, suppliers, etc, etc, etc.
Are you up to the challenge?
November 28th, 2007 12:09
Wow; ask him open one in Uptown! Kahkahkahkah.
November 28th, 2007 12:16
fast fast open in KL can? =P
November 28th, 2007 13:04
haven’t sink my teeth into this well-publicized Mille Crepe by you yet and the brainchild left? what are all those ridiculous policy? awaiting Amos to open one in KL … hehehe … then i can try this legendary Mille Crepe … maybe you can be the sales and marketing director … hahahaha….
November 28th, 2007 15:54
aiks…i only eat it once..LOL..u better urge Amos to start it at KL here..then i can eat for my second time..kaka
November 28th, 2007 16:55
@.@” No more mille crepe.
November 28th, 2007 18:24
now that’s really sad.
dun worry, there’ll be other places to eat if they dun appreciate customers.
November 28th, 2007 19:45
OMG, that’s a sad thing to read about. I still feel cheated from the unreasonable price hike. Heh.
I’m all for Mille Crepe in KL!
November 28th, 2007 20:06
Amos is in Singpore ….
November 28th, 2007 20:49
Jeremy : It’s going to be worse.
Anthraxxxx : Like those in Resident Evil. Heh!
Mailmelar : I just got off from the phone with him. He said he has started his business in JB and will take some time before he expands it to KL. Sighs.
Candy : It’s your choice whether you want to visit them or not.
Lee CS : I am still keeping in touch with Amos. He is currently in JB, running his own bakery, selling his own Mille Crepes. If you really want, you need to go JB.
Adeline : It’s not about the competition. There’s no other bakery in KL that makes Mille Crepe, hence, where’s the competition, right? It’s more than that actually.
TZ : For now, you either pay him a visit in JB or you can try Nadeje’s when you are in Malacca.
Giovoni : If Amos has tackled all the factors that you brought up before, I am sure he can do it again. And I definitely up for it.
Chingy : Haha! I am thinking of SS2 actually. :P
Hung Wei : Cannot. He just opened one in JB.
Babelearner : I don’t think he will be opening in KL any time soon as he just started one in JB. However, we shall see. Haha! Me? Doing sales? LOL.
Kim Fei : Haha! If you want, you can head down to JB to look for him.
Hao : Technically, no more Amos’s Mille Crepe.
Simon : Yes. Very sad.
Emily : It’s not only you. Everyone felt the same. Haha!
Joe : Just talked to him on the phone. He’s now in JB actually. ;)
November 28th, 2007 22:23
oh no…i will not have chance to have Amos’s mille crepe anymore….i love the mille crepe so so much… especially the original and rum raisin…
btw jason, you saying that he starting his business in JB, will he expand to melaka again??
November 28th, 2007 23:02
yes, I’m going to JB soon. Does he doing home delivery service? Will call u to get his contact when I am there.
November 28th, 2007 23:25
Yan Er : Yes, he has already started in JB. I don’t think he will expand to Malacca as I don’t see any reason in doing so. It would be a much better choice if he expands straight to KL instead.
Shiau Lin : I am not sure, have to check with him. :)
November 29th, 2007 00:41
hey…now i know who’s Jason Lioh!! hahaa sorry for prompting u to create a new post juz for my comments. wahaha but glad to know tat u read my blog! but, how do u know my blog? there are plenty out there, but y me? so fast u can trace someone that copy n paste ur URL? scary….
eh…dun post my URL there…i feel a bit awkward to hav it posted there since my blog is not as good as urs…not even reach average standard =____+
ok…i’m waiting for the real MILLE CREPE to come to KL then =D
November 29th, 2007 00:43
Akiautumn : Jason Mumbles is Jason Lioh, Jason Lioh is Jason Mumbles. Heh!
I wanted to write about this long ago, but just didn’t do so as I was, well, procrastinating and they deserved a time frame to prove themselves. Well, they didn’t and the new policies that they enforced is the last straw.
Well, that’s why we use proper blogging software like Wordpress, not Multiply. :P Wordpress has this function that is able to trace which blog has linked to the owner’s blog. It’s a function created by Google. Another one is technorati.com. Go technorati.com and key in your own URL, then you might be able to see who linked to you and etc. And yes, change to a proper software like blogger.com or something. :P
It doesn’t matter what standard it is, if its a blog, its a blog. :) Don’t worry about that.
I guess you will have to wait for some time as for now, he will be concentrating his bakery in JB first, before expanding to KL. Sad, but he has already started. Too late.
November 29th, 2007 00:55
such a pity. from such good service to such lousy service. *tsk tsk*
November 29th, 2007 00:56
Such a big change… aight Nadeje is out of my list now.
All the very best to Amos and hope he does even better! He’s one real humble person. Came across him many times in my previous jobs and he was never bossy. Determination and hard work pay!
November 29th, 2007 10:20
there’s mille creppe in jb d?
which part of jb n where is it located?
November 29th, 2007 13:49
I hope he will open a shop in Klang Valley one day. I haven’t try his crepe yet. :)
November 29th, 2007 18:21
Zthon : Very typical, right? It happens to all popular food stalls and restaurants. Sighs. Why can’t they increase their food quality or at least, maintain?
Allison : Yes, you can’t deny that he’s a very nice person. I heard his business in JB is very good!
Eunice : I am not sure. However, do check your email as I shall email you his contact number so that you can call him and ask for more details, alright?
Che-Cheh : I think it will be sometime before his cakes reach KL.
November 29th, 2007 22:13
hey! stumbled upon your site and i must say i enjoy ur write up’s! Very interesting and insightful! Keep up the awesome work and visit http://www.abinesh.com when you get the chance too!
See Ya!
December 2nd, 2007 01:26
I was their ‘not so regular’ customer. However, I must admit that Amos provided a very good services, especially his humble smile.
Since he has gone, then I don’ think I will ever go back to the shop again. Jason, thanks for the update.
December 2nd, 2007 13:06
JB? seems nearer to SG.. gooodddd… u can bring me some mille crepe next time.. haha
December 2nd, 2007 15:16
hi, i m also a crepe lover. just a suggestion, maybe u should go try out the one in PJ section 17, near the shell station(inside section17). There is a nice little cafe call Food Foundary. i meet ah nee there once, she should know the place well. i haven try out this one, but i think the pj one is good. btw, may i know where is the palce in jb? i would like to try out someday.
December 2nd, 2007 15:21
Abinesh : Thanks for dropping by. :)
Stephanie : You are still more than welcomed to give them a try though. I have just spoke to Nozomi the other day and she promised me that she would look into it and rectify the mistakes and issues that I brought up to her / in my blog. Do give them a second chance. You’re welcome.
Anthraxxxx : LOL. He will kill you when you visit his shop. Haha!
Cely : Duh! I give you his number, you go buy yourself lah!
Ian : I know that place. However, did you know that it was Food Foundry who copied Nadeje’s idea and Mille Crepe? :) As far as I know, those that have tasted Food Foundry’s and Nadeje’s, most of them prefer Nadeje’s as its more of the original one. Also, Nadeje’s tastes way better as well. Ah Nee went there once and I remembered that she didn’t finish her crepe even though she’s a crepe lover. Lately, many bloggers have gave Food Foundry a rather negative review as they also have increased their price and the service and food have dropped tremendously. Do read up some food blogs to know more. I don’t really know where’s his shop is, but I can only give you his contact number.
December 2nd, 2007 20:30
oic, then i must really try it out. can i hav his number?
December 2nd, 2007 23:53
Ian : Do check your email.
December 27th, 2007 10:06
Hi, is it possible to give me Amos’ number?
December 27th, 2007 11:02
Janette : Check out this post. :)
January 2nd, 2008 22:53
Which part of Jb exactly? im fr Jb and and had heard so much about it and cant wait to go Melaka to try it. But now u say he had opened in Jb i m so excited? Please tell me the location of the shop in JB..thanks
January 2nd, 2008 22:59
Allison : See the link at my header? Click on Humble Beginnings and give him a call. :D
January 3rd, 2008 01:44
alrite sure..its so near to my hse..hehe..thanks
January 3rd, 2008 01:51
Allison : Ya kah? Heh.
January 29th, 2008 16:00
I move back to KL since last year but i juz cant stop missing the mille crepe of Nadeje in melacca. It was quite a shock when i step in nadeje last 2months and found out that much had changed, n .. i dun like it. :(
I try to talk to Amos n was told that he left. It’s a great news that he is still making his fabulous mille crepe, but…. would it extends his business in KL as well soon? I juz miss the mille crepe~~~
January 30th, 2008 00:21
just ate the cheese cake recently. frankly, the taste is so much more different compare to last time..
January 30th, 2008 00:31
Leffes : He will, soon, just a matter of time. :)
Gordon : I know, but it used to be even worse until I complained to the boss.
March 24th, 2008 16:52
It was a long time ago when I met Amos and even attempted as the kitchen hand out of curiousity. Really find him a kindred spirit and full of charisma when we talked about food and baking. He has a lot of passion in making the mille crepes. Last week was the 1st time since I visited Nadeje again after leaving for overseas. Am really surprised to know that Amos has left, what more 6 months ago… And yes, the cake price is too expensive and the taste is no longer the same! Utterly sad and disappointed things turned out this way… Sigh… I wish Amos, all the best.. and do hope he will open more branches in KL too… Really miss the cakes he makes…
March 30th, 2008 20:26
Christine : He will open in KL soon, just give him some time.
May 29th, 2008 12:47
haiya..just telling me which part of JB…… JB so big mah……
May 29th, 2008 12:52
H2O : Why not you click the link “Humble Beginnings” on the top?