Spoiler: it’s not that bad.
Where I come from, there is a place called Warkop which stands for Warung Kopi. If we translated it, that words means “coffee shop”, but people here know that it has completely different vibes and atmosphere. “Warung” itself means a street-side kiosk that sells daily necessities. So “warung kopi” is a place that serves a modest selection of instant coffee sachets as the main menus, but also serves a cup or instant noodles, and fried snacks or fritters.
Warkop has its own stigma here. The word “stigma” might be too strong, so let’s say it has its own characteristic. Warkop is mostly visited by blue-collar workers or an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver pausing in between orders, and now there are also many teenagers who play a mobile games–because Warkop is provides fairly stable wifi too. So most of the visitors are male, which is also become its own characteristic.
This year, there’s a new Warkop in my city called “Ceria Selalu” which translate to “always cheerful”😂 this Warkop is located in an old Dutch-style building, and even have sofas in the indoor area which is a new thing for Warkop by its standards. On social media, this Warkop is branded as a cafe-style or advanced/next level warkop. I have no idea it was originally come from the owner or influencer who was paid to visit and promote it on their social media accounts.
For me it was interesting because at first, I think the price of the menu was similar to a regular Warkop, although they also serves several cafe-style menu options that also at the similar price as a cafe (but in my opinion it also depends on which cafe we want to compare it to). I was searched for the full address on Google Maps and looked for a complete menu list, but I was triggered by the amount of one-star reviews for this place. These 3 comments below are probably some of the many comments that made me triggered to go and check it for myself to see how bad this place is.
Many reviews complained about the same things: the services of the staff, the cleanliness of the place, and the long waiting time for the order to arrive. When I went there, first of all, I think the place itself is good enough to be consider as a cafe. Because there’s no Warkop that really has this kind of architecture and interior design. The indoor area in the first floor has sofas (I didn’t manage to capture it) and some people also say there’s an AC–which is something we would never find in a reguler warkop. I went to the chasier, and I immediately understood that one-star review commenting on the staff's service is not so friendly.
I can’t really explain the way he spoke, but clearly that he didn’t even try to be friendly. But that wasn’t enough to give a one-star, so I placed my order. I just ordered instant spaghetti and a hot chocolate (spesifically Milo if some of you might know) and I went upstairs. And I found another reason for that one-star reviews, the place was dirty and even some things were placed in areas where they shouldn’t be–like cleaning tools in the corner, so I think it was also unpleasantly view to looked at.
The funny thing is, I came at the same time with a group of girls who seemed to be high school or college students, and they really gave this place one-star review on the spot😂 they talked to each other about what they didn’t like about how the staff’s service downstairs, and in a minute, they decided to leave. It really shows how bad the direct impact of the staff’s service.
I remember they gave me some kind of wireless calling system that commonly used in a foodcourts or cafes and I don’t think I had to wait too long for the tool to ring. But when I went downstairs to get my order, they only served the instant spaghetti and I had to ask “where’s the milo?” first, then he re-checked receipt of my order and almost made the drink when suddenly another staff said that she already made my drink order. I mean.. why?! It was just two of them at the moment and they didn’t even coordinate well for one order when the visitors aren't wvwn too crowded. So once again, it was added reason for that one-star reviews.
But the reason I said it wasn’t that bad in the beginning, is because the place actually calls itself “warkop” which I think locals need to be aware of what they’re expecting. Warkop was never meant to be a cafe because both have different characteristics and target markets. Yes, services and cleanliness of the place are the two most important things, but I think some people also visiting the place with expectations. I’m sure some locals came to this place because they found it on social media, which always shows the best side of it–eyecatching video style, and various kind of hooks to attracts the audiences.
Because if they’ve been to a reguler warkop, I think they should know that warkop is not very clean either. We often see stray cats roaming around, a table with coffee that haven't been cleaned, etc. It's not that it should be normalized, but that’s part of the reason why is warkop not for everyone, and this place is no different. However, I also still found the latest one-star reviews below which actually means that the place never introspects what visitors say. it’s quite annoying because some comment says that the place is often full, so there must be something that actually can be improved.
I think no one is interesting about what I write here😅 but I find it interesting how we can see something from both sides. It’s also interesting because with social media, we all know that something isn’t a full picture yet we still believe it in some ways. I also read one review mention something like “they are not ready yet to go viral, that’s why they can’t handle it well.” which is interesting for me, because I often think that bussiness will be so great when it gets recognition from many people, but it turns out there is another side to it that never crossed my mind.
I think I've rambled enough🤣 so if you made it this far, thank you so much😅