Review of Aroma Cafe by John and Cheryl Nevin
DOGS Allowed at AROMA CAFE in the Atrium building in Uptown Waterloo!! Last week my husband and I went to the Aroma Cafe for lunch. They are located in uptown Waterloo, in the upstairs level of the Atrium. We have been going for there about three years now, and go about twice a week. We love it there and I have written reviews about this place and told many people about the great food, coffee and most of all the friendly service from the owner, Kiki and her employees. The Aroma cafe is in the upper level of the Atrium building where there are other stores such as Delirium, The Strand Hair Salon, Cobblestone Gallery, Decorative Corner and Twice is Nice. There is a circled walkway that is surrounded by large windows off the Erb Street entrance, and a skylight which allows for a lovely sunny natural peaceful nature like setting The Aroma cafe has tables inside their area and they also have five small tables outside the entrance of the Aroma cafe—two right by the entrance of the cafe and three more by the Erb Street entrance. Last week my hubby and I went to the Aroma Cafe around noon and we noticed that there was a couple sitting at a table in the walk around area just outside the cafe entrance having lunch with their dog on a leash. We were more than surprised and upset that there was a dog in the building and asked Kiki-the owner about this. At first we thought that maybe Kiki did not see the dog but she was more than aware and stated that “Sometimes we have customers that come with their dogs to the cafe.” I was not aware of this and told her that we do not agree with dogs being allowed in an area where there is food, clothing and other shops. Plus, I myself have some fears around dogs due to some past experiences. However, I do like dogs and I know all dogs are not the same so I usually ask the owners if I can pet their dogs. I even had a dog when my children were young and I adored him, but I do not feel that it is appropriate that dogs should be allowed in buildings such as the Atrium. The other shop owners are fully aware that there are dogs allowed in the building but the owner of Cobblestone Gallery was unaware. She is fairly new and just took over the company about two months ago. She did agree though that the dogs should be outside and leashed while the customers are shopping inside the Atrium building. We ourselves will no longer go to the Aroma Cafe since we do not agree with their dog policy. However, for those of you who have dogs then this is the perfect place to go to. You can take your “best friend.” with you to the Atrium building-shop at all the stores, get your hair done, and then sit down at the Aroma cafe table with your dog and have a lovely lunch too.
John and Cheryl Nevin