British Emporium

FROM 2002 --

I had high hopes when I entered this hunter green and burgundy colored tea room with the lace curtains. Even the fact that it was located in a strip mall didn't deter me from thinking it might be a pleasant experience. They were the only place available to take reservations on a moment's notice and now I know why. Apparently, no one wants to go there and I sure don't blame them. I had really 'talked up' the whole afternoon tea experience to my friends and now none of them are interested in ever visiting a tea shop again! We each paid separately for our tea services (there were 3 of us), yet we were told that we would only be getting TWO tea pots so we could only choose two types of teas. Does that make any sense? So two of us had to compromise and share one pot. Why, ... (more)why, why??? I'm still confused about that bizarre rule. I asked if I could have peach tea, was told there was none, and then saw boxes of it with my own eyes in the adjacent tea store (same person owns and runs both places). Talk about not even TRYING to make your customers happy! I asked if we could light the candle on our table and was told, 'No, she only has that there for decoration and we never light it.' They were just cheap, tacky red candles with a fake floral wreath at the base!!! What's the big deal?? Maybe the thick layer of dust on the candles should have given me a hint that no one is allowed to touch them -- not even with a cleaning rag. One of our sandwiches was made from Kraft cheese (ugh!) -- I've put together yummier snacks for my kids in a matter of seconds! The 'scones' were just dry, lukewarm buns. Gross! I still cringe when I think about how miserable I was when I handed over my $16 at the end of the disgusting experience. I wish I was better at standing up for myself; maybe I could have refused to pay ... To this day, I am still apologizing to my friends for having them waste their money.

Never had a chance to try this Tea Room, but wanted to many times. However, now it is closed, or it was last time I visited the Gift shop a couple of months ago. The Gift Shop is still open but I was told that the Tea Room had been closed for several months. Call to verify if you plan to go there.