Re: “Cobblestone Deli and Café”

The disappointment continues
Years ago, this WAS the best sandwich shop in Burlington. Now, it is the worst, hands-down. The previous owner jacked up the prices twice in 2007, and the current owner has boosted them a little more. I understand the logic of charging more for a sandwich made from quality ingredients... but what is the excuse for the beverage prices? A can of Soda, or a vitamin water is HALF the price at three places within a block! The meat, cheese and veg portions on the sandwiches are well below industry standards. As an example, a certain sandwich shop in Essex Junction charges the same, if not lower prices for the same quality ingredients, yet the portions are two to three times the size!! I work within a hundred yards of Cobblestone, but would actually drive to Essex for a better sandwich on principal. Consistently, I have been let down by Cobblestone. From watching the staff take my money with gloved hands and go directly to making my sandwich (without changing gloves), to having my sandwich made with the wrong ingredients than those I had ordered on numerous occasions. I am EXTREMELY unhappy with everything that the Cobblestone Deli has become. Recently I have gone in for chips and a soda (refuse to eat their sandwiches after getting ill from one a few months back.) and found the tables and floors COVERED with litter from lunch service. The new owner's food and sanitation standards are detrimentally low, and I think it is reflected in the attitude of the counter staff, as well as the general ambiance of the Deli. It is no longer the friendly niche that it was five years ago. The owners and staff seem stressed and unhappy whenever I go in, and that is not the way to run a lunch spot! In my personal opinion, it is the end of an era. Stop trying to keep up the old Cobblestone's reputation, and start with a fresh concept. At least then I would know what to expect, rather than suffer every time I go there, hoping for the old reliable quality that It used to offer. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!! Food: 1 Ambiance: 1 Service: 1