GoodLife Cafe & Bakery

GoodLife Cafe & Bakery - Mendocino, California

We headed down the PCH for breakfast and found this little gem in Mendocino. It was a nice place to grab a hot breakfast and coffee in a charming little town. The atmosphere was easygoing and enjoyable. I thought it was brilliant how they also had all kinds of food and drinks for a quick takeout! 

This isn't a traditional restaurant where someone waits on you. You look at the menu and order at the counter. If your order is take out, you get it at the counter and go. If you are dining in, they will bring your food to a table. You still need to get your own water, napkins, and utensils.  They also charge a 15% tip automatically for every order. I understand wanting the best for their employees, but the cost may feel high for simple grab and go items and for a dining experience that isn't full service.  The sign outside stated the gratuity charge was so their employees can earn a living wage. Which is understandable, but also implies they don't pay well. Also, a tip shouldn't be demanded up front. Usually, you tip based on the level of service you receive. Why are we paying upfront here without knowing what we are getting? A tip is a bonus in pay for delivering great, friendly service. When I go to a restaurant, I tip at the end of the meal based on the quality of service. Fortunately, our brief interactions with employees were good, but maybe not worth a forced 15% based on limited interactions. 

The food was good. Nothing to write home about but a good hot meal for breakfast. The mochas we ordered were very delicious! I enjoyed mine a lot. 

We also ordered a couple of bakery items to go to try out. I appreciated their sustainable practice to take out orders. The food was served in a cardboard box rather than styrofoam or plastic. They also served wooden utensils vs plastic, which I thought was a fantastic alternative. They worked just as well, if not better! We should be offering this everywhere! We enjoyed our desert at a beach later on. They were good overall, and we appreciated having a desert at the beach.