Q&A: The Milk n' Honey Tea Room

As Seminole Heights Patch readers voted on their favorite businesses in , a few quickly rose to the top. One of those that has really shined is .

Patch caught up with chef/owner Kathy Glenn ahead of the semifinals in our customer service contest, which will resume at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 28.

Name of business:

Name of owner: Kathy Glenn.

In business since: 2002 — Milk n' Honey Tea Room celebrated its 10th anniversary in the same location in February. I am the third owner and purchased it in October of 2010.

How long have you lived in the area? I moved to Tampa in 1997, from Houston, TX, but grew up in Spartanburg, SC. I'm a Southern girl, through and through!

What do you love about living and working in our town? There is a wonderful "small town" feel in Tampa Bay. The support the communities give their businesses and residents is amazing and the mentoring that business owners are willing to give to each other is just awesome. And of course the weather doesn't hurt either! For a restaurant to be able to get fresh local fruit and vegetables so many months of the year is a real plus!

What do you wish everyone who came into your shop knew about you? I would love for them to know how much we enjoy having them visit us and letting us be a part of their lives and memories. Special lunches between friends, bridal showers, baby showers and birthday parties are memories in the making and we are always so honored to be chosen to be a part of that day. Many of our "regular" customers have become friends, and we truly value these new friendships and look forward to making even more in the future.

Tell us a quick story about a time you provided awesome customer service: I would like to think that my entire staff provides awesome customer service to everyone that walks through our door. One thing that we are known for, however, is working with people's food allergies and dietary restrictions, so they can enjoy the same experience as their friends. We have created menus and dishes for restrictions that include lactose-free, lactose/egg-free, soy-free, lactose/soy/egg/gluten-free, gluten-free, vegan, and of course vegetarian. We ask everyone that calls in for a reservation if they have any food allergies or dietary restrictions, so that we can plan their menu, but also will work with the "surprise" restrictions of walk-in customers. People seem to appreciate us caring enough to ask.