By Rob Cooper PUBLISHED: 07:38 EST, 6 November 2013 | UPDATED: 19:58 EST, 6 November 2013 It's certainly one of the more novel excuses for poor service. The owners of a Lake District cafe who were branded ‘unwelcoming’ by their customers have hit back –  by saying that Northerners are meant to be rude. Customers took to the TripAdvisor website to complain about the surly attitude of staff at Temporary Measure in Keswick, Cumbria. Slapped down: Emma Smalley, 33, wrote that her brother John, 24, (left) is 'surly' as she slapped down a TripAdvisor user who left her Temporary Measure tea room in Keswick, Cumbria, a negative review
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Customer wrote that waiter John Smalley, 24, made them feel 'unwelcome'
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Emma Smalley, 33, responded that her brother 'does not possess a sunny disposition'
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The tearoom owner added 'we enjoy a good curmudgeon' and joked she was a terrible waitress as she slapped down the TripAdvisor reviewer
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Other customers at Temporary Measure in Keswick, Cumbria, have criticised the service in reviews
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However, the cafe also has 59 excellent reviews and is ranked as the fifth-highest rated restaurant in @placeholder out of 102.