1 Star -- Very Disorganized Experience
I visited Haraz Coffee in Mountain View on Sunday, and unfortunately, I left extremely disappointed. I normally don't write reviews, but this experience was disorganized enough that I felt compelled to share it.
The pastries were dry, and the presentation was not appealing. Several of them looked like they hadn't been properly wrapped or handled, which made the display look messy. Having worked in hospitality myself, I know presentation and consistency are important, especially for a newly opened establishment.
The drinks are also quite expensive, and in my opinion, they are not something everyone will feel is worth the price. On top of that, the wait times were extremely long. During a rush, there appeared to be only one person working the register while everyone else was scattered throughout the store.
I genuinely felt bad for the employee handling the register. I unfortunately can't remember her name, but I believe it started with a **K**. She was honestly the highlight of my entire experience. Despite being overwhelmed, she remained incredibly patient, kind, and communicative with both customers and her coworkers. She kept apologizing for the wait and seemed genuinely committed to trying to keep everything together. She was also the only person I consistently saw communicating with the rest of the team and trying to get things moving.
If I ever considered returning, honestly, it would probably be because of the energy she brought to the experience. She was the one person who made the place feel welcoming despite how chaotic everything else was. I really hope management recognizes her effort because she deserves credit for how she handled what was clearly a difficult situation.
What concerned me more was the lack of organization and leadership during the rush. At one point, I saw someone being trained while the store was extremely busy. The cashier asked for help with a specific drink because they were short on manpower, but the request was declined with, **"We're not doing that right now."** I understand that new employees need training, but there is a time and place for everything, and doing it in the middle of an overwhelming rush did not seem like good judgment.
There was also an incident where an employee yelled loudly enough that it could be heard throughout the entire store. That was very uncomfortable and unprofessional, especially in a customer-facing environment.
The biggest issue for me was the apparent lack of management presence. As someone who has worked in a cafe before, I would expect a manager to step in and help coordinate the team during a rush, especially when employees are clearly overwhelmed. Instead, the manager appeared to spend most of the time on a laptop while the staff struggled to keep up. I can't speak to what he was doing on the laptop, but from a customer's perspective, it didn't look like active leadership during a very hectic situation.
I've also noticed that many of the employees who were originally featured on the Mountain View location's official social media no longer appear to be there. Obviously, I don't know what happened behind the scenes, and I don't want to speculate, but combined with seeing employees constantly coming and going, it does raise questions about consistency and management.
I understand this is a newly opened location and that employees are still learning. I'm willing to give some grace for that. However, the combination of extremely long wait times, poor organization, inconsistent communication, and what appeared to be a lack of leadership made the experience very frustrating.
And honestly, I'm not sure what the vision for this location is supposed to be. After visiting on Sunday, the only thing that seemed to be consistently held onto was the slogan of **"your neighborhood coffee shop."** If that's the vision, I think the actual customer experience needs to start reflecting it. A neighborhood coffee shop should feel welcoming, organized, attentive, and consistent--not like customers are watching a team try to figure things out in the middle of a rush.
Ironically, the employee at the register was the closest thing to that "neighborhood coffee shop" feeling. Her attitude and energy were genuinely great, even under pressure. If I ever came back, it would honestly be because I remembered that energy and hoped to have that kind of experience again.
Unfortunately, though, based on everything else I experienced, I don't see myself returning anytime soon. I hope management takes this feedback seriously because there is clearly potential here, but right now, the operation feels extremely disorganized. read more