I just got into town from LA on a red-eye through Chicago, so needless to say, I needed to…read morecaffeinate to function for the rest of the day. Coffee Social came up as near the hotel, and I liked the idea of a place that encouraged you to come in and work.
It's an adorable spot, and I think it has a lot of potential, but it needs work to get there, particularly on the service end. LA has one of the strongest coffee cultures around, so admittedly I'm a bit spoiled, but it seems like more training needs to happen.
A few training suggestions for management:
1. Greet your customers like you're happy to see them. In this case, the barista wasn't unfriendly, but I can't say there was much enthusiasm or passion for what they were doing. (Update: Watched another customer come in and come right up to the register--not sure the barista even said hello to her.)
2. Wash your hands. If you're eating food as a barista--or wiping tables or whatever--before you take care of anybody, wash your hands. In this case, the barista was eating their pizza and immediately moved to the register and then to making drinks. Washing your hands is Food Service 101, and I have to say this really put me off.
3. Be proactive rather than reactive. When people leave and their table is dirty (technically, any table that's had a person at it should get a wipe), wipe it down instead of surfing/texting/whatever on your phone. Or when I order food (see #5), maybe anticipate and tell me where the napkins are--they're only obvious from the front. Or if you see someone with a laptop computer, assume they will probably need the Wi-Fi and let them know where the code is.
4. If I ask about a drink, maybe tell me something about it. For example, if I ask about a mocha, five-star service might tell me how many shots are in each size. (There's really only a single shot in a 12 oz mocha?!)
5. Maybe do some tastings of the food you carry so that the baristas know a little about it. My barista had never had the egg salad wrap--which was honest--but they seemed indifferent to my ordering food in general. Another review mentioned that the food items are locally made, which is something to be proud of and amplified to customers.
In short, they answered direct questions, but that was about it--reactive, not proactive.
Ultimately, I was here to work for a while, so I ordered a 16 oz mocha which ostensibly had 2 shots of espresso (the barista said they could add one) and an egg salad wrap from the case. Unfortunately, serving the mocha in a to-go cup with a sealed lid removes any chance of cool latte art (not sure that this barista would have been up for the challenge anyway). Taste was OK--better than Starbucks--but it felt as if it lacked the coffee notes I get in my mochas back home. The wrap, which came from Ladle of Love, was fine, if a bit heavier than I expected.
In short, it's a comfortable and pretty environment with good Wi-Fi, reasonable prices and some outlet access, which makes it good for working. But at least based on my experience, the overall approach to service--at least on the day I was here--is holding it back.